Slow cooking and squash: how to cook for fall

Now that I'm working in London instead of down the road, I don't have as much time to cook as I used to.  I've gotten in the habit of making big meals on Sundays so there are left overs for the week and I can have the whole day to mess around in the kitchen.  The last few weeks I've been all about the slow cooker and squash, a perfect fall combo.

I have never been a huge fan of pork.  I wouldn't go so far as to say that I didn't like but it wasn't really on my radar, which is a bummer cause pork is awesome and super versatile.  You need to be careful with it since if it's overcooked it can be tough and taste like a boot.  Fortunately, that hasn't happened when I've cooked it, thanks to my glorious slow cooker.  Now that winter's coming and it's getting cold, it's so nice to come home from work and have a hot meal ready with minimal effort.  Pork is really well suited to slow cooking since it's practically impossible to over cook it this way.  The slow-cooked pork I did was BBQ pulled pork with butternut squash and root vegetables.

The finished product: BBQ pulled pork, butternut squash, and root vegetables

To prepare the pork, I slathered it in Newman's Own Sticky BBQ sauce- I could have made my own but Newman's Own is generally a safe bet.  When buying BBQ sauce, always read the ingredients!  All BBQ sauce needs in it is tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, and spices- if it has anything with more than three syllables or that you can't pronounce, steer clear.  

Pork covered in BBQ sauce

I then cut into the meat and put in slices of garlic because garlic is amazing and you never know when you're going to need protection from a vampire.

Pork covered in BBQ sauce with garlic

Once I was happy that the pork was sufficiently covered in sauce and filled with garlic, I put it in the slow cooker on top of the chopped root vegetables and then left it to cook on low for about five hours.

Swede, carrots, and onion in the slow cooker

Pork on top of the root veg, ready to cook

  

Another great thing about this time of year is squash: butternut squash is just amazing.  You can do so much with it and it's creamy and delicious. To start, I cut it in half then peeled and de-seeded it.

Butternut squash

Then chopped into cubes an coated it with a butter and honey sauce and stuck it in the oven after the meat been cooking for about four hours.

Chopped squash

Once the meat had been in for about four hours, I took everything out of the cooker, let the meat rest for 10ish minutes and moved the root vegetables into a pan.  

I pulled the pork, put more BBQ sauce on it, and put it back in the slow cooker until the veg and squash were done.

Pulled pork

Yum

The next meal I prepared with the slow cooker was lamb with spaghetti squash.  Until I saw it at the supermarket, I didn't really know what spaghetti squash was but it's weird and wonderful and I can't recommend it enough.

Finished product: slow-cooked lamb and spaghetti squash

Lamb has its own distinctive taste so doesn't need much added to it.  Quite simply, I cut an onion in half and put in the bottom of the cooker and put the lamb on top.  I poured a healthy splash of red wine on top and left it to cook on low for about 5-6 hours.  As the lamb was cooking, we took the dog for a walk over some fields about 10 minutes from home.  While walking over, you can hear the sounds of cars, trains, and life in general.  As you reach the top of the hill, you can see the whole town in one direction and rolling fields in the other.  The sounds of the town fade away.  To be able to have the quiet and that view walking distance from my house while be a half hour from London is pretty awesome.  I love a good dog walk but that view makes it even more enjoyable.

My view

My glorious beast also loves a good walk

After the walk, I got started on the squash.  First, I cut some slits into it so the steam can escape and squash doesn't explode in the oven.  

Ready to go in the oven

Once it's done, about an hour, remove it from the oven and let it cool for about 10 minutes.  Cut it in half and take out the seeds.  As you do this, you'll start to see why it's called spaghetti squash. 

As with the pulled pork, use a fork to pull the squash apart.  It breaks up into little spaghettis: weird and wonderful!  I then put the meat of the squash into a pan to crisp it up.

I added some basil from my very own basil plant and topped it all off with loads of parmesan.

This was probably the best meal I've made.  It's simple but delicious and you can add whatever flavors you like to the lamb and the squash.  This is definitely something I'll be making again.

