WITH restaurants having been closed over the last couple of months, you may be running out of fresh new ideas for a tasty evening meal. This week’s recipes have you covered, though; they are perfect for supper and are packed full of flavour.
Now that there is a glimmer of hope for hospitality reopening, we hope to welcome you back to our own restaurant very soon.
HAM HOCK WITH RED CABBAGE
(Serves 4-6)
2 ham hocks (approx 1.5kg each)
1 red cabbage, cored and finely shredded
2 onions, sliced
4 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
2 sprigs thyme
60g raisins
Pinch of nutmeg
Pinch of ground cinnamon
300ml white wine vinegar
600ml vegetable stock
Salt and black pepper
Method:
Preheat the oven to 160C. Place the ham hocks in a pot covered with water. Put the lid on and simmer for one hour. Remove the ham and keep the cooking liquid.
Place ham on a board and allow to rest. Once cool, remove the skin and discard it. Place the ham in a casserole dish and add in all the other ingredients. You can use some of the cooking liquid with the vegetable stock for extra flavour.
Make sure both hams are well covered. Season with salt and pepper, place lid on and put in the oven for two hours, checking occasionally and turning if dry.
After two hours, remove and shred the ham and stir in with the rest of the vegetables.
Best served with a baked potato.
BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND PARSNIP CASSOULET
(Serves 4)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, finely diced
1 tsp ground cloves
2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
2 celery sticks, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
450g butternut squash, chopped into bite-size pieces
450g parsnips, sliced into bite-size rounds
250ml white wine
2 sprigs thyme
400g tinned tomatoes
250g Breton coco beans
900ml warmed vegetable stock
To garnish and serve:
About 30g Parmesan cheese, grated
125g breadcrumbs
1 tbsp parsley, chopped
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180C. Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed casserole dish with a lid; cook the onion and garlic for three to four minutes.
Season with salt and pepper, add the cloves, carrots, celery and bay leaf and cook on a low heat for eight to 10 minutes.
Add in the butternut squash and parsnip and cook for a few more minutes. Add in the wine, increase the heat and bring to the boil, then reduce heat again to a simmer.
Add in thyme, tomatoes, beans and stock and bring back to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and season to taste. Then place lid on and place in oven for 40 minutes.
Add garnish ingredients to a bowl and mix. Sprinkle over the cassoulet and pop back into oven for 20 minutes.
Remove lid and cook for a further 10 minutes until topping golden. Ladle into warmed bowls and serve.
