Come to a Barbeque at my Kitchen Table

It's Barbeque season and, although the weather has been rather variable, when the sun shines we love to cook and eat outside.  Some hardy souls even brave the rain and wind and carry on regardless.  Here are a few of the products that have arrived on my kitchen table for review and how I think they can be served as part of al fresco eating.


Let's start with some soup!  "Soup at a Barbeque!" I hear you cry, well yes... ideal for those days that are not quite warm enough and also perfect to keep hunger pangs at bay while the barbie is heating up and the main event is cooking.  This healthy Glorious Skinnylicious Soup is perfect to start your party.  The San Antonio Fiesta is a  hearty chilli sin carne with Black eye beans, Haricot beans, Black Turtle beans, and Red kidney beans. Also carrot, red pepper, basmati rice, a smoky Chipotle chilli paste, a pinch of peering at colourful floats parading past and ending the night shamelessly line-dancing in an old dancehall.

For those who prefer something a little smoother and sweeter there is New England in Autumn and it certainly doesn't taste like it has less than 1% fat. Made from roasted butternut squash with a hint of warming cumin, this soup reminds us of happening upon honesty stalls full of autumn harvests and strolling under colourful tree canopies.  Kids will love this too.


Now, you can't have a barbeque without burgers.  These are a little different, they are haggis burgers which I made by combining 500g of beef mince and 450g Macsween Haggis, then forming into patties. Chill and then cook in the usual way on the barbeque or fry them, cook under the grill or bake in the oven. Serve with salad, homemade coleslaw and homemade potato wedges.



To dress up your burgers, sausages or steaks you need some spicy sauce or a tasty marinade.  Encona Taste Explorers have a great range of sauces and marinades provide something a little different,  how often do you taste Jamaica, Korea or Morocco on the grill?

With Encona’s new marinade range, you can spice up your barbeque and bring flavour to the fire. You have a choice immersing your food in Jamaican Jerk, Korean BBQ or Moroccan Harissa.

Each marinade has been inspired by its origin, combining authentic ingredients to create three mouth-watering marinades that will make you feel like you are sunning in the Caribbean, riding a camel in North Africa or wandering through Gwangjang market.

A spicy and fragrant Moroccan paste made with a blend of chilli puree, herbs and spices; the harissa marinade adds the perfect kick to a lamb skewer.

For those who feel taste travelling to Morocco isn’t far enough, you can take your taste buds all the way to Korea. The BBQ marinade is made with a blend of gochujang spices, which can be enjoyed on beef, chicken, pork or grilled vegetables.

Alternatively, you could virtually hop across the pond to the sandy beaches of Jamaica, and enjoy a beach BBQ with a mild jerk marinade blended with scallions, hot pepper and pimento spices.

Each marinade is suitable for vegetarians and  two are gluten free.
Time to get saucy with Encona Peruvian Amarillo Sauce, a blend of authentic Peruvian Amarillo chillies, roasted onion, spices and herbs creating a sweet, subtle chilli flavour with a hint of garlic – the perfect way for eager taste explorers to get their taste buds tingling without the cost of a plane ticket.
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I was provided with samples to review, all opinions are my own. 

Labels: barbecue, barbeque, burger, Elizabeth Shaw, Encona, Glorious Skinnylicious, haggis, halloumi, Macsween, marinade, mints, Moose Maple Butter, rice and grains, sauce, Soup, Uncle Ben's

posted by Janice @ 00:00 149 Comments

March 2014 Slow Cooker Challenge Round Up

Many thanks to all who took part in the March Slow Cooker Challenge bringing us some lovely barbeque flavours created in the slow cooker.

Caroline of Caroline Makes started us off with Slow Cooker (Crock Pot) Barbeque Chicken a delightfully straight-forward, throw it all in the pot sort of recipe, just the thing for lazy days when you want a tasty dish with minimum effort.


Jane, at Onions and Paper, gave pulled pork another try with The Epic Pork a recipe from Mudpies and Fries.  Unfortunately, despite liking the idea of pulled pork, Jane found that she didn't enjoy the texture of the dish.  If you like pulled pork in a barbeque sauce, you will probably enjoy this slow cooker version.  Even if you don't enjoy pulled pork you should head over to Jane's blog to see the fabulous onion 'flowers'.