If you want other foodspiration, check the hashtags #cookingwithtoes and #cookingmyassoff- my cousin Alice cooks some pretty yummy stuff!

Recipes

Root Vegetables

• Swede, carrots, and onions
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper

1. Chop vegetables into cubes 
2. Use the veg to line the bottom of the slow cooker, season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil
3. After 6 hours, remove vegetables and put into a roasting tin and roast for 30 mins

Pulled Pork

• Rolled pork shoulder 
• 2 cloves of garlic, sliced thinly
• BBQ sauce

1. Coat all sides of the pork in BBQ sauce  
2. Cut small holes into the pork and insert the garlic and make sure some of sauce get in there
3. Put meat into the slow cooker on top of the veg and leave it to cook on low for up to 6 hours
4. Remove pork from cooker and allow to rest for 10-15 minutes
5. Using forks, pull the pork apart into strips
6. Put more BBQ sauce on the meat and put back into the cooker until vegetables and squash are done

Roasted Butternut Squash

• Large butternut squash
• Butter
• Honey
• Salt

1. Heat oven to 200C/390F
2. Cut the squash in half the long way (pictured above)
3. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the thick skin of the squash 
4. Using a spoon, remove the seeds
5. Chop into cubes (about 1inch)
6. In a sauce pan, combine 2-3 tablespoons of butter and 1-2 tablespoons over a low heat until combined
7. Place squash in roasting tin and cover with butter and honey and a pinch of salt
8. Roast for 30 minutes

Slow-Cooked Lamb

• Lamb
• Onion
• Red wine
• Salt and pepper (optional)

1. Chop onion into half and place at the bottom of the cooker
2. Place the lamb on top and season with salt and pepper (or any other spices you want)
3. Cook on low for up to 8 hours
4. Allow to rest for 10 minutes

Roasted Spaghetti Squash

• Spaghetti squash
• Olive oil
• Parmesan
• Basil
• Garlic, 2-3 cloves

1. Preheat oven to 190C/375F
2. Pierce the skin of the squash and place in pre-heated oven
3. Cook for one hour
4. Remove squash from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes
5. Cut squash in half the long way and remove seeds
6. Using a fork pull the meat of the squash apart
7. Mince garlic and basil
8. Put pulled squash in large pan and drizzle with olive oil
9. Add garlic and basil and toss all together
10. Add as much parmesan as you like and enjoy!

Salmon, Pesto, and Greenery

I got a food processor which means one thing: pesto.  My mom is the pesto queen and I've inherited her recipe- and now you can too!

Finished pesto

Pesto, to me, is super summery and amazing- as long as you don't mind having garlic breath.  You can put it on anything: pasta, salmon, chicken, sandwiches, and anything else that you'd like to make more delicious.  It's also really easy to make (as long as you have a food processor).

Pre-cooked dinner

Tonight's dinner was inspired by Jamie Oliver, an amazing chef with amazing restaurants.  For a summer evening such as tonight, something light but flavorful seemed in order so I went with salmon, green beans, and broccolini with pesto.  Use whatever vegetable you like/are in season but make sure they're slightly cooked before putting them in the oven.

Wild-caught Pacific salmon

Salmon is really good for you (fish, in general, is).  Whenever possible, you should eat wild Pacific salmon, not farmed salmon.  The most beneficial qualities salmon has are mitigated, if not eliminated, when you're eating salmon that was fed corn- which is a large part of farmed salmons' diets.  Fish shouldn't eat corn and humans shouldn't eat fish that have eaten corn.  If you're unsure if your salmon is wild or farmed, the color will tell you: wild salmon is a darker pink (almost red) while farmed salmon is a lighter pink (often dyed to make it look more appealing).  If food and your foods' food is something you care about, I would recommend doing further research on farmed salmon so you can come to your own conclusions on it.  Wild caught salmon, however, can have a large carbon footprint: the moral dilemmas abound.

Dinner's ready

Recipes

Pesto

• Fresh basil leaves - about 2 loosely-packed cups
• Olive oil- about 1/2 cup
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts (or walnuts)
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons grated romano cheese 
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1-2 tablespoons cooking water if you make pasta to go with the pesto

1. Wash and dry basil leaves
2. Mix basil, olive oil, garlic, and nuts in a food processor until it is thin and oily
3. Transfer to a mixing bowl and add both cheeses
4. Add butter and mix well
5. If you're cooking pasta, reserve some of the cooking water before draining and add to mixture

Salmon and Greenery

• Wild-caught Pacific salmon
• Green beans
• Broccolini 
• 1 lemon 
• Tin foil (put on cooking tray)

1. Pre-heat oven to 200C 
2. Boil green beans and broccolini for 2-4 minutes, drain
3. Place vegetables on tin foil
4. Place salmon skin-side down on top of veg
5. Add a dollop of pesto on top of the salmon
6. Halve the lemon and sprinkle the lemon juice and some olive oil on top of it all
7. Close tin foil into a pouch, closed tightly 
8. Cook for 15-20 minutes

It's as easy as that!

PS - I'm back

My birthday weekend

I am now, officially, in my mid-twenties.  I've been spoiled over the weekend to celebrate and loved every minute of it.  

On Thursday, I went to my favorite restaurant in Royston, The Old Bull, with Sam and his family and had the most wonderful meal: roast duck with a potato concoction I'd like to marry.  I don't have a picture of this so I'll have to go back and order it again I guess.
On Friday, my life-long dream of going to Hogwarts came true: I went to the Warner Brothers Studios in Watford where the Harry Potter movies were filmed.  It was the best three hours of my life.

Premature photo of the studio- too excited to wait

Chess pieces used in The Sorcerer's Stone 

 I won't go in too much detail now about how much I adore the Harry Potter books and movies (I'm watching The Prisoner of Azkaban now).  When the books were being published, I would re-read the series up until the latest book.  Every summer.  I have reread the series several times since then.  I have all the books, including my worn and fraying paperback of the Sorcerer's Stone, in print and on my Kindle.  The movies are amazing, even if they leave bits out, and, after learning more about how they were made, they are truly magical.
Also, I love that the over-arching message of such an emotional roller coaster is so simple: love is the most powerful magic.

The Great Hall

Gryffindor common room

Entrance to Dumbledore's office

The ministry of magic's monument in the later movies

Butter Beer on Privet Drive

The most amazing building ever created

Eventually I'll outline in further detail the amazingness that is Harry Potter.

After Harry Potter, we went to the Cotswolds for the rest of the weekend and stayed at an adorable hotel.

Wroxton House Hotel

The building is lovely and old (built in 1649) and we spent our evenings playing Scrabble in front of the fires- true story.  The restaurant was supposed to be incredible and award-winning but I wasn't particularly impressed. 

Coming home today we wanted to stop at Blenheim Palace but it was shut- which we only found out when we arrived.  Although it was a bummer, it meant we were able to get back to this idiot a bit sooner.

Fenway is his cousin's bed. His cousin is a bichon.

Tonight I decided I wanted to cook a roast.  I saw Jamie Oliver on TV cooking his beer-butt chicken and figured I should try it.  It's awesome, pretty easy, and you should try it.  What makes this chicken so good is that it doesn't dry out- at all.  The beer in it provides moisture and so does the olive oil, especially when you rub it under the skin.  The most challenging parts were figuring out to get the chicken to fit in my fun-sized oven, adding the vegetables without knocking over the chicken, and removing the beer can from the final product.  As usual, this recipe lends itself to creativity- whatever rub you like can be used with any vegetables.

Whole chicken, coated in olive oil, chili flakes, salt and pepper.

Olive oil, chili flake, salt and pepper rub

Half-full tall boy, waiting to enter the bird.

Sprouts, carrots, onion, and leek

1/3 of the way through, adding the potatoes to roast

2/3 of the way through- adding the vegetables

Final product

The end!

Recipes

Beer-Butt Chicken with Chili Flake Rub

• Whole, uncooked chicken
• Chili flakes- about 1-2 tbs
• Olive oil- about 1/2 cup
• Salt and pepper

1. Preheat over to 200c/400f
2. Mix olive oil, chili flakes, salt and pepper together in a bowl
3. Coat the chicken with 1/2-2/3 of the mixture being sure to cover it completely, inside and out
4. Place the 1/2 full can of beer on the baking tray/tin and lower the chicken onto it
5. Place the baking tray/tin on the lowest rack of the oven and leave to cook for 25 minutes
6. While the chicken is cooking, prepare the potatoes and vegetables

Roast potatoes, cooked with duck fat

My oven isn't big enough for roasting the chicken and veg separately so I altered my direction a bit.

• 2-4 potatoes 
• 1/4 cup duck fat
• Salt and pepper
• 2-3 tablespoons flour (optional)

1. Cut potato into similar sized chunks- about a cubic inch
2. Boil potatoes for about 5 minutes or until they're just soft
3. Heat a frying pan on the stove and cover with duck fat, leave until hot- about 2-3 minutes
4. Drain potatoes and rough up slightly in colander - if you want them extra crispy, add the flour 
5. Put potato onto the pan and coat fat, sprinkle lightly with salt, making sure all surfaces have sufficient fat
6. Remove chicken from the oven and place the potatoes around it
7. Cook for another 30 minutes

Sprouts, onion, carrots, and leek

• 1/4lb sprouts, 1 onion, and 2 carrots, 1/2 a leek

1. Sprouts- trim and half
2. Cut carrots, leek and onion into small chunks
3. Remove chicken and potatoes from oven, push potatoes to one side of the tray and place the veg on the other side
4. Cook for another 15-20 minutes, until the chicken is done

I'm in the process of making chicken stock/soup with the leftovers and will post about how it turned out in the next few days!

Recent dinners

Now that the holidays are over, I have made some New Years resolutions: to eat better (real original), to work out more (even more original), to keep a journal, and to be able to touch my toes (I've always been hopelessly inflexible).  In an effort to eat better I've decided to limit the dairy and wheat in my diet.  Over the last weeks I've cooked a few dinners that are wheat- and dairy-free and also really nice:  roasted venison with asparagus (I know it's not in season and the fact that it came from Brazil isn't eco-friendly but I really like asparagus) and duck-fat roast potatoes, pan-fried cod with a roasted root-veg medley, and honey roasted pork with roasted brussel sprouts and mashed potatoes.

Venison

Roast venison with asparagus, roast potatoes and a side of scallops and bacon

I am lucky enough to know a good butcher who provided me with a most glorious cut of venison steak.  Until this, I had never eaten, let alone cooked, venison but this turned out wonderfully.  I also have never cooked with duck fat but decided, after reading several recipes, it seemed like the flavor would be better so I gave it a try.  The scallops and bacon were just a man-requested extra.  If you've never tried a scallop with its foot (the orange bit) on, you should.  It's weird and wonderful and worth trying.

Ready for its close-up

Cod

Royston is a market town, which means on Wednesdays and Saturdays there is a wonderful market selling all kinds of things from antiques to fish and household cleaners to vegetables.  I've been meaning to get my veg from the market but haven't until this weekend.  I have, however, bought a silver tray and some eggs there.  On this past Saturday we bought (more) eggs, parsnips, sprouts, and carrots from the vegetable stand and some fresh cod from the fish monger.  It all looked and tasted so fresh and there was plenty more English vegetables I haven't tried that I've already planned a few things to cook next week with what I've seen there.  I'd much rather buy my food from someone who can tell me where my food came from, because they brought it from the source to the market, than from a big super market where "fresh fish" can be up to three weeks old.  It also brings people in the community together and you never what you're going to find.

Cod with sweet potato, parsnip, and carrot.  

This, apparently, isn't a very photogenic dish.

