My Sunday Roast. (I'm back... and this time it might be forever)

I'm back!

I'm not sure why i ever stopped posting on here, but  i have had a few, by which i really do mean a few (most probably fewer than twenty) people asking me what happened to this place. To them i would say "oh, that thing i really want to get back at it. I'll start it up again soon." Soon is now, and i intend to for all intents and purposes update this blog with three posts a week, that sounds reasonable doesn't it?

With all that out of the way i thought a recipe would be a good place to start, and what better place to start then with my twist on a Sunday Roast, because if anyone is harbouring a grudge over the fact that i've been away for so long (although i doubt anyone is) a Sunday Roast always makes everything better.

Vegetarians beware, there are no substitutes you can make in order to compensate for the moist pork belly with it's crispy crunchy crackling in this recipe...sorry. For my fellow meat eaters, this is a treat:

My Sunday Roast with a twist (Serves 4)
Cooking time 3 hrs
(Roast pork belly with fondant potatoes, stewed apples and gravy)

Ingredients

Pork
1 Pork belly joint (rind on, and scored)
1 Garlic Clove sliced
1 pack of Sage. 3 or 4 Leaves finely sliced
2 Onions Finely Sliced
Salt
Pepper

Potatoes
4 large Maris Piper Potatoes Peeled
110g Butter
Pepper

Stewed Apples
1 Granny Smith Apple
White Wine vinegar
White Sugar

Gravy
Bisto Caramelised Onion gravy granules
Boiled Water

Method

Pork: total cooking time: 2:30 hrs

• Preheat oven to 240C this may seem ridiculously hot but it is to get the skin to start crisping
• Most Supermarkets do tend to have scored the rind on pork belly before it reaches the shelves, and all butchers will be more than happy to do it for you. However, if it isn't already, score the rind with a Stanley Knife at 2 centimeter intervals so that it is about a centimeter deep.
• Once the pork is scored rub PLENTY of salt over the rind. This is to draw the moisture out of the skin so it goes crispy and crackles!!!
• Turn the belly over to expose the flesh. Pierce the flesh with a knife and in the insertion add a slice of garlic and a bit of sage. Do this 5 or 6 times.
• Season the belly with salt and pepper
• Add the pork to an ovenproof glass dish or roasting tray on top of the sliced onion
• Add to oven for 20 minutes before you reduce the heat to 160C and leave it at this temperature for 2 hrs 10 mins.
• If after that time the crackling isn't hard enough place it under a hot grill until the rind begins to bubble and go hard
• Then rest for 20 minutes before serving

Potatoes: prep: 10 mins. Cooking time: 40 mins

Whilst i have been told that i make the great roast potatoes, sometimes i like a change and these fondants are excellent, buttery, rich, crispy, smooth, need i go on? This is a recipe borrowed from my favourite chef's cookbook... Michel roux Jr.'s book 'Le Gavroche'.

• Cut the peeled potatoes into discs 2cm thick and add them to a non-stick frying pan. (If you want to keep up a 2 star Michelin image you should make them uniformly round and bevel the edges, but who has the time to do that?!) 
• Break the butter and distribute around the pan.
• Add enough water to the pan in order for it to just cover the potatoes.
• Cover and cook on a medium heat until the water has evaporated, about half an hour. Once that has happened the butter will remain in the the pan and start to crisp up the bottom of the potato.
• At this stage turn the potatoes at 5 minute intervals until they are golden on both sides.

Stewed Apples

These can be prepared in advance and are a great alternative to the bog standard apple sauce. Sligtly sweet, slightly sour, these were just something i thought i'd try because i couldn't imagine why it wouldn't work. It pays to experiment in the kitchen. Experiments may end in disaster, but its worth it for the ones that work. These are best cooked in advance and served at room temperature.

• Cut the apple into quarters and remove the core.
• Thinly slice the apple.
• Add a good glug of white wine vinegar to a saucepan along with two tablespoons of white sugar.
• Add the apples to the saucepan and cook over a moderately high heat until the vinegar and sugar solution has reduced to a syrup.
• Adjust this recipe to taste: if you think you would like it more sour, add some more vinegar. Sweeter... add more sugar. I'm sure you don't need me to tell you that though.
• Cook the apples until tender. When a knife passes through them with no resistance.

This recipe is good for all sorts of fruits as well. I've done a similar thing with plums that have just been cut in half and they were the PERFECT accompaniment for duck.

Gravy 

The final component of this dish is the gravy. Easy peasy.

• Once the pork has been removed from the tray you will need to skim the excess fat from the juices in the pan to avoid the gravy being overly fatty. However do no get rid of the meat juice because that is what gives the gravy a great flavour. It is easy to distinguish between the two because the fat is clear whereas the meat juice will be a dark brown colour.
• Then place the dish on a hob and add one heaped tablespoon of the Bisto gravy.
• Stir into the liquid and then add boiling water a bit at a time until you have a nice consistency.

