Organic Bacon Chops with Apple and Cider Sauce
 

Real comfort food on a cold evening

To Serve 4:

4 organic bacon chops
1 tablesp. oil
1 large organic onion, sliced
1-2 organic cooking apples, sliced
1-2 cloves organic garlic
1 teasp. sugar
250ml (½ pt) dry cider
1 teasp. cider vinegar
1 tablesp. grain mustard
A few organic sprigs thyme and a bay leaf
Salt and Black pepper

 

Heat a large deep frying pan with the oil.  Brown the chops well on both sides.  Remove from the pan to a plate.  Now add the organic onions to the pan.  Cook until the slices just being to brown.  Add the organic garlic and organic apple.  Cook for another minute.  Sprinkle in the sugar, stir in the cider, vinegar and mustard and boil for a few minutes to reduce the liquid.  Add the organic herbs.  Return the chops to the pan, cover with a lid or foil.  Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 30 minutes.  Taste for seasoning.

Organic Chicken Breast with Fennel and Rocket Salad

Complexity       moderate
Time                 30 mins
Serves              4
Method            Pan & Oven

Chicken Breasts

4 organic chicken breasts, skin on
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tablesp. olive oil
Salt and black pepper

 

Fennel Salad

2 organic fennel bulbs, sliced thinly as possible
2 tablesp. olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tablesp. good quality mustard                                                       
Handful rocket leaves per person

 
To serve:

Drizzle of olive oil, balsamic vinegar and black pepper

 
Set oven Gas Mark 4, 180°C, 350°F

 

To Cook:

An hour or two ahead if possible place the chicken breasts in a shallow dish.  Pour over the lemon juice, olive oil and seasoning.

Prepare the salad – put the sliced organic fennel in a large bowl, in another small bowl mix the olive oil, lemon juice and mustard together, taste for seasoning.  Mix the fennel and dressing together – set aside.

 Seal the chicken breasts on a hot pan until well browned.  Then finish cooking in the oven for 10-15 minutes.

To serve:

Slice the chicken, serve with a mound of the salad and the organic rocket leaves on top.  Drizzle with a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar and a little black pepper.

 

Organic Apple and Yoghurt Pancakes with Blackberry & Honey Sauce

 Ideal for a leisurely weekend brunch

Complexity       Moderate
Time                 15 min
Serves              6
Method            Pan

Pancake Batter

300g self-raising flour
50g sugar
4 organic eggs
150ml organic natural yoghurt
2 organic eating apples, peeled and chopped
Milk
Butter to cook the pancakes

Blackberry and honey sauce

200g organic blackberries (or blueberries)
2-3 tablesps. honey
Juice of 1 lemon

To cook -

Place all the batter ingredients in the processor. Whizz until well blended. Heat a non–stick pan & add a touch of butter. Add 4 large spoonfuls of batter, spaced well apart and cook for 2 minutes until bubbles appear, flip and cook for another minute. Transfer to a plate and keep warm while you cook the rest. This makes about 16 pancakes.

To make the sauce – Heat the organic fruit, honey and lemon juice until you have a nice thick fruity sauce. Serve warm with the pancakes and extra organic Yoghurt if you wish.

Nutritional Analysis

Energy:            386 kcal
Protein             11 g
Fat                    9 g
Iron                   2 g
Carbohydrate 68 g

 






Delicious Organic Burgers with Melted Cheese and Tomato Salsa

Three secrets to making the best burgers – top quality mince, the onions sautéed till golden brown and cooked ahead of time and a good splash of chilli oil in the mixture.

Complexity  moderate
Time        20 mins
Serves        4
Method    Grill/BBQ

Basic Burger Ingredients

450g organic minced beef or lamb
1 large organic onion, finely chopped, sautéed in oil till golden and cooled
1 tablesp. Organic scallions, chopped
1 tablesp. chilli oil, optional but nice (see recipe)
Salt and black pepper

Tomato Salsa

16 approx. organic cherry tomatoes, chopped
1-2 organic red onions, finely chopped
Handful chopped coriander
1 tablesp. chilli oil
Lemon juice to taste
Salt and black pepper

To Serve

4 sliced of organic cheddar or blue cheese

To Cook

Mix the mince, onion, scallions, chilli oil and seasoning well together.  With wet hands shape into 4 burgers.  Flatten each one down with the palm of your hand until you have a nice even shape.  This way they will cook more quickly and evenly.  Keep in the fridge until ready to cook.  Grill, barbecue or cook on a black ridge pan, until fully cooked, 4-5 minutes on each side.

Meanwhile mix all the salsa ingredients together. Then place a spoonful of salsa on top of each burger and top with a slice of cheese.  Grill, or cover the barbecue or pan and continue to cook for another minute until the cheese has melted.  Serve on a bap with some salad leaves and the remaining salsa.


Nutritional analysis per serving
Energy            684 kcals
Protein              44g
Fat              37g
Iron            4.7mg
Carbohydrates        45g

Chilli Oil

This is a really useful dressing to have on hand, it will spice up lots of meals – lamb cutlets, steaks, pasta sauces etc.

Whizz 2-3 chillies, chopped, including seeds; 1 red pepper, chopped; 2-3 cloves garlic; handful coriander; 250ml oil; and seasoning in the processor.  Store in the fridge for up to a week.