#black peppercorns

I know some find offal off-putting, and I wouldn’t have Devilled Kidneys orLiver every day either; but they are lean, cheap and very nutritious. You won’t find a better source of iron! And when simply and well-cooked, they can be very tasty, too. Like these Green Onion Pork Kidneys.Happy Thursday!

Ingredients (serves 1):

• 1 ½ tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 large Green Onion
• 2 (135-gram/5-ounce) pork kidneys (prepared by your butcher)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

In a medium frying pan, melt butter over a medium flame.

Finely chop Green Onion, and once the butteris just foaming, add chopped white part of the Green Onion to the pan. Cook, a couple of minutes, until softened. Reserve chopped green part of the Green Onion part for serving.

Increase heat to medium-high. Pat pork kidneys dry, and lay them flat onto the pan. Cook, about 4  minutes, then the will close up. Cook on each side until browned, about 3 minutes on each side. Season both sides well with saltandblack pepper. The fleshshoud still be blushing inside.

ServeGreen Onion Pork Kidneys hot, sprinkled with chopped green part of the Green Onion . They pair well with a side of fluffy brown orwhite rice and warm Applesauce. If you want a glass a wine with them, a robust red like an Australian (Braossa Valley) Shiraz or a French Saint-Chinian, is excellent!

This simple and tasty Rosemary Roasted Chicken and Courgettes makes a lighter, vibrant and flavourful Sunday Lunch on a sunny Spring day! Happy Sunday!

Ingredients (serves 2)

• 1 fluffy sprig fresh rosemary
• ½ onion
• 1 large courgette, rinsed
• ¼ teaspoon fleur de sel or sea salt flakes
• ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 chicken thighs
• ¼ teaspoon fleur de sel or sea salt flakes
  
• ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
  
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ cup water

Preheat oven 200°C/395°F.

Removerosemary leaves from the stalk and finely chop them; set aside.

Peel and slice onion. Cut courgetteinto slices. 

In a roasting tin, combinecourgetteandonion slices. Add half of the chopped rosemary, along with the fleur de sel andblack pepper. Drizzle with olive oil, and toss, with clean hands, to coat in oil,herbandseasoning. 

Season chicken thighs on both sides with fleur de sel,black pepper and remaining rosemary. Rub gently into the flesh. Sit chicken thighs onto the courgetteandonion slices, and drizzle with olive oil. Pour waterat the bottom of the tin.

Place tin in the middle of the hot oven, and roast, at 200°C/395°F, 35 to 40 minutes.

ServeRosemary Roasted Chicken and Courgettes hot, with a side of fluffy brown rice. It pairs well either with a chilled light white Bordeaux, or a fruity red like a good Saint-Chinian. 

ThisPoached Egg on Smoked Herring in Cream Sauce may be a mouthful, but it is a very simple, yet rather elegant, and absolutely comforting recipe! Excellent for dinner. Happy Wednesday!

Ingredients (serves 1):

• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  
• ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt
  
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• ½ small onion
• ½ cup double cream
• ½ cup dry white wine (like Sauvignon Blanc)
• 100 grams/3.5 ounces smoked herring fillets
• ½ lemon
• ¼ teaspoon fleur de sel or sea salt flakes
• ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

In a medium saucepan, filled to about three-quarters, bring water to a boil. Stir in apple cider vinegarandcoarse sea salt. Break the egginto a cup or a glass. Using a wisk, stir the waterto create a small whirlwind and drop the eggin the middle of it. Let it cook, 2 ½ minutes. Then, with a slotted spoon, gently transfer poached egg into a medium bowl filled with ice water andice cubes.

Meltbutterin a large, deep skillet over a medium flame.

Peel and finely slice onion. Once the butteris just foaming, stir in the onionand cook, a couple of minutes until softened. Stir in double creamandSauvignon Blanc. Bring to a simmmer, and add smoked herring fillets, skin-side up in the middle of the skillet. Squeeze the juice of the lemon all over the fish, and season with coarse sea salt and black pepper.

Simmer, over a medium flame, for a dozen minutes, stirring occasionnally until saucethickens slightly.

Once the herringsandsauceare ready, plunge poached egg back into the simmering poaching liquid to warm, 1 or 2 minutes. Lift out of the saucepan with the slotted spoon, and transfer to a warm plate or saucer.

ServeSmoked Herring in Cream Sauce into a plate. Top with Poached Egg, and serve immediately with toastedSourdough and a glass of chilled Sauvignon Blanc.

On a rainy and chill Spring day, a steaming bowl of these fragrant Courgette and Tomato Beans makes a hearty and comforting lunch.

Ingredients (serves 1):

• 1 heaped tablespoon duck fat, Goose FatorCapon Fat
• ½ onion
• ½ small red or orange bell pepper
• a small courgette, rinsed
  
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• ½ teaspoon dried basil
• ½ can white navy beans
• 1Whole Peeled Tomato + 1/3 cup of its juice
• salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
• 1 teaspoon Hot Pepper Sauce
• ½ cup water
• 4 cherry tomatoes
• 2 teaspoons caster sugar

In a medium, deep, nonstick skillet, melt Capon Fat over medium-high heat.

Peel and finely chop onion. Seed and chop bell pepper. Add chopped onionandbell pepper to the skillet, and cook, a couple of minutes.

Dicecourgette, and stir into the skillet. Cook, a couple of minutes more. Add minced garlic,dried thymeand dried basil, and cook, 1 minute. 

Drainwhite beans and rinse them under cold water. Drain them once more, thoroughly, and stir into the skillet. Fry, 3 minutes.

Roughly chop Whole Peeled Tomato, and stir into the skillet, along with its juice. Season, to taste, with saltandblack pepper. Stir in Hot Pepper Sauce. Then, stir in water, and bring to the boil.

Halvecherry tomatoes.

Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low, stir in cherry tomatoes, and simmer, 5 minutes or so. Stir in caster sugar until completely dissolved.

ServeCourgette and Tomato Beans hot, with a slice or two of toastedWholemeal Loaf.

This beautifully simple and tasty Butter and Garlic Broccoli serves one as a main, or two as a side and keeps the tender snap of the fleurets. Happy Monday!

Ingredients (serves 1 or 2):

• 2 small heads fresh broccoli
• 1 ½ tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

Fill a medium saucepan to the half with water, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

With a sharp knife, cut broccoli fleurets off the stalks(keep the large stalksand leaves to make a fragrant Vegetable Broth.)

Place broccoli fleurets in a steaming basket, and fit basket over the saucepan. Cover with a lid, and steam, about 10 minutes, until broccoliis just tender.

Remove from the heat.

In a large, deep skillet, melt butterover medium heat. Once buter is just foaming, add minced garlic; cook, 1 minute.

Then, stir in steamed broccoli, and cook, shaking the pan to coat in butterandgarlic, a couple of minutes more. Season with saltand black pepper, to taste. Cook, another minute.

ServeButter and Garlic Broccolihot.