Sun-dried tomato and mozzarella stuffed chicken breast with Parmesan roast plum tomatoes and pesto courgetti

Tonight's offering is a low-carb, Italian treat, with enough veg to feel smug for the day.
I tried making courgetti Bolognaise for the first time a few months ago and it changed my life forever (overstatement) I eat pasta like 40-50 times a week, it's my favourite thing in the world, I love everything about it. Sadly it doesn't love me or my enormous bloated carb belly. When I realised there was a healthier alternative that didn't taste like crap, a whole new world opened up to me...OH THE POSSIBILITIES! Subsequently my consumption of Parmesan has risen ten-fold, thus nulling any potential health improvements but there we go, that's my special skill, taking something healthy and making it worse for you than a double cheese and lard sandwich.
This little creation, I knocked up on a school-night for a bit of mid-week veg. It's by no means low fat, but it's low carb and stuffed full of Mediterranean nutrients. Ah, La Dolce Vita!

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts (or however many you need obvs)
A packet of Parma or Serrano ham (Serrano is marginally less fatty and a little easier to manipulate)
A punnet of baby plum tomatoes. I chose Piccolos as they are very sweet and fresh.
A bag of courgetti (Sainsburys does it ready made) or a spiraliser and a couple courgettes.
Some black olives
Sun-dried tomato paste
Parma Reggiano (preferable a fresh block, but grated will do)
A decent blob of mozzarella. Buffalo really is the best for flavour but I will be honest, I just used the little pearls of cow's milk for ease of stuffing!
Some Herbs du Province or Oregano or something like that. Go mad.

Pesto:
Get a jar if you can't be bothered making your own, but make it a good one, the courgettes will need a decent seasoning.
My method of fresh pesto making, which always turns out delicious is thus:
Bag of pine nuts (£££)
Big bunch of fresh basil
Goooooood chunk of decent Parmesan
3 cloves of garlic
slug of olive oil

I basically just whack them in the processor bit by bit till I get the consistency I like. Salt and a cheeky bit of lemon to taste.

Pre-heat your oven to about gas mark 6.
Pop the tomatoes in a dish, season with herbs and a slug of olive oil and stick it on the top shelf of the oven.
Get a sharp knife and make a pocket in the middle of the chicken breasts, stuff with about a teaspoon of the paste and enough mozzarella to plump it up but so it can still be sealed. Wrap with the ham.

Heat your frying pan up high with a small splash of oil and seal the ham.
Place in an oven dish and place on top shelf, removing the tomatoes.
Shave or grate a delicate covering of Parmesan on top and replace tomatoes in oven. (You can speed the tomatoes up at this point if you have a decent grill, unlike me)
Should really set a timer for about 25 mins.
Here comes my best friend again, the kitchen probe! When the chicken is nearly temp, whack your courgetti in the micro (about 3 minutes I think, whatever it said on the bag)
If you're amazingly patient and/or don't live near a Sainsbury's and don't have a spiraliser, you could cut the courgette very very finely, in this case I would steam it for a little longer as I suspect you just don't have the skillz to get it as thin as it would be normally and even if you did, you probably don't have any fingers left and you should probably go to hospital immediately.
Squeeze the courgetti like your life depends on it (not too much actually or it will turn into mash, but enough to get the majority of moisture out)
Mix with the pesto and sprinkle with olives.Plate it all up and let it go cold whilst you get the perfect angle for Instagram.

I couldn't resist a bit of garlic bread with it. So I also ruined the low-carb element too.
This is why I don't fit any of my clothes and builders don't notice me anymore.
As ever, there are loads of ways you could play around with this, swap the mozzarella for goat's cheese for a stronger hit, swap the chicken for some cod. Go sick.

xxx

Ginge's Roast Pork Roulade

Today's offering from Ginge's kitchen is a recipe I've only done twice but on both occasions, it's left the table silent but for the sound of lustful MMM's. It's (I think) dead easy but looks impressive and can be used to spruce up a Sunday roast or a standout dish of its own.
My wonderful, piglicious, pork loin roulade, stuffed with port soaked cranberries, pancetta and fresh sage.
Yep. I know.
Pork loin is a pretty economic and versatile cut. The hunk I bought was only £5 and fed 5 as a main meal and then my sandwiches for the next two days. I think roast pork can sometimes be a little dull and almost always overcooked and dry so this is a nice way of adding flavour and preserving moisture.
Like I said, you could serve all manner of side dishes with it. I have a full roast, because I am a greedy twonk but depending on how you choose to stuff it, you could have it with anything from a salad to dauphinoise. I would recommend something with a little liquid to it, so if you're not the gravy type (which I am exceptionally picky about) then make sure you have some saucy veg, maybe creamed kale or even roast tomatoes...again, stuffing dependent. Go wild.

