ALMOST-INSTANT BEETROOT & CHIVES HUMMOUS, Vegan, oil-free

An easier version of artisan beetroot hummus that's a cut above normal but using canned chickpeas

Beetroot & Chive Hummus that uses canned chickpeas
'Don't normally like hummus but this one was smooth and fresh;
 I'd try it again.' Taster

This easy to put together hummus* is terrific as an impressive crowd-pleaser and for a family meal.

And it doesn't involve peeling cooked chickpeas (like the admittedly exquisite Velvet Beetroot with Hummous)!

Beetroot & Chive Hummus is lovely, thick and scrumptious, with a blend of ingredients that makes it a cut above supermarket fare.  And it can be oil-free.

On its own, it's gorgeous with strong kid-appeal.  Serve with crudites, pita triangles (toasted or plain) or - as here - seeded soda bread

Cost: under £2
Makes: about a pint 

FABULOUS & FRUGAL ' EVERYTHING BUT THE KITCHEN SINK' VELOUTE, Vegan

This is a variation on 67's richly flavoured vegetable melange, costing very little, which knocks the socks off anyone who tastes it

Potage of 'Everything but the kitchen sink' with cauliflower & chicken
'Just unbelievably good and so cheap!' Retired writer

It's hard to believe  something so simple - just vegetables and water - could be so flavourful and cost so little.  And there's the added bonus of helping avoid food waste.

You can, of course, stick to just one or two veg but 67 finds a mix really boosts the flavour.  

Slow cooking helps the gorgeous result.  67 does not have a Instant Pot; if you have one and want to test this recipe in it, please send a comment telling the blog how it went.    

SKINNIER CHAR SIU BBQ PORK, lower fat, sugar & salt

One of the best Oriental classics -- sweet, savoury, spicy, juicy pork -- but much almost guilt-free more healthy. 

first posted feb 2018

'Perfectly flavoured.' 'A revelation; hard to believe it's low fat/sugar/salt.  ' Tasters

  

This virtually guilt-free beautifully flavoured meat is perfect for Chinese New Year or when nothing else but Chinese will do...or even on a summer's picnic, sliced, as a snack.

 

When 67 tested the pork, it nearly didn't go to tasters.  It was beautifully tender and moist.  The pork is that good; the flavour is terrific despite - or maybe because of - the way the heathier ingredients were combined. 

     

Char Siu barbecued pork are long strips of boneless pork, often coloured red, marinated in an unmistakeable sweet and savoury sauce.  The crisp, slightly burnt edges are optional; the generous layer of sticky finger-licking coating is not.  

Though every lover of Chinese food adores Char Siu, most people with health or obesity issues approach it with caution.  Many char siu sauces are laden with sugar & salt and some pork strips have hidden layers of thick fat.

67goingon50 used pork fillet, a healthy cut that's a little more expensive than most.  But it has less fat than skinless chicken breast and, once trimmed of (thin layers) of sinew, is pure extra lean meat.       

67's marinade reduced sugar and cut back on soy sauce.  Reduced-salt soy helped minimise blood pressure issues.  

With this dish, the blog introduces a new Asian flavour: hoisin sauce*.  It comes in a jar, is dark and salty-sweet and you will use it again and again as a glaze, dipping sauce or (like oyster sauce) a flavouring for fried rice. 

The exotic and infrequently used red or yellow bean sauces which some recipes claim is a must for 'authenticity' make no appearance here.

Prepare a day in advance.

Cost: £4-5, depending on source
Serves:  3-4 depending on sides

Ingred:
   400-500gm/12-16oz pork fillet, trimmed of fat & sinew

 Marinade:
     1 1/2 tbsp hoisin sauce
     1 tsp oyster sauce
     1/2 tsp reduced-salt soy sauce
     1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil (or peanut oil)
     3/4 tsp sugar
     1 1/2 tbsp maple syrup or honey     
     2-3 tbsp brandy or sherry
     1 tbsp tahini or smooth peanut butter
     2 med cloves garlic, peeled & grated
     2 tbsp peeled & grated ginger
    1 tsp 5-spice powder     
    1/2 star anise

     red food colour without e numbers* (opt) (67 didn't bother)

Method:

You'll need a small roasting tin two inches/5cm deep and a large baking/cooling rack that sits comfortably on top

1. Cut the fillet into two equal sized pieces 
2. Mix all the marinade ingredients, whisking or processing to blend
3. Pour the marinade into a plastic zip-lock storage bag or a large plastic bag (placing the bag in a deep bowl will reduce mess)
4. Put the pork into the bag, mushing it round so the fillets are well coated
5. Refrigerate 4-6 hours or overnight, turning when you remember
6. When ready to cook, bring pork to room temperature
7. Preheat oven to 200c/400f
8. Rest the baking rack over the tin, making sure it's stable; fill tin half full with hot water 
9. Place the filets on the tray, reserving the marinade 
10. Bake 20 min, dabbing marinade on the meat halfway through
11. Reduce temperature to 180c/350c; bake another 20 mins, basting every 5 mins or so.  If you have a meat thermometer, the inner temperature should be 65-70c/145-60f 
12. To give the fillets a charred look, turn temp up to max (OR turn on the grill) and cook until edges crisp & blacken
13. Mix 1 tbsp maple syrup or honey with a drop of red colouring, if using; brush it all over the fillets until they glisten
14. Serve at room temperature; slice thinly on the diagonal

