Delia's Jerk Marinated Pork Chops with Chargrilled Pineapple Salsa

In case you hadn't guessed - we forgot to take a photo again

By Chris,

Main Ingredients:

• 5x Pork Chops
• 1 large tin of pineapple
• Chilli, red onion, garlic, ginger and mixed spice
• Coriander, lime juice and honey

With the weatherman predicting some late summer sunshine, we decided to fire up the barbie for one last time and Delia's pork chops sounded ideal for the occasion. As with many of her dishes, this required preparing well in advance, to give the marinade plenty of time to soak in.

Half a red onion was blended together with a red chilli, a clove of garlic, a chunk of ginger, a teaspoon of mixed spice, the juice of one lime, one tablespoon of soy sauce, a tablespoon of brown sugar and a tablespoon of oil. This made a nice runny sauce which was spread over the chops and then left overnight.

The next day, I started off by prepping the salsa. The recipe said to chop up a fresh pineapple, but using a tin seemed so much easier. The chunks were drained and then glazed in a mixture of equal parts oil and honey. Then they were spread out under the grill for ten minutes, turning half way through, to blacken them up. These were then mixed with a whole diced onion, half a red chilli, the juice of another lime and a fistful of coriander leaves.

When it came to cooking the chops, it was all about taking it slowly and being patient. Thankfully they didn't give off too much fat and they were cooked all the way through after just 20 minutes. Served up with a simple potato salad, these went down a storm and weren't as spicy as I'd feared. The salsa also worked nicely with a normal burger for those who missed out on the pork chops. Best of all, at £1.61 a head, this was pretty good value.

Best for... An exotic twist to liven up a soggy barbecue

Taken from... Delia Smith - How To Cook: Book Two

Helen says... Very impressive-looking: they gathered quite an audience and the salsa was a perfect, colourful accompaniment.

Jamie's Pea and Herb Risotto

By Helen
Main Ingredients:

• Risotto rice
• Mint and parsley
• Parmesan
• Goat's cheese

Do you like cheese? Do you like peas? Then you'll love this risotto!

This week, New Food Monday takes to the road (in a caravan!), so I had the additional challenge of cooking in an unfamiliar and not particularly large kitchen. But this was a relatively simple recipe which thankfully didn't require too much worktop space.

I fried half an onion with some celery, then stirred in the rice and a added glass of wine. Once it had been absorbed I started ladling in some hot stock over around 15 minutes. Last went chopped mint, parsley, butter, grated parmesan and frozen peas. With a couple of minutes' sit, the mixture went lovely and oozy, ready to be finished with a slice of goat's cheese.

I hate to play to internet memes, but this was pretty nom. Soft, comforting and cheesy, with enough fresh peas and celery to give it some bite, and some fragrant herbs. At £1.97 a head it was pretty thrifty, with the relatively expensive cheese and wine balanced by peas and rice to make a pretty satisfying (and vegetarian) meal.

Best for... When you need something warming and homely, in a tight space!
Taken from... Jamie Oliver - Jamies Does... Italy
Chris says... Very filling, full of flavour and easy to wash up - certainly no complaints here!

Jamie's Wicked Souvlaki Kebabs

By Chris,

Main Ingredients:

• 400g Diced Pork
• Green and red peppers
• Warm flatbreads
• Greek Yoghurt
• Dill, Mint, Oregano and Lemon Juice

As Jamie says in the preamble to this recipe, kebabs are often regarded as a guilty pleasure, but there's nothing guilty about these kebabs. In fact, they're probably the healthiest kebabs I've ever eaten. First up, the meat was marinated in the juice of half a lemon, 50ml of olive oil, half a tablespoon of dried oregano and half a tablespoon of dried mint. This combo was pepped up with some red wine vinegar, a finely chopped garlic clove, a pinch of salt and some cracked black pepper, and then left for half an hour.

Next up, I made some tzatziki by grating and wringing out a quarter of a cucumber, which was then mixed with 50ml of Greek yoghurt, chopped mint, more red wine vinegar, salt and pepper. The next step would probably be much easier (and quicker) on a gas cooker, as I had to blacken two peppers under the grill. This took about ten minutes under an electric grill, so in the meantime I prepared the dill and mint garnish, which would go on these peppers later.

Once the peppers were done, I took them out from under the grill and put them into a covered bowl to sweat for a while. The pork was then skewered and fried in a dry pan for ten minutes and the flatbreads were warmed in the bottom of the oven. After the meat had nicely soaked up all the marinade, we were ready to roll. The flatbreads were filled with a dollop of the tzatziki, a generous skewer's worth of meat, the peeled and sliced peppers and the garnish.

The result was a lovely, zingy, herby wrap that was both filling and taste-bud tingling. With my predilection for spice I would be tempted to chuck a red chilli into the marinate next time, and if I was feeling a bit more plush, I'd upgrade the pork to diced lamb. Otherwise, this was fairly simple and very satisfying. The catch? At £4.13 a head, this is one of the priciest dishes we've made so far...

Best for... A super indulgent lunch on a stonking hot summer day

Taken from... Jamie Oliver - Jamie Does... Greece

Helen says... Surprisingly filling and beautifully rich and herby. Plus I'm sir you could cheat and use jarred peppers if you were in a hurry!

Hugh's Chicken and Mushroom Casserole with Cider

By Helen

Main Ingredients:

• Chicken legs
• Dry cider
• Mushrooms
• Cream
• English Mustard

"This rich and warming dish is perfect to serve in autumn, perhaps with mushrooms you've gathered yourself." Or, if you don't fancy risking kidney failure, plain old button mushrooms will do, it turned out. A relatively simple recipe this week, with plenty of time to sort out some vegetables while the chicken was cooking.

The chicken legs were coated in seasoned flour and browned in a pan, then moved to the casserole along with a bottle of cider, chopped, sweated mushrooms, bay and thyme. This took care of itself for an hour and a half before the juices were reduced with double cream and a little mustard.

Although mine looked a little wetter (and less effectively browned) than the picture in the book, it did mean the chicken was lovely and moist and basically fell off the bone. With some potatoes to mash into the sauce and something green on the side this was pretty satisfying, although a more adventurous choice of mushrooms might have complemented the cider better.

Not a spectacular meal by any standards but a good use for chicken legs - other than the usual curry - and only £2.25 a head including all vegetables.

Best for... Comforting a friend who has to go back to work tomorrow

Taken from... Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall - River Cottage Every Day

Chris says... Pretty straightforward and even suited a mushroom wimp like me!