Pork, Pepper and Pineapple Puff Pastry Pie

This is a recipe which came about when I was given a bag of small, homegrown red bell peppers and I wanted to come up with some different ideas for using them in cooking. I first considered a pork, pepper and pineapple stir fry but ultimately decided on this alternative.




Ingredients (Serves Two)

1/2lb diced shoulder of pork
2 small red bell peppers or one normal size
2 rings of pineapple (if canned, in own juice and not syrup)
1 pint of fresh chicken stock
4oz puff pastry
6 small lettuce leaves
2 plum tomatoes
Fresh basil leaves for garnish

1 beaten egg for glazing



Method

The first and most time consuming step is to cook the pork shoulder meat. The meat should firstly be browned in a large pot before the hot chicken stock is added and brought to a simmer. The pork should be simmered for around an hour and a half, to become beautifully tender. Note that the chicken stock may well need topped up with some hot water during the cooking time. Do not let the pork boil dry and remember that some liquid stock will be required in the pie.

When the pork is cooked, the pepper(s) and pineapple rings should be roughly chopped and stirred through the mix. The combination should then be added to a pie dish, as shown above, covered and left for at least half an hour to cool.



The puff pastry should be rolled evenly out on a floured surface to a size slightly larger than is required to top the pie. The cut-offs should then be used to line the edges of the dish before the main pastry is added to top the pie.

A couple of slits should be made in the top centre of the pie to allow steam to escape during cooking. The pie should then be glazed with the beaten egg and added to an oven preheated to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6 for thirty-five to forty minutes, or until the pastry is beautifully risen and golden.

The pie should be served with the lettuce and tomato and garnished with fresh basil leaves, as shown at the top of this post.

Gammon Steak with Baked Potato and Pineapple, Basil and Garlic Soured Cream

When I decided over the weekend to have a gammon steak one night, I only briefly had to consider what I would like to accompany it. I had been working on my website detailing healthy baked potato recipes, so a baked potato it would be. As I was buying pineapple anyway to accompany the gammon steak, the rest - as they say - is history.

Ingredients

1 gammon steak
1 large baking potato
2 rings of pineapple (if using canned, ensure that they are in pineapple juice)
1 small cherry tomato
1 tbsp low fat soured cream
1 clove of garlic (crushed)
2 large basil leaves (finely chopped or torn)
2 small basil leaves (for garnish)

Method

As a great many will know from bitter experience, one of the frequent drawbacks when baking a potato is that either the core remains hard when the remainder is ready or the skin is dry and wrinkled when the potato has been cooked all the way through. I have a method for baking potatoes which eliminates both these concerns.

The oven should first of all be put on to preheat to 400F/200C/Gas Mark 6. The potato should then be washed and dried. Prick the potato a few times with a fork. A long metal skewer should then be carefully inserted through the centre of the potato lengthwise (as shown) and the potato loosely wrapped and sealed in aluminium foil. Place the foil package on a baking tray and in to the oven for one hour and fifteen minutes. Essentially, the heat will be conducted along the metal skewer and in to the centre of the potato, ensuring even cooking.

When the potato is in the oven, it is time to prepare the filling. Simply mix the soured cream, garlic, basil and one of the pineapple rings (finely chopped) together in a small bowl. Cover with clingfilm and refrigerate until required.

When the baked potato is done, remove the tray from the oven with protective gloves and (still wearing the gloves!) gently squeeze and massage the potato to fluff up the centre. Sit it back on the tray, still wrapped in the foil, and set it aside while you grill your gammon steak.

The fat or rind should be left on the steak while you cook it but can be removed later. Grill under a medium to hot grill for about seven to eight minutes. Ensure the steak is fully cooked then serve as shown in the photograph at the top of this article.