Karen at Lavender and Lovage has taken a different approach to the Barbeque theme, with a potato dish with a smoky BBQ flavour coming from smoked bacon: Irish Slow Cooked Bacon and Potatoes  in Paper it would be delicious with sausages, chops or steaks cooked on your barbeque, or even as a lunch or supper dish with a salad, as Karen has done in the photograph.


Corina at Searching for Spice takes us on a trip to Japan with a Slow Cooked Pork in Tonkatsu Sauce (Japanese Barbeque Sauce) which she served with pancakes for pancake day!  Another fabulous recipe for the Slow Cooker Challenge.


Pork seems to have been a very popular choice for a barbeque based slow cooker dish but each one is different.  Ness at JibberJabber has gone a bit retro with a Slow Cooker Barbequed Pork with Pineapple, the sauce looks lovely and sticky,  just as it should be.



Finally, a recipe from Natalie who I met on Twitter @Starcatch3r however, Natalie doesn't have a blog, so she emailed me her recipe and photograph to share.  The Barbeque Shredded Chicken recipe was adapted from a recipe on Sugarlaws blog.  Natalie served the dish with wedges and corn cobs, added salad for the adults and the children had their chicken on rolls it looks delicious. 



And the winner of Slow Cooking for Two (picked by Random Number Generator) is Corina of Searching for Spice.  Congratulations Corina.

Thanks to PGUK for providing a copy of Slow Cooking for Two by Cynthia Graubart as a prize.

Labels: barbeque, March, potatoes, Pulled Pork, Shredded Chicken, Slow Cooker Challenge, Tonkatsu Pork

posted by Janice @ 21:48 0 Comments

BBQ Pork Tenderloin and the March Slow Cooker Challenge

Thanks to everyone who took part in the February Slow Cooker Challenge.  The theme was open so we had a real variety of dishes, see them all in the Feburary Slow Cooker Challenge Round Up.

This month we do have a theme and it is: BARBEQUE you don't have to get the barbie out to have BBQ flavours, you can make them in your slow cooker.  I also have another GIVEAWAY for entrants to the March Slow Cooker Challenge, a copy of  
Slow Cooking for Two by Cynthia Graubart


Photographs by Christopher Hornaday
Published by Gibbs Smith
Distributed in the UK by PGUK 
RRP  £12.07

This is the book for those who cook for two and prefer not to eat leftovers for days, however the recipes can be doubled up if you are feeding a family.

About the Author:  Cynthia Stevens Graubart is an author and former television producer who began her culinary television production career with New Southern Cooking with Nathalie Dupree in 1985. She is the author of The One-Armed Cook, called the culinary version of What to Expect When You’re Expecting. Cynthia and her husband, Cliff, live in Atlanta, Georgia.

Here is my review of Slow Cooking for Two:
 
The Introduction covers the basics such as selecting a slow cooker, there is also a really useful section on all the additional equipment, mostly dishes and baking tins, that you can use inside your slow cooker eg mini loaf pan, ramekins etc.
I liked the little table of Conventional to Slow cooker timings which allow you to convert your own favourite recipes either from oven method to slow cooker or vice versa, and the requently asked questions section was full of useful answers. There is also a section with pantry ingredient suggestions.

Moving on to the recipes there is a selection of Soups from classic leek and potato to Kale and Kielbasa Soup.

In the Poultry chapter,  I was particularly taken with Lemon Chicken, Cacciatore - Style Chicken Thighs, Honey Ginger Chicken Thighs and Turkey Meatloaf with Basil and Mozzarella.

There are eight Beef and Lamb dishes including Braised Short Ribs, Stuffed Peppers with Mozzarella and Rosemary Lamb with Tomatoes.

Now we come to the chapter of genius: Double Dinners!  Cynthia uses Slow Cooker liners for this technique,  you can get them online, but I had some roasting bags and decided to see if they would work and they did.