Ingredients:

(roughly) 1.5kg Pork Loin, prefferably skin on, with a good layer of fat (CRACKLIN AMARIGHT?)
A couple of shallots
A little packet of diced pancetta
A packet of dried cranberries
A small bottle of not terrible port or whatever you've left over from Christmas 6 years ago (sediment hopefully sieved ;)
A nice handful of fresh sage 
A small glug of maple syrup
Salt and black pepper to season

Start yourself off pre-heating the oven. You want it on at least gas mark 8 to begin with, for that tasty crackling.
Next get your cranberries and whack 'em in a bowl with the port and roughly chopped fresh sage. This can be done the night before. In fact it should probably be done the night before. Depends how lazy and disorganized you are.
Whilst your cranberries are getting nice and sozzled, finely slice the shallots and add to a slightly oiled pan with the pancetta. Cook them off until brown but not burnt. Burnt=tastes like caustic soda.
Pop in your cranberries, add a small glug of the maple syrup and heat till the mixture is a little shinier and more combined. Add salt and pepper to taste. Always taste. It is the best part of being the cook. Leave to cool.
You've two choices with the meat, you can leave the fat on or carefully cut it off and cook it separately, getting creative with whatever flavour crackling you want.You will probably get the best crackling this way but the meat will lose a little flavour and you risk it drying out.
Take off but try and keep in one piece the handy little elastic meat strings and set aside. Now and this is a descriptive writing nightmare but you will have to cut the pork in a sort of straight helix (?) cutting one way and then the other, until it opens out like a book, then cut again until it rolls out like a lovely meat rug. Take a rolling pin and give it a light bashing so that it is an even width across.
Take your cooled stuffing and layer thinly across the meat rug. Don't be tempted to overfill, you will give yourself a rolling nightmare. You can always save excess mixture to serve with it, or even better, combine with the fats after cooking and make a proper sterling gravy.

Next, you roll that pig right up. It's daunting but it isn't difficult. Just make sure your fat doesn't overlap and you've got your little elastic meat string things ready.

Voila. Now, if you've left the fat on, it's time to salt, salt, salt. You need to make sure you smash that salt right in. Give the fat a wipe dry with some kitchen roll, and massage that salt in like your last cheap, Spanish spa treatment. The salt dries the fat and is essential for a nice big puffy crackling.

Pop her in the pre-heated oven for about twenty minutes on the high heat and then turn down to about gas mark 4-5. Keep an eye on it, I nearly set fire to my entire kitchen. The Le Creuset was black by the time I released what the smell was. Just to clarify, that's my CAST IRON dish. Now it's turned down it should take between 70 and 90 minutes. 

I swear by my kitchen probe. For the love of God, invest in one. There is no better way to see if meat is cooked without ruining it, than a good probe.

Your're looking for a minimum on this of 75c in the middle.

It should, come out looking something like this:

Let it rest for at least 20 minutes before serving. Invest in a decent carving knife and the next bit will be easy enough.

Slice the front knobbly bit off and stash it for your sarnies (or plate it for your least favourite relative)

Then slice evenly, in relatively thick slices to the end. If it's rolled tightly enough it should hold it's filling, if it doesn't, don't worry, it's 'rustic'.

I honestly cannot get enough of this, the pork is so moist and takes in the flavours. Loads of different stuffings could work: Mushrooms, olive tapenade, sausage meat and a maple glaze, mustard, black pud. I guess apple goes with pork too, though I would personally rather gnaw off my own shins.

More stuff to cram in your gob soon.

Much love Ginge xx

Ginger in The Kitchen

So I have written blogs about music, about TV, about deep, provocative social comment and about a 20cm alien cyst I had removed from my ovary but it came to my attention recently that I have never written about, what is probably the most visibly obvious love in my life, FOOD!

I love cooking it, I love eating it and most joyous for you I love taking pictures of it and smearing it round social media in the hope people I went to school with will see how shockingly housewifey I am and not the crackhead they thought I would grow up to be.

I've got a very original method in the kitchen. I get an idea of something dribblingly delicious in my head, look up a recipe on the BBC, see it's not there, look up a recipe on Jamie Oliver's page, see it's not exactly what I had in my head, desperately try 16 different ways of phrasing it on Google, find the perfect one and then completely ignore it.

I must have 4 million cookbooks, each have had there glorious first moments, cherished, eagerly flicked through, gingerly bookmarked and each have met the same fate, gathering dust on the bottom shelf, bearing long forgotten train tickets and shopping lists.

