Recipe(s) of the Week

• Marinate the beef. In a medium size bowl, combine the beef with all the marinade ingredients together. Set aside while preparing the sauce and heating up the wok or skillet.

• Prepare the sauce. In a small bowl whisk all the sauce ingredients together and set aside until ready to add to steak bites.

• Cook the steak bites. Heat a wok or non-stick skillet over high heat until hot. Add a tablespoon of vegetable oil or sesame oil to it. Add the marinated beef to the wok and arrange in a single layer. Sear for a minute before tossing then continue cooking for another 2 minutes, tossing a couple times, until the steak bites look almost charred. This is for medium-rare, if you prefer it medium, just cook it a minute or so longer.

• Add the sauce. Pour the sauce over the steak bites and cook for another minute while tossing then remove the wok from heat.

• Garnish and serve. Serve immediately garnished with green onions and sesame seeds.

1. It’s very important to get your wok or skillet very hot to get a nice crispy outside on the steak bites.

2. Cooking time will vary depending on the size you cut the steak bites and how hot your skillet is which is why I recommend to get your skillet really hot before adding the meat to it.

3. If you’re doubling the recipe, you will have to cook the beef in two batches, otherwise the meat will steam rather than sear.

4. Notice I didn’t add any salt and that is because there is plenty of salt from the soy sauce. However, taste and adjust with salt and pepper as needed.

5. Allow the steak bites to come to room temperature before storing them to an airtight container and refrigerating for up to 3 days.

• Prepare meatballs: In a large bowl, add together all of the meatball ingredients; mix well until well incorporated. Shape the meatballs so they are about 1 inch in diameter. This should produce about 25 - 30 meatballs - depending on how big you make them. Place the meatballs onto a plate and place them in the fridge until ready to use.

• Saute the sauteables: In a large dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add in the onion, carrots, and celery and saute for about 5 minutes, until the onion and veggies are soft. Next, stir in the garlic and let cook for another 30 seconds.

• Build the soup: Add the broth and water to the dutch oven, followed by the tomatoes, cannellini beans, salt and pepper and Italian seasoning; bring everything to a boil.

• Cook meatballs: Remove meatballs from the fridge and add them to the soup 1 at a time. Once all the meatballs are in the dutch oven, reduce to medium heat, cover the pot, and let cook for about 20 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through.

• Garnish and serve: When meatballs are fully cooked through, remove from heat and serve in individual bowls. Garnished with parmesan cheese and voila!

1. In an airtight container this soup will last 3 - 4 days.

2. You can definitely freeze your Italian meatball soup too. Stored in one large airtight container or store in individual containers and it will last 2 - 3 months. When you're ready to eat, thaw in the microwave or over the stove top over medium heat.

FOR THE SAUCE

• 1 tablespoon garlic flavored oil

• 1 onion (peeled and chopped)

• 1 red bell pepper (deseeded and chopped)

• 2 green chiles (chopped with seeds)

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt (or 1/2 teaspoon pouring salt)

• 2 tablespoons cilantro stalks (finely chopped)

• 28 ounces diced tomatoes (2 cans)

• 1⅔ cups water (swilled in empty cans)

• 1 tablespoon tomato ketchup

FOR THE FILLING

• 30 ounces black beans (2 cans) drained and rinsed

• 3¼ cups canned sweetcorn kernels (2 cans) drained

• 2½ cups grated mature goat's cheddar (or cheese of your choice)

• 8 soft flour tortilla wraps

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C Fan/gas mark 6/400ºF, slipping in a baking tray at the same time.

2. To make the sauce, heat the oil in a pan on the stove and fry the onion, pepper and chilli. add the salt and cook gently for 15 minutes and, once soft, add the chopped coriander stalks.

3. Add the canned tomatoes, then swill the cans out with water and add this too. Spoon in the ketchup and let things come to a simmer, leaving the sauce (or salsa, in keeping with the Mexican mojo) to cook while you get on with preparing the filling – about 10 minutes.

4. To make the filling, mix the drained beans and sweetcorn in a bowl. Add most of the grated cheese, reserving some to sprinkle on the top at the end, and mix together.

5. Start to assemble the lasagne by spooning about a third of the salsa into the bottom of your ovenproof dish and smearing it about, then layer on 2 tortillas so that they cover the sauce overlapping slightly, like a Venn diagram.

6. Add a third of the beans and cheese mixture, covering the tortillas, and then about a quarter of the remaining salsa and another 2 tortillas.

7. Repeat with another third of beans and cheese, and some more salsa before layering on another 2 tortillas.

8. Finally, add the last layer of beans and cheese, nearly all of the remaining salsa and cover with the last 2 tortillas. Spread the very last bit of salsa over the tortillas and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

9. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, and let it rest for a good 10–15 minutes before slicing like a pizza.