The principle is to create two different meals using the same main ingredient and cook them in the bags side by side in the slow cooker.  One to eat straight away, the other decanted into a dish and chilled or frozen for later consumption.

Recipes Double Dinners include: Beef Bottom Round, this cut of meat we would call silverside, but Peppery Silverside really isn't as much fun as #1 Peppery Bottom Round #2 Fall flavoured Bottom Round;  Pot Roast, #1 Lime Pot Roast with Tomato Sauce #2 Vinegar Braised Pot Roast and the recipe I made:  Pork Tenderloin #1 Parmesan Crusted Pork Tenderloin #2 BBQ Pork Tenderloin

The chapter on Seafood has a limited number of recipes but includes a clever foil pouch Lemon Dill Salmon which takes just two hours on low in the Slow Cooker and a Shrimp in Herb Butter Sauce dish.

There are over 20 recipes for Side Dishes, who knew you could bake potatoes in your slow cooker? You probably did,  but I had no idea. Even mash can be made in the slow cooker, glazed carrots, roasted root vegetables, Polenta and Mushroom Risotto.  This is a really useful chapter with a lot of side dishesI wouldn't have thought of making in the slow cooker.

And so to Desserts, I have still to try making dessert in my slow cooker, it is always occupied with cooking my main meal!  However I am itching to have a go at Lemon Cake, Lemon Curd, Apple Crisp and Poached Pears.

For those who like to entertain there are some Dips and Appetisers that look simple to make and packed with flavour, including  Hot Cheese Dip, Kale and Artichoke Dip, Spicy Mixed Nuts and White Bean Spread.

The final chapter is all about The Basics and includes recipes for stocks, roasted garlic heads, Marinara Sauce and Cinnamon-Ginger Apple Sauce.


Pros: A good variety of innovative recipes which are clearly laid out and easy to follow.  Clever techniques like the double dinners make this a stand out recipe book. Most recipes have short ingredient lists and there's an excellent index and a metric conversion chart.  A few Notes pages are also included so you can write up your own recipes and variations.

Cons: no picture for every recipe, high predominance of meat based main dishes, not much for the vegetarian or vegan.

Pork Tenderloin (Double Dinners)

Liner #1 
Parmesan-Crusted Pork Tenderloin (serves 2)


Ingredients
1/2 of a 1 pound (450g) pork tenderloin or fillet
salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup honey
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp dried basil or chives (I used a couple of finely chopped spring onions)
1 clove garlic minced, or 1/2 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup grated or shredded Parmesan cheese

1. Place pork tenderloin in the bottom of a slow cooker liner bag (or roasting bag)
2. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper
3. Stir together the honey, soy sauce basil, garlic and olive oil in a small bowl. Pour over the pork, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and set aside.

Liner #2
BBQ Pork Tenderloin (serves 2)


Ingredients
1/2 of a 1 pound (450g) pork tenderloin (fillet)
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup tomato ketchup
2 tbsp light or dark brown sugar
1 tbsp vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
1 clove garlic minced or 1/2 tsp bottled minced garlic
1/2 tsp onion powder (I didn't have any of this and left it out)

1. Place pork tenderloin in bottom of slow cooker liner or roasting bag.
2. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.
3. Stir together the ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, Dijon mustard, soy sauce, chilli powder, garlic and onion powder in a small bowl/  Pour over tenderloin.  Set aside.

To complete the recipe
1. Place both liner bags, side by side, into the slow cooker.  Drape each liner (closed) away from the other extending over the sides of the slow cooker.  I sealed the roasting bags with their closures and placed side by side in the slow cooker. 
2. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.
3. Move two large, shallow serving dishes or bowls next to the slow cooker.  Remove cover and using pot holders or oven mitts, carefully remove each liner and its contents to its own serving bowl  Let the liner rest open and allow contents to cool slightly.  Remove the tenderloin from the liner using tongs and transfer to the serving bowl  Then grasp the bag, holding the top and cut a corner off the bottom of the bag, large enough to allow the remaining contents of the bag to be released over the pork and into the bowl.  Discard the liner.  Repeat with the other dinner.
4. Allow the dinner, not being served, to cool, and package in a resealable plastic freezer bag or container (remember to label it).
5. Before serving, taste and season again if required.

