HOMECOOKING WITH TERESA

According to the author this recipe is "reputed to be Mao Zedong's favourite dish. It is a speciality of Hunan, his home region. It is irresistibly rich and truly delicious. Enjoy with a simple bowl of steamed white rice and pak choi or a mixed vegetable stir-fry". I served it with jasmine rice and steamed Asian greens with a ginger and chili sauce. It was truly delicious!   Ingredients 800g pork belly 1 Tbsp vegetable oil 2 Tbsp rock or caster sugar 3 Tbsp light soy sauce 3 Tbsp dark soy sauce 3cm knob of fresh root ginger, peeled and thickly sliced 2 star anise 1 cinnamon stick 3 dried red chillies about 200ml water 3 spring onions, trimmed and chopped Method Bring a wide pan of water to the boil, then reduce the heat slightly.  Lower the pork belly into the pan (cut in half if it doesn't fit in whole) and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Skim off the scum and froth from the surface. Drain the pork and leave to cool slightly.  Preheat the oven to 170C. Cut the pork belly in...

This recipe is a combination of a very old recipe I have been making for years, but topped with some aromatic spice mix from a recipe from Gordon Ramsay. We love it! INGREDIENTS 350g split red lentils 1 tsp ground turmeric 1/2 tsp chilli powder 1 cm piece fresh root ginger 2 garlic cloves 1/2 tsp garam masala salt 1 Tbsp butter 1 pinch ground cumin 1 small onion Topping 30g butter 1 tsp panch phoran (see ingredients here ) 8 curry leaves 2 green or red chillies, slit in half lengthways METHOD: Put a kettle of water on to boil. Pick over the lentils and remove any small pieces of grit, then put into a sieve and rinse under cold running water. Put the lentils into a saucepan and cover with 5 cups boiling water from the kettle. Add the turmeric and chilli powder, cover and bring to the boil. Meanwhile, peel the ginger, cut into thin slices and add to the lentils. Peel the garlic and crush it into the saucepan. As soon as the water reaches boiling point, redu...

I adore eggplant. I wanted to make a moussaka, but I don't like minced lamb. I find it too fatty and don't particularly enjoy the flavour. Instead, this is my interpretation of a delicious bolognese sauce from a lasagna recipe from Guy Grossi and the rest of the recipe is from Gordon Ramsay. It's just scrumptious! INGREDIENTS Sugo bolognese olive oil 1 large onion, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, crushed 1/4 tsp ground  cloves pinch of nutmeg 250g minced beef 250g minced pork 250g minced chicken 1 sprig rosemary, leaves picked and chopped 1 Tbsp chopped sage a handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped 2 bay leaves handful of basil leaves, crushed to a paste with a little olive oil 700ml tomato passata 250ml red wine 3/4 litre chicken stock sea salt &  freshly ground black pepper 2-3 large eggplants olive oil for brushing Cheese sauce 75g butter 75g plain flour 600ml whole milk 150g Cheddar, grated 2 medium eggs, beaten 50g grated peco...