Chicken and Chorizo Casserole

This was supposed to go online on Sunday, but hey, part of being a STUDENT Foody is that i have to work from time to time!

If you saw Saturday's post about essentials for the kitchen then you will know that today's recipe is a one pot casserole, and as with most casseroles it is incredibly simple. I was back at home this weekend and this is what my mumma cooked me, one of my favourites to eat, and one of her favourites to cook as it requires minimal effort.

Chicken and Chorizo Casserole

Ingredients

Not the most attractive dish in the world, but its damn tasty!

Serves 4-6 but keeps in the fridge and can be reheated on another day

- 6 Skinless and boneless Chicken thigh fillets
- approx 10 cooking chorizo sausages
- 3 cloves of Garlic
- Smoked Paprika
- 1 Onion
- Glug of White or Red wine
- 6 Plum Tomatoes (quartered)
- 1 Red Pepper (cut into strips)
- 2 tins of Lentils
- Any other veg you like or that you have in the fridge! (my mum used Sweet Potato in this which is fantastic)

Method

Firstly cut your sausages into bite sized pieces and add them to your casserole dish over a high heat. Cook them until they have released their oils and are beginning to colour on the outside.
Remove the chorizo from the pot and add chopped garlic and onions with a tad more oil. Fry these over a lower heat as you don't want these to colour you just want them to be soft. Once the Onion and Garlic is cooked add the chicken thighs and turn the heat up high again. (Chicken thighs are probably best when cut in half for this dish so they are not too large)
Season the onions, garlic and chicken with salt, pepper and a teaspoon of smoked paprika whilst it fries and cook that for 5 minutes. 
Add a glug of wine (half a glass to be more specific) and continue to cook on the high heat for another minute.
Now throw in the veg, tomatoes and two tins of lentils (including the water they are stored in).
Stir and cover the pot with its lid and put it into an oven at 170 degrees Celsius (Gas mark 4) for at least an hour, preferably more. The longer you leave it to cook the more the flavours will intensify.

Serve with Green Beans and a glass of whatever wine you used in it!

Delicious

Essentials for Your Kitchen

There are certain things that should be found in the kitchen of every foody, or anyone interested in cooking. Here are my absolute essentials:

Chopping board

These come in various forms, from flimsy plastic to solid wooden lumps, what is best?

Well first things first, millimeter thick bits of plastic do not constitute chopping boards. It pains me to say that i have some in my kitchen, but hey they aren't mine and rarely get used by anyone.

There are more substantial plastic chopping board sets that are becoming increasingly popular, with individual boards for meat, fish and veg (above). These are good, however i think they're unnecessarily pricey.

At the moment i'm using a very bog standard chopping block, its sturdy doesn't scratch like plastic and is very simple to cut on so i can't imagine why i would ever swap that for a set of boards. 

Of course, when you do cut meat on a chopping block make sure to wash it thoroughly before using it again to avoid cross contamination.

Knives

There wouldn't be much point in having a good chopping board without having something decent to chop with...

It is important to have at least one good shark knife, and for you to maintain its sharpness.

At home my mum has a set of Robert Welch knives which are out of this world. Needless to say they are expensive and were given to her as a present, so not something i'd expect anyone to rush out and buy right now.

Whatever knife you do use i would recommend that you also buy yourself a knife sharpener, as chopping causes things to go blunt very quickly.

Video tutorial on how to sharpen your knives by Gordon Ramsay http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syvvxx3eGpI

Frying Pan

So far i've said you don't need to splash out on expensive chopping boards or knives, but one area where spending money is justified is with frying pans. Last year in student halls i used everyone's frying pans at least once and so got a good sense of what made for a good pan. A non-stick pan is essential! 

After using a wide variety of cheap and frankly poor frying pans last year i knew i needed a more expensive one for myself. And i knew i could afford to because now that i'm no longer in halls it won't be stolen. I now have a Tefal non-stick frying pan and i wouldn't contemplate using anything else. Costing between £25-35 depending upon the size they won't break the bank and the words non-stick have never been more true!

Ceramic Casserole Pot

Tomorrow i will post another recipe for you, one of my mothers, and to make use of it and enjoy the beautiful taste of her 'chicken and chorizo casserole' you will need a Ceramic casserole pot.

These pots allow you to create amazingly tasty dishes with minimal effort. Bung all the ingredients in and cook on a low heat for a long time. this produces tender meat and rich flavourful gravy, as the flavours are allowed to develop for a long time. It is an absolute must have item!

Now ideally you want one of a good size, obviously the bigger the more expensive, BUT a ceramic pot is a ceramic pot, so don't splash out on any expensive brands (Le Creuset pictured). Mine is from Sainsbury's.