Comments: 
'This was a revelation; the sauce was so like restaurants in London's Chinatown, it was hard to believe fat, sugar & salt were reduced.  The meat was very tender and succulent but it was good to have the option of crisping and charring the exterior. I loved it!' Blogger
'The pork was perfectly flavoured and melted in the mouth.' Political Agent

Tips:

• the Char Siu sauce can also be used on pork butt or shoulder, sliced into strips 2in/5cm wide but the meat has more fat

Ways to Serve Char Siu pork:

• over a mound of white rice with Honeyed Chinese leaves and gravy made with the leftover marinade plus stock
• sliced, on noodles in hot broth 
• over a salad of Chinese leaves & cucumber with Oriental dressing 
• as a snack, sliced 

    

*Lee Kum Kee   £2/400gm

Please leave a Comment in the box below

This recipe has  been developed by B M Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises.  It may not be reproduced without the author's written permission.

'BIG' CHICKEN SOUP 'FLU CURE, Frugal

Feeling under the weather?  A chunky chicken soup boosts the immune system 

Home-made Chunky Chicken Soup served on a tray 

'An intensely flavoured easily digested life-saver when ill' Blogger 

photo 3/16/17

Chunky Chicken Soup is ambrosial; deeply flavoured, beautiful in texture, tender and easily digested.

In every cupboard or freezer, there should always be 'Big' Soups for emergencies when unable/unwilling to cook due to illness or the general malaises of life.

A trial of tinned was disappointing; thick and gloopy - definitely not in a good way - and characterised by a strong, deeply unpleasant metallic flavour. 

It was enough to send 67 down the home-made, freezable route and to keep several portions in the 67 freezer.  (See also Big Beef Soup). 

For emergencies, there are also a few Baxter's soups in the cupboard.  They're not as chunky as tinned 'Big' soups but more tasty and satisfying.  And probably better for you.  

67's Big Chicken Soup is great for the ill or infirm, or kids or anyone looking for a nutritious tasty easily digested meal.

Oh, and it's wallet-friendly and low-fat/salt/preservative.  

Cost: £2.00
Serves: 4-6

Ingred:
   7oz/200g chicken, in one inch/2cm cubes
   seasoned flour (any will do)

   olive oil
   med onion, diced or coarsely processed
   1 1/2 sticks celery in med dice
   1 large carrot in one inch cubes
   6oz+/180gm baby new potatoes or washed potatoes in one-inch cubes
   1 cup swede in one inch cubes (opt)
   1 cup parsnips in one inch cubes (opt)

   enough stock or water to cover meat & veg by one inch
   slug of dry sherry (opt)

   1 generous mug thickly sliced mushrooms
   2/3 mug frozen peas (opt)

   2 tbsp flour with 1/2 ounce butter

Method:

1. Toss chicken in a plastic bag with seasoned flour and shake until pieces are covered
2. Sauté veg in tablespoon of olive oil over med low heat in a partly covered large saucepan, 20 mins, stirring occasionally; do not allow to burn; onions should be translucent not brown
3. Add chicken with stock/water and sherry  
4. Bring to the boil; lower heat, let bubble 5 mins, skimming off any scum that rises to the surface
5. Pour into slow cooker; add more liquid if necessary to cover the contents by one inch
6. Cook on high 2-3 hours or until chicken is tender and veg are soft (or on low for 4-6 hrs)
7. Meanwhile saute mushrooms in a large saucepan in just enough olive oil to prevent sticking; when nearly done add juice of half a lemon, pepper and a bit of salt; cook until all the liquid is gone; set aside for later
8. When chicken & veg in the stockpot are ready, remove from the soup liquid; set aside with mushrooms 
9. Pour soup liquid into the pan used for mushrooms; bring to the boil; mash flour and butter & add to juices
10. Allow to thicken; add chicken, veg & mushrooms if using 
11. Simmer half an hour; check seasoning; if soup is too thick, add water; if too thin, mix 1 tsp cornflour with 1 tbsp very cold water and stir it in 
12. Serve with crusty bread or Cheese Scones

Tips:

• the flavour of boiling fowl is wonderful but be careful; some are stuffed with antibiotics
• before decanting soup from the slow-cooker, check the tenderness of the chicken; if it isn't tender, let it cook longer
• Baxters is the soup brand 67 normally depends on for emergencies ; they don't do 'big' soups but some of the soups are thick, flavourful and chunky

          More soups on NAV BAR: Recipes II/Soups  ...

Please leave a Comment in the box below  

This recipe  has been developed by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission.