Baked potatoes ‘n’ pork
Ingredients: one pound of lean pork mince, one finely chopped onion, two to three cloves of chopped garlic, one chopped chilli, one dessertspoon of fresh ginger, one red pepper, juice of one lime, one can of chopped tomatoes, salt and pepper, and four large hot baked potatoes.
Method: heat a non-stick pan, brown the pork well. Stir in the onion, garlic, chilli, ginger, red pepper, and lime juice, can of tomatoes and season well. Cook for eight to 10 minutes.
Serving suggestions: split the potatoes in four to open, fill with the pork. Add sour cream if desired. Serve with roasted peppers tossed in oil, lemon juice, and balsamic vinegar.
Indonesian beef
Ingredients: two pounds of chuck steak, trimmed and diced, three cloves of garlic, two teaspoons of roughly chopped root ginger, one deseeded and chopped chilli, a little oil, one large sliced lemon, lemon juice, two teaspoons of turmeric, 250ml of water, three tablespoons of soy sauce, one tablespoon of brown sugar, one bay leaf, a little salt, 50g creamed coconut, cut into small pieces, 50g unsalted peanuts, or cashew nuts, roughly chopped, two to three tablespoons of chopped coriander, finely grated lemon rind.
Method: place the diced meat in a flameproof casserole. Put the garlic, ginger, and chilli into a food processor and grind finely. Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the onion and brown well. Add the garlic, ginger, and chilli mixture to the pan and cook for a few minutes. Add to the meat plus the lemon juice, turmeric, water, soy sauce, brown sugar, bay leaf, and seasoning. Cover and cook over a gentle heat until tender, approximately one and a half hours. Towards the end of cooking time, add the creamed coconut.
Serving suggestions: mix the nuts, coriander, and lemon rind together. Sprinkle over the casserole. Delicious served with basmati rice.
Italian meatballs and pasta
Ingredients: one pound of lean minced beef or lamb, one finely chopped onion, two cloves of chopped garlic, two tablespoons of chopped fresh herbs, one to two teaspoons of chilli sauce, salt and black pepper.
To make the tomato sauce: five to six diced tomatoes, one tablespoon of chopped fresh herbs, juice of a lemon, two cloves of finely chopped garlic.
350g of pasta and olive oil.
Method: mix the meatball ingredients together. Shape into meatballs. Mix the tomato sauce ingredients together, plus a little olive oil and seasoning and set aside. Heat a little oil in a large pan and cook the meatballs for five to six minutes or until no pink meat remains at the centre and the juices run clear. Add the tomato mixture and pasta. Toss well and serve.