I just don't seem to be able to follow a recipe to the letter. Maybe it's a throwback from my rebel youth, maybe I am exceptionally lazy and arrogant, either way, it has never really proved my downfall. I do, against the odds seem to have come up with some top grub by getting an idea in my head and then just quickly looking up a timing or a rough measurement. 

I would like to give those of you like me, some quick, easy recipes with tonnes of flexibility and those of you, enslaved to Gordon Ramsey a chance to free yourself from the sheet music and fire yourself into the jazz kitchen. You can always have a cheeky Google if you're still unsure.

My first foray is going to be my absolute staple. It's a dish I have almost every week, mainly in an attempt on a Sunday after a weekend of cheese and wine, to force as many vegetables into my body as possible. Don't let that fool you, it's no kale and wild algae smoothie, it's more than likely, like all my other recipes, double the fat intake of a BOGOF Dominos.

I will firstly gratefully thank who I nicked the idea off. Katie, cheers. You gave me a beautiful, healthy spinach lasagne, that tasted more than brilliant and I took it, and pumped 70g more fat in it and ruined all the elegant subtlety.

Ginge's Veg Lasagne

Ingredients:

1 can of plum tomatoes

1 bag of fresh spinach

1 courgette

1 red pepper

1 red onion

1 small jar of green pesto

1 small can of black olives

A dash of nutmeg

Some fresh lasagne sheets (You can make them yourself, if you have a pasta machine, it's cheaper and tastier, though it takes bloody ages, so I just buy mine from Asda for £1)

1 block of feta cheese (Don't get the really cheap stuff, it tastes like washing up liquid. You want a decent salty, full fat one)

For the 'kind of bechamel, kind of cheese' sauce:

Well this is one, where you are better off going and finding a decent recipe. I make my cheese sauce by just chucking the butter, cheese, milk and flour all in at once and stir like a bitch till it comes to a boil.Which is definitely NOT what you are supposed to do. Whatever recipe you use, make it a little less salty than normal as the feta will do that bit for you.

Right, so start by pre-heating your oven to about gas mark 6 (whatever the hell that is in centigrade) get a nice, deep frying pan or cooking pot and glug in a bit of olive oil, whack your spinach and onion in the food processor till it's nice and ground down. Pop in the pan and turn up to a high heat, adding the nutmeg and fry off the acidity of the onion. Chop your red pepper pretty small and chuck that in, stirring all the time and then wash and grate the courgette straight into the pan. Once you've added the olives it's time for the delicious pesto. I use a cheap one from Asda because at the end of the day I work in charity and I can't justify spending £15 on one from Booths, even though I want to. If you do opt for the more expensive one, it will be nicer. I chuck a full jar in of the cheapo but if you have a decent oily, strong, cheesy one, you will only need about 2/3rds. Give the veg a good quick, hard heat then turn down and add the plum tomatoes. No need to chop them, they will mush down themselves and the plum, as opposed the the chopped are usually creamier with less water in them. Let that simmer away for 10-15 minutes and crack on with your white sauce.

Once they are both ready you can begin to assemble. I do the one thing your aren't meant to do with lasange and layer the bottom of the dish. Whatever Trevor, I've only had a few al dente nightmares. Just use your common sense and layer as to the consistency of the sauce. I do pasta-veg-pasta-veg-pasta-white sauce, but hey, go wild.

Now crumb the block of feta on the top, yep the whole block and pop into the oven for about 25-35 mins. Give the pasta a good prod in the middle and you should know when it's done.

It's got a really nice strong flavour, so I don't usually serve with anything, but if you're stretching it round for guests, I'd go for a nice green salad and a bottle of young, light red, like Primativo or a Sangiovese.

Couple of notes for this:

If you can't find the fresh pasta sheets, don't want to make them or simply have some dry ones in the cupboard, extend your cooking time for about 10-15 minutes and whack some foil over the top to stop the feta burning.

Frozen spinach is also great in this, it's cheaper and obviously has a better shelf life, just make sure after you have thawed/cooked it, to THOROUGHLY squeeze that water out, otherwise your talking toilet water soup time.

I wanted to take a pic of this for you to give you an idea, so I made it last night and it was so nice I ate it, and then ate the rest today and completely forgot to take a picture. You will just have to trust me, it's incredible.

Stay tuned for more this week:

Pork Roulade

Fresh Tortellini

Tuna Cannelloni and

Ginger's Mexican Feast!, with slow cooked pork Pibil, fridge raiders quesadillas and home-made guac and coriander, lime rice.