So there we have it, 4 of the most important things to have in your kitchen and things that will really make you cooking either as easy or as tasty as possible.

Pan Fried Sea Bass with Crushed Smoked Paprika Potatoes, Chorizo and Squid

So here it goes... my first recipe, and it's a doddle. It sounds hard and it looks hard, but it's shockingly easy so absolutely everyone should try this!!

Pan Fried Sea Bass with Crushed Smoked Paprika Potatoes, Chorizo and Squid

Some lovely Spanish Flavours here.

This isn't the cheapest of recipes, but it can be made more affordable with certain more inexpensive ingredients , and is a great dish for a romantic dinner...

Needless to say, tailor it to you individual taste, not a seafood fan, kick the squid, Pescetarians omit the Chorizo, its still very tasty!!

Ingredients:

Serves 2

- 2 fillets of Sea Bass SKIN ON (alternatively, Pollock or Cod)

- 1 bag of new potatoes

- 1 Ring of Chorizo

- 1 Squid cleaned. (ask a fishmonger to remove the inards and the membrane)

- Butter

- pinch Smoked Paprika

- Salt and Pepper (of course)

As simple as that.

Method:

First wash new potatoes under cold water and cut in half.

Boil them in salted water for approximately 15-20 minutes or until soft.

Meanwhile, score (cut) the fish on the skin side half a centimeter deep at 1 inch intervals. Season on both sides with salt and pepper.

Heat a good non-stick pan on a high heat with a touch of oil. When very hot add the fish skin side down and leave to cook for approximately 5 minutes. Tip: when fish is pan fried on the skin side hold it down for about 5 seconds when you put it in the pan to prevent it from curling.!

Whilst the fish cooks on the skin side cut the chorizo into disks about half a centimeter thick and the squid into rings.

Once crisp on the skin side turn the fish over, reduce the heat to a minimum and cook for a further 2-3 minutes.

When the fish is cooked remove it from the pan and place on a plate in an oven warm oven (no higher than 75 degrees)

Using the pan used to cook the fish add the chorizo (no oil is needed in this pan now) and cook over a high heat until it releases its own oils. At this point add the rings of squid and cook for 3 minutes. Tip: Squid needs to be cooked as quickly as possible otherwise it becomes tough and rubbery so do not leave it in the pan for too long.

Whilst the squid cooks drain the potatoes and crush with the bottom of a glass. Add Butter, salt, pepper and a pinch of Smoked Paprika and mix.

To serve: Place a mound of potatoes on the centre of the plate and top with the fish, skin side up. Put a mix of the Squid and Chorizo on the side and using a tea spoon drip some of the Chorizo oil around the edge of the plate.

Wine suggestion: Oyster Bay, Malbrough Sauvignon blanc £8.99 Tescos

White obviously, preferably something crisp and refreshing. Sauvignon blanc is a particular favourite of mine.

Welcome to the world of The Student Foody

Welcome to Student Foody, a place for food fans, amateur cooks, aspiring chefs and those who wish to learn the basics of cooking.
Through this blog i hope to provide exciting recipes, ideas and tips to take your cooking to wherever you want to be, as well as up to date stories about my experiences in the world of gastronomy. I can assure you that despite the name of the blog, there will be no bog standard traditional student fare shared on here. No Spaghetti Bolognese or Pot noodles. I firmly believe good and exciting restaurant-quality fare is something that anyone can achieve with a little time and dedication.
So perhaps it would be a good idea to explain a little bit about myself...

Michel Roux Jr's. take on a cooked breakfast at Le Gavroche.
Fantasic!

My Pan fried Sea Bass with crushed new potatoes, Chorizo and Squid
and a Chorizo oil

I am THE Student Foody, an English Lit student at the University of Sussex (Brighton, England) passionate about all things related to good food and wine. My passion for cooking can probably be traced right back to my early teenage years, watching my mum in the kitchen prepare dinner. Over the years my responsibilities as her sous-chef increased until I was finally allowed to cook meals on my own. As my dad is a most incompetent cook this gave my mum a welcome break when she came home from work and so i found myself cooking more and more.
However, it wasn't until i had the independence of University and living on my own that my passion for cooking really took off. In one year i went from being able to sustain myself with tasty food to creating a diverse range of interesting and gorgeous dishes. Immersing myself in the world of Michelin starred cooking and dining at Le Gavroche for my 19th Birthday, courtesy of my girlfriend.
I take inspiration from so many places: markets, TV programs, meals out and cookbooks of all different cuisines, so there really is something for everyone.

I'd like nothing more than for people to get in contact with me so you can do so via twitter @RobertDAParks or via the Google+ account, linked to the blog.

 This is The Student Foody, and i hope to have lots of content for you soon.