• Cook the pork. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, then add and heat the vegetable oil. Add the pork pieces and sear on all sides until browned. Do this in batches if you have to, for me it took 2 batches. Add all the pork back to the Dutch oven, including any juices, the 4 quarts of water and the bay leaves. Bring to a boil, cover with a lid, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 1 hour. Check the broth occasionally to see if there are any impurities at the top, if there are make sure to remove them using a slotted spoon. This is important to ensure we get a nice clear broth.

• Prep the dried chiles. In the mean time, remove the stems and seeds from all the dried chiles. Add the chiles to a pot with boiling water and let them soak for 30 minutes.

• Make the chile sauce. After 30 minutes, transfer the chiles to a blender, along with onion, garlic, oregano, cumin and 1 to 2 cups of the chicken broth. Pulse a few times until completely pureed.

• Stir in chile sauce and cook. After the pork has been cooking for 1 hour, add the rest of the chicken broth and the chile sauce. Bring to a boil again, cover with a lid and cook for another 30 minutes. If too much of the water evaporates, add a bit more.

• Add hominy and cook. Add the hominy to the pot, give it a good stir and cook for another 30 to 45 minutes. Alternatively you can first transfer the meat from the pot and shred it, especially if you cut the pork in bigger pieces, then add it back to the pot.

• Serve with favorite toppings. Serve with shredded cabbage, chopped onion, radish slices and a wedge of lime.

• Cook the pasta: Boil the pasta according to package instructions. After you strain the pasta, rinse it well with cold water from the tap until it has cooled completely. Set it aside in a large bowl.

• Prep the veggies: Slice all the veggies into bite-sized pieces. I like to have the olives halved but you can keep them whole. I have both cubed and crumbled feta in the salad to make sure every bite is a bit cheesy. Place all the ingredients in the large bowl with the cooled pasta.

• Make the Greek salad dressing: Add all the dressing ingredients to a mason jar and shake well until everything is mixed well. Pour over the salad, and mix everything together well.

• Finish the salad: Garnish with a sprinkle of oregano, crumbled feta, and some freshly cracked pepper.

• 4 pound pork shoulder boneless

• ▢  3 guajillo chiles dried

• ▢  ¼ cup orange juice

• ▢  ¼ cup lime juice

• ▢  1 medium onion roughly chopped

• ▢  2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

• ▢  2 teaspoons Mexican oregano

• ▢  2 teaspoons ground cumin

• ▢  2 ounces achiote paste

• ▢  1 teaspoon salt

• ▢  1 tablespoon black pepper

To Serve

• ▢  tortillas

• ▢  1 pineapple cleaned, cut into slices and grilled

• ▢  ¼ cup fresh cilantro chopped

• ▢  1 medium red onion

• ▢  2 limes cut into wedges

• Prepare the pork. Using a sharp knife, cut the pork into thin ¼ inch slices. Place the pork slices in a large bowl.

• Prep the peppers. Add the guajillo chiles to a pot with boiling water. Cover with lid and let them soak for about 5 minutes until they begin to soften. Transfer the chiles to a cutting board and carefully remove the seeds and stems. Set aside. I recommend using gloves.

• Make the marinade. To a blender add the guajillo chile, orange juice, lime juice, onion, cinnamon, pepper, Mexican oregano, cumin and salt. Blend everything together until it forms a smooth paste. If the paste is too thick, add a bit of the hot water that you used to soak the chiles and blend it in until combined.

• Marinate the meat. Pour the marinade over the pork and mix everything thoroughly together. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours to overnight. Remove the meat from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking.

• Grill option. Preheat your grill to medium-high heat and lightly grease it. Grill the meat for about 7 to 8 minutes per side or until slightly charred. An instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the center of the largest piece should read at least 145°F. Transfer the pork to a platter or baking sheet and grill the pineapple slices on both sides until slightly charred about 5 minutes per side.

• Oven option. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line a baking pan that is narrower than your skewers with aluminum foil. You want to be able to prop your skewers on the baking sheet while cooking. A 9×13 inch pan usually works great if you're using 12-inch skewers.

• Roast the meat in the oven. Drizzle the top of the meat with some olive oil. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until the surface of the meat browns and you can see some charred bits. Might need to turn the broiler on for more charred bits. During the cooking process baste the meat with juices from pan.

• Cut the meat. Let the cooked meat rest for 5 minutes before cutting it up into bite size pieces.

• Assemble the tacos and serve. Serve on tacos with grilled pineapple, fresh cilantro, red onion, salsa, and lime wedges.