We ate the BBQ Pork Tenderloin, the meat was very tender and the sauce was delicious, feedback from himself was very positive.   I have put the Parmesan Crusted Pork Tenderloin away for another meal.  

If you would like to join the Slow Cooker Challenge and win a copy of Slow Cooking for Two by Cynthia Graubart then simply cook a BBQ style meal in your slow cooker, then please follow the challenge rules below and link up to the linky.

• Make your recipe in your Slow Cooker and post a photograph and the recipe, or a link to a recipe, on your blog
• Link to Farmersgirl Kitchen
• Use the Slow Cooker Challenge logo in your post
• If you use twitter, tweet your post with @FarmersgirlCook and #SlowCookerChallenge and I will re-tweet it to my followers AND post your post your pictures on a decicated Pinterest board.

Rules:

• Please do not publish recipes from cookbooks on your blog without permission, they are copyright.
• If you are using recipes from another website, please link to the recipe on the website rather than publishing the recipe.
• One entry per blog.
• Recipes must be added to the linky by the 28th of each month.

The winner will be chosen by Random Number Generator

 Natalie @StarCatch3r doesn't have a blog but wanted to join in The Slow Cooker Challenge with this delicious BBQ Shredded Chicken inspired by a recipe at Sugarlaws



And the winner is...No.4 Corina - Searching for Spice with Slow Cooked Pork in Tonkatsu

Labels: barbeque, BBQ, Double Dinners, giveaway, Pork, roasting bags, sauce, slow cooker, Slow Cooker Challenge, win

posted by Janice @ 06:30 25 Comments

Beef, Roasted Red Pepper and Lime Burgers - Review and Giveaway

The classic hamburger has gone from relatively humble beginnings to become an enduring symbol of fast food culture.  I remember when my Mum first visited the USA, Dad had been going on business since the late 60s, but it was the mid-70s before my Mum went and she came back having eaten homemade burgers, made only with beef and we never ate a manufactured burger again!

Burgers and sliders by Miranda Ballard is a slim volume packed with 30 gourmet recipes for full-on fat burgers and their mini cousins, the slider!

The Muddy Boots Story tells how Miranda and her husband set up their company making quality burgers using top cuts of the finest ethically farmed beef.

Making, Shaping and Cooking gives helpful hints on how to create and cook successful burgers.

Classic Beef includes The Ultimate restaurant burger, Italian burger with olives, sun dried tomatoes and pesto, Chilli Con Carne burger wrapped in grilled courgette slices, Beef, roasted red pepper & lime burger with creme fraiche and lambs lettuce (see recipe below), Beef and Black Bean Sliders and Spicy Beef and Pork Sliders with ginger and lime.

More Meat  includes Big Breakfast Burger with a portobello mushroom and a fried egg, Pork and Antipasti Burger with lemon mayo, Pork and Apple sliders with caramelised apple slices, Indian-style Lamb Sliders with Minted Yogurt & Mango Chutney.

Other Ideas includes Fish Pie Burger with Capers and Tartare Sauce, Cheesy Root Vegetable Burger with Mustard Mayo, Chicken Caesar Sliders, Christmas Canape sliders with cranberry sauce and Camembert.

Sauces and Sides including Homemade Fries, Mustard Mayo, Herb Mayo, Pesto Mayo, Homemade Tomato Ketchup and Classic and Sour Cream Coleslaw's.

These are a selection of the recipes in the book but  by no means all of them.

