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.

Delia's Wholewheat Treacle Sponge

By Helen

Main Ingredients:

• Golden syrup
• Wholewheat flour
• Eggs
• Margarine
• Brown sugar

"Sticky Toffee Pudding is my favourite - but I wouldn't ask you to make it," said this week's guest - several times in fact. I couldn't ignore such blatant hint-dropping and consulted Delia for the nearest thing I could find.

I poured the syrup into the bottom of the bowl then mixed all the other ingredients together and poured the mixture on top. So far, so foolproof. After tying on a foil lid I improvised a steamer with the largest saucepan I could find (basically the same size as the bowl) and boiled for around two hours.

It was a nervewracking moment when I wrestled the steaming bowl out of the water but although the pudding refused to turn out, it was beautifully cooked through and with a little extra syrup and some cream was really good. The wholewheat flour gave it a nutty, flapjacky taste and stopped it being too stodgy or sweet.

Now I know how to make it, it'd be easy to whip up from whatever's in the cupboard (it only cost 45p per head in extra ingredients) but I can't help thinking there must be a way to microwave it instead.

Best for... Completing a traditional meal and feeding your inner child.
Taken from... Delia Smith - Complete Illustrated Cookery Course
Chris says... Sticky, tasty and not too stodgy - I would happily eat this again!