One-pot cooking..... how I love it! When you are busy with work and family the aim in the evening is to get dinner or supper, as some call it, on the table with the minimum of fuss and hassle so you can put your feet up and relax afterwards without facing a kitchen bomb-site, and one-pot cooking fulfils all those dreams.
The king of one pot dishes for taste and flavour is the 'Hot Pot'.
Traditionally from the Lancashire/Cumbrian region of the UK where the sheep is 'king of the pasture', the hot pot was an easy dish that could be assembled in the morning and left to slowly cook till evening over an open turf and wood fire.
Pieces of mutton would be layered with onions, carrots and turnips, the 'kitchen garden' vegetables of the region, and topped with layers of potatoes. No liquid would be added, instead the moisture would come from the slow cooking of the vegetables and a tightly sealed pot!
Hot pot was always on the menu in the local hostelries, and the posher inns would even add oysters to the pot!
Today the Lancashire Hot Pot has passed into legend due to that well known long running 'soap opera' and all thanks to Betty!
When making hot pot at home we are only limited by our imaginations when it comes to the ingredients that can be baked under a layer of sliced potatoes, but I advise you not to try fish, as the fish will be drier than an Egyptian mummy before the potatoes are cooked!
Hot pot is really meant for meats with lots of moisture that need long slow cooking, although I admit I did try turkey once, though not very successfully! should have known better!
If making hot pot in the traditional style, I suggest using the tougher cuts from red meat or pork that you know will have a good moisture content due to the meat having that little bit more fat running through it, pieces cut from the leg and shoulder of pork, the neck of lamb or mutton, the shin of beef or even topside or silver-side of beef, these cuts may be tougher but they also have the advantage of having the tastiest flavour, and long slow cooking simply enhances that and of course tenderises the meat!
But there are times when you may be in a bit of a hurry so there is a way to make a speedy hot pot without the endless hours of cooking, yet maintaining that flavourful, comforting tastiness which a hot pot is all about! I like to cook my speedy hot pot using either a minced meat base or even a complete vegetable base, a dish that is also suitable for my vegan friends!
Find the HARISSA HOT POT recipe HERE!
For my vegetarian friendly 'IMPULSIVE HOT POT' recipe click HERE!
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