Pork chops with sprouts, carrots, and mashed potatoes

Sadly, this pork isn't from my favorite butcher or the market but was still quite good.  I put a bit of honey on it but probably should have brined it.  The sprouts had some carrots, onions, salt and pepper and only took about 15-20 minutes to cook.  The mashed potatoes had some cheese in them because of the vast amount we received over Christmas and couldn't finish and now have to finish before it goes off.  Another easy meal that doesn't take too long to make but still tastes wonderful.

Same old plate, new meal

Yum 

Recipes

Venison

• Venison- make sure it's in season and ask your butcher how much they would recommend 
• 2 cloves of garlic, sliced thinly
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper

1. If venison is wrapped in plastic, rinse and lightly pat dry with paper towel
2. Cut small holes into the venison and insert the garlic
3. Coat lightly in olive oil
4. Season with salt and pepper as desired
5. On a hot pan, sear each side of the venison for about 2 minutes each
6. Lower heat on pan and flip venison regularly until cooked to your liking - about another 10 minutes

Roast potatoes, cooked with duck fat

I don't usually skin potatoes but if you're into that, go for it!

• 2-4 potatoes 
• 1/4 cup duck fat
• Salt and pepper
• 2-3 tablespoons flour (optional)

1. Cut potato into similar sized chunks- about a cubic inch
2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees
3. Boil potatoes for about 5 minutes or until they're just soft
4. Once oven is hot, put duck fat you into baking tin and leave in the oven for 2-5 minutes
5. Drain potatoes and rough up slightly in colander - if you want them extra crispy, add the flour 
6. Put potato into the fat, sprinkle lightly with salt, making sure all surfaces have sufficient fat
7. Cook for 15 minutes then turn
8. Cook for another 20 minutes or until potatoes look so glorious you must eat them
9. Be careful - potatoes stay hot!

Asparagus

1. Steam for 3-5 minutes, until bright green and bend slightly when picked up with fork

Scallops with foot

1. Rinse and pat scallops dry with paper towel
2. Separate the scallop from the foot
3. Heat frying pan
4. Place the scallop onto the hot pan, turning after about 1 minute
5. Place the foot on the pan, turning after about 30 seconds - the foot is much thinner than the scallop so it doesn't take as long to cook
6. If you'd like to be sure that the scallop is cooked through, keep on the pan 1:30 before turning

If you don't know how to cook bacon, you can google it.  It's easy.  

Cod

• Cod- make sure it's fresh and locally sourced- ask your fish monger how much they would recommend 
• 2 tbs of mustard
• 3 tbs olive oil
• Salt and pepper

1. Rinse and lightly pat dry with paper towel
2. Mix olive oil and mustard together - if you have balsamic vinegar reduce the amount of mustard and mix it all in with the olive oil to your taste
3. Season the fish lightly with salt and pepper then coat with the olive oil and mustard
4. On a heated pan, place the cod skin down for 4-5 minutes before flipping

Root vegetable medley

• Sweet potato
• Parsnip
• Carrots
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 f
2. Cut veg into similar sized sticks
3. Coat lightly in olive oil
4. Season with salt and pepper as desired
5. Shake veg on tray so that the oil is evenly coated
6. Cook for 30 minutes, shaking the tray every 10 minutes

Pork Chops

• Pork chops
• 1/2 tbs honey per chop
• Olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 350 f
2. Coat each chop with honey
3. Pour olive oil onto a pan/skillet
4. Place chops on pan and cook each side for about 1 minute, then transfer to pre-heated oven
5. Cook for 4 minutes then turn
6. Cook for another 4 minutes or until done

Sprouts, Onion, and Carrots

• 1/4lb sprouts, 1 onion, and 2 carrots
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 f
2. Sprouts- trim and half
3. Cut carrots and onion into small chunks
4. Season with salt, pepper, and olive oil
5. Put into baking tray and cook for 15 minutes

As usual, these recipes are very imprecise and, hopefully, simple.  All measurements are eye-balled and based on what I think would taste good.  Give them a try and feel free to post any suggestions!