Slow-cooked sticky pork chops

This is one of my winter staples. The chops are probably not as sticky as you’d think they would be, but they are really tasty. The carrot turns out really well too so I normally add extra carrot. The meat often falls off the bone, so just be careful of little bones. I use regular flour not tapioca flour and add some cornflour at the end to thicken it. I’ll add a picture when I make this again, but right now it’s too hot! Another winner from the same magazine is the Orange and ginger slow-cooked chicken drumsticks.

Orange and ginger slow-cooked chicken drumsticks

When I got my first slow cooker, I didn’t have any recipes. Someone I worked with mentioned this one and brought it in for me to copy as well as the recipe for Slow-cooked sticky pork chops . It’s a real winner and I’ve even used it when having friends around for dinner.

Barley Risotto with leeks, lemon and peas

This recipe is from Rick Gallop’s  GI Diet Green-Light Cookbook. I like low GI recipes which keep you fuller for longer and even my husband, who usually complains if I serve him a vegetarian dish, enjoyed this one.

1 tbsp olive oil

1 medium leek, white and light-green part only, chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme

200g pearl barley

4 tbsp dry white wine or vermouth

750-900 ml vegetable stock

1 lemon, grated zest and juice

125g frozen and thawed peas

2 tbsp grated fresh Parmesan

Sea salt and black pepper

1. In a saucepan, heat the oil over a medium-high heat; cook the leek, garlic and thyme, stirring, for 3 minutes or until softened. Stir in the barley until well coated.
2. Stir in the wine and cook, stirring until the wine is absorbed. Add 750ml stock and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce the heat to low; simmer, stirring occasionally, for 40-45 minutes or until the barley is tender. If needed, stir in a little more stock or hot water near the end of cooking time to maintain a creamy consistency.
3. Stir in the peas and cook for 2-3 minutes more, then add the lemon juice, lemon zest and Parmesan; season to taste and serve hot.

Serves 4-6.

 

 

Sago pudding

Sago pudding is a South African warm pudding, served with custard (my favourite!). Rob’s mom loves to make sago pudding for Sunday lunch and knows the recipe by heart! This serves 6-8.

Ingredients
4 cups milk
1 cup sago
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg or cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar
5 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 eggs
5 tablespoons apricot jam
1/2 cup sugar (extra)

1. Heat oven to 160 degrees.
2. Heat milk to nearly boiling, then add sago, salt, and nutmeg or cinnamon.
3. Simmer over very low heat until sago is transparent.
4. Add the 1/2 cup sugar, butter and vanilla, and stir in well. Remove from heat.
5. Separate the eggs, and whisk the yolks. Add yolks to the sago mixture, whisk or mix through well, and pour the mixture into a large, greased oven dish.
6. Put blobs of the apricot jam all over the pudding mixture.
7. Whisk the egg whites until stiff, and add the extra 1/2 cup sugar slowly, whisking until incorporated.
8. Spread this meringue over the sago pudding.
9. Bake in the preheated oven for about 40 – 45 minutes, until set, and the meringue is light brown on top.

Notes:

Can be served hot, warm or cold.

Telephone pudding

Warm puddings with custard are my absolute favourite. I found this recipe online a while back. The story goes that it was passed from woman to woman over the phone when we still used a party line in South Africa. It’s similar to malva pudding but both have their merits. Serve with custard or ice-cream.

Ingredients:

1 cup castor sugar

115g butter

2 Tbsp apricot jam

1 large egg

5ml baking soda

1 cup milk

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp ginger

1 tsp salt

Syrup:

1 cup sugar [Note: This pudding is very sweet. I will try halve the sugar in the syrup next time.]

2 cups boiling water

1 tsp vanilla

1. Heat oven to 180 degrees.
2. Cream butter and sugar. Add jam and egg.
3. Mix flour, ginger and salt together. Add baking soda to milk.
4. Whisk the creamed mixture and the dry ingredients into the milk to form a batter.
5. Mix syrup ingredients and pour into dish, then pour pudding batter on top of syrup. (This looks completely wrong but it will work!)
6. Bake for 30-45 minutes.

Malva Pudding

This is a delicious South African pudding, best served hot with heaps of home made custard or ice cream. Everyone who has eaten it in New Zealand has loved it!

Ingredients:

250ml cake flour

125ml sugar

250ml milk

1 egg

pinch of salt

7.5ml vinegar or lemon juice

5ml apricot jam

5ml baking powder

5ml baking soda

Sauce:

250ml brown sugar

250ml cream or milk

125ml boiling water

200g butter

Method:

1. Heat oven to 180 degrees.
2. Beat egg and sugar together. Add other ingredients, adding milk last. Mix well.
3. Pour into a large pyrex dish and bake for 50-60 minutes.
4. Boil together sauce ingredients. Poke holes all over the pudding and pour the hot sauce over it to soak in.

Tips:

• When the pudding comes out of the oven, it may look quite small and have shrunk away from the sides, but it will plump up once you pour the sauce over. Leave the pudding for a few minutes once you’ve poured the sauce over it, so that the sauce can be absorbed.
• I usually use cream in the sauce instead of milk.
• I have made the sauce with half the sugar and half the butter.
• If you can get hold of Moir’s custard powder at a South African shop or in the international aisle of your supermarket, it’s the best!