Beef, Roasted Red Pepper and Lime Burger
Makes 2
For the Burgers
1/2 red (bell) pepper, deseeded and chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
200g/7oz lean minced ground beef
2 tsp paprika
freshly grated zest of 1/2 a lime
3 tbsp fresh breadcrumbs
1 tbsp breadcrumbs
1 tbsp beaten egg
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
a pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

To serve
2 seeded wholemeal/wholewheat bread rolls (optional)
a handful of lamb's lettuce/corn salad leaves, chopped
creme fraiche/sour cream
lime wedges, for squeezing

Pre-heat the grill/broiler to high.
Drizzle the pepper pieces with the oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Put them on a baking sheet and cook under the grill/broiler for 8-10 minutes, shaking regularly to brown evenly.  Remove form the grill/briler and set aside to cool.
Put the beef in a bowl with the paprika, lime zest, breadcrumbs, egg, garlic and salt and pepper.  Add the roasted pepper pieces and work together with your hands until evenly mixed.  Divide the beef mixture in half and shape into tow burger patties.  Press each burger down to make them nice and flat.
Put the burgers on a baking sheet and grill/broil for 5 minutes on each side until cooked through.
Slice the bread rolls in half, if using., and put a few lamb's lettuce/corn salad leaves on the bottom half of each bread roll.  Add the cooked burgers and top with a large spoonful of creme fraiche/sourcream.  Finish the burgers with the lids of the bread rolls, if using and serve with lime wedges, for squeezing.

The Verdict
The burgers had a really nice texture, they cooked through well, both under the grill, and also when fried.  They have a good flavour with the smokiness of the roasted peppers and paprika (I used smoked paprika) giving a barbequed flavour without a barbeque!

Who is it for?
Anyone who likes burgers and wants to try making their own, or who wants some inspiration as to how to make their burgers more exciting.  This is a go-to book for barbeques and family meals.  I think a lot of the mixtures would also make great meatballs.

Pros
Specialises in one type of dish, so you know what you are getting, nice big pictures (you know how much I like a good picture!) and the recipes are well laid out.

Cons
Not a lot of veggie options.

Worth Buying?
Yes, if you make a lot of burgers. Good to give as a gift to an adventurous BBQ King or Queen.


I have one copy of Burgers and Sliders by Miranda Ballard to giveaway to one lucky winner.  Just follow the instructions on the Rafflecopter widget below.  The giveaway ends on 31st August 2013.


a Rafflecopter giveaway


 Here is a second serving of the same burgers (I made extra burgers and froze half, then thawed overnight and fried up quickly for a mid-week supper).  This time I served them with some potato wedges and added some of the fabulous Sweet Cucumber Pickle I made at the weekend.  The recipe is an exclusive on Farmersgirl Kitchen Facebook page.  Like the page to access the recipe.
 
Burgers and Sliders by Miranda Ballard is published by Ryland Peters & Small at £9.99 and is available from www.rylandpeters.com

Labels: barbeque, BBQ, Burgers, giveaway, lime, Miranda Ballard, Muddy Boots, red pepper, Ryland Peters, Sliders, win

posted by Janice @ 07:00 16 Comments

Lemon & Sweet Pepper Marinaded Chicken

I can highly recommend trying one of the Bart Smokehouse Barbeque Rubs, there are five marinade rubs which reflect the diverse flavours of barbecue traditions from around the world:




See another review and recipe with Lemon and Sweet Pepper Marinade at Lavender and Lovage

I cooked this in the roasting bag after marinading for about two hours,  the meat was very tender and although the rub is quite spicy it didn't overwhelm the flavour of the lamb.

The full range is available at Ocado from the end of June and a selection of the rubs  will be instore at all Waitrose branches from 2nd June. They will also be available through independents, and delicatessens around the country. Or buy online at www.bart-ingredients.co.uk

Labels: barbeque, Bart Ingredients, Chicken, lemon, Lemon and Sweet Pepper, marinade, roast chicken, rub

posted by Janice @ 17:00 3 Comments

Easy Barbeque Pork Chops without a BBQ!

If you look carefully, you will see that it is a Mary Berry recipe, but unfortunately I haven't said which book it is from and as I probably wrote this out in about 1981 I certainly can't remember.  You can always tell a good recipe from the splatters on the page and of course my own 'star' system where I award recipes up to five stars and this is definitely a Five Star Recipe.

Labels: barbeque, BBQ, ketchup, mustard, peppers, Pork chops, sauce, soy sauce, tomato

posted by Janice @ 21:40 6 Comments