Tag: pork

Honey mustard gammon

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A festive classic – although, why on earth wouldn’t you make it at other times of year too?

  • 1 kg unsmoked boneless gammon joint
  • 1 carrot, peeled and cut into 4
  • 1 onion, peeled and quartered
  • 1 stick celery, cut into 4
  • 6 black peppercorns
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 600ml apple juice
  • 2 tsp honey
  • 2 tsp dijon mustard
  1. Put the gammon into a large pan and cover with cold water
  2. Put on the heat and bring to the boil
  3. Then remove the ham and pour the water away
  4. Pop the ham back in the pot with the carrot, onion, celery, peppercorns and bay leaves
  5. Pour over the apple juice and top up with water if needed until the ham is just covered
  6. Bring to the boil and then cover and simmer for 1 hour
  7. Remove the ham from the liquid and set aside to drain. You can keep the stock for making an absolutely banging split pea soup
  8. Preheat the oven to 200C fan (220C)
  9. Remove the skin from the ham (but not the layer of fat underneath). Score the fat in a diamond pattern
  10. Mix the honey and mustard together and smear onto the ham on every side, but mostly on the top
  11. Put the sticky ham into a small foil-lined roasting tin
  12. Roast for 15 mins until golden brown

Serve hot with creamy mashed potatoes and peas, drizzled with the juice from the roasting tin. Or allow to cool and slice thickly to eat in the best ham sandwich ever (fresh white bloomer, salted butter, wholegrain mustard). Or of course you can just idly break off small chunks and munch on them until the whole thing is unexpectedly finished and you have to make another one.

One pot pork adobo and rice

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Deeply savoury, incredibly soothing and mind-bogglingly easy to make. All you need is 10 mins at the beginning and then a couple of hours of doing nothing. Adapted from the Filipino-style pork recipe in Rukmini Iyer’s brilliant book The Roasting Tin. Feeds 2 hungry people.

  • 500g pork shoulder steaks
  • 3 tbsp veg oil
  • 6 cloves garlic, peeled and squashed firmly with the flat of a sharp knife
  • 10 black peppercorns
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 300ml chicken stock (or 300ml water + ½ a chicken stock cube)
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp black vinegar
  • 130g basmati rice
  1. Pre-heat oven to 130C fan (150C)
  2. Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed lidded pan over a high heat
  3. Brown the pork on both sides and remove from the pan
  4. Add the squashed garlic cloves, bay leaves and peppercorns
  5. Sizzle until the garlic is golden and add the stock, soy sauce and vinegar
  6. Scrape the delicious brown off the bottom of the pan as you bring the mixture to the boil
  7. Add the pork back in, pop on the lid and put into the oven for 1½ hours
  8. Take the pot out of the oven, add the rice and stir in
  9. Put the lid back on and return to the oven for a further 45 mins
  10. Remove from the oven, fish out the peppercorns and leaves and break the pork into generous chunks. Check seasoning and add a pinch of salt if needed

Serve with something zingy for contrast, like smacked cucumber salad or spicy slaw. Yum!

6 hour roast pork

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Yes, it means getting up at 7am to get it in the oven in time for Sunday lunch. But aside from the early start and occasionally throwing stuff in the oven, it’s the very essence of simplicity. And the end result is beautifully, succulently delicious, with crispy crackling too!

  • 2 kg boneless pork shoulder
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary and sage
  • 5 large waxy potatoes, cut into chunky pieces
  • 5 unpeeled cloves of garlic
  • 7 medium shallots, peeled and left whole
  • 3 carrots, peeled and cut into large pieces
  • 2 tart apples, peeled and cored and quartered
  • 1 heaped tbsp plain flour
  • 175 ml white wine or marsala
  • 250 ml chicken stock
  1. Pre-heat oven to 140C fan (160C)
  2. Score the skin with a sharp knife, cutting into the fat but not as far as the meat
  3. Using your hands, rub in the salt, pepper and herbs all over the joint, brushing off any on the surface of the fat and pressing the mixture into the slits in the skin. Sprinkle the leftovers in the bottom of the tin under the pork
  4. Put the meat into a roasting tin with plenty of extra space and roast for 4 hours without touching
  5. After 4 hours, put the potatoes into the tin around the pork and turn over in the fat
  6. After a further hour, put in the garlic, shallots and carrots and mix them in gently
  7. Cook for 30 mins and then add the apples, popping them into any gaps
  8. Cook for a final 30 mins
  9. By this time the meat will be tender, flaking with a fork. Remove the roasting tin from the oven. Then remove the meat and veg from the tin and keep it warm to rest
  10. If the skin isn’t 100% crispy yet, pop under a medium grill for a few mins until it’s really crunchy and crispy
  11. To make gravy, pour off all but 1 tbsp of fat from the roasting pan, keeping all the juices and savoury brown bits IN
  12. Put the pan over a burner on the stove on a medium heat
  13. Stir the flour into the fat in the pan with a rubber spatula, cooking for a couple of mins
  14. Add the wine and cook until it is reduced by half
  15. Then add the stock and scrape off any bits of meat and vegetable on the bottom of the pan
  16. Taste for seasoning and serve on a platter in all its resplendent glory, surrounded by the beautiful veg

Korean pork stir fry

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Spicy, savoury, tangy, complex and a deeply satisfying rust red in colour.

  • 1 pork fillet, trimmed and cut into thin slices
  • 1 tbsp veg oil
  • 1 red pepper, finely sliced
  • 5 spring onions, sliced
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp gochujang chilli paste
  • 2 tbsp shaosing rice wine
  • 3 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
  • ¼ tsp ground black pepper
  1. Mix all ingredients except the veg oil, red pepper and spring onion and leave pork to marinade for an hour
  2. In a wok, heat the oil until smoking
  3. Remove the pork from the marinade with a slotted spoon and stir fry for 5 mins until caramelized and brown
  4. Add the peppers and spring onions, and cook for a further 2 mins
  5. Pour leftover marinade over and cook for a minute or so until bubbling and shiny

Serve with coconut rice, sprinkled with fresh coriander leaves and toasted sesame seeds

Beef and pork ragu

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Technically something close to an Italian ragù napoletano, this meat stew is hearty, filling and rich. Feeds a small army.

  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 500g beef shin, cut into chunky pieces
  • 500g pork ribs
  • 200g thick-cut bacon, cut into chunks
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 3 tbsp tomato puree
  • 200ml red wine
  • 1 carrot, peeled
  • 1 stick celery
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 3 tins chopped tomatoes
  • Salt and pepper
  1. Heat the olive oil in a big, heavy-based saucepan, add the meat to the pan in batches and fry until it’s brown all over, then remove from the pan
  2. When the meat is all browned and put to one side, turn down the heat and add the onion to the pan
  3. Cook for 7 mins or so until softened
  4. Increase the heat, stir in the tomato puree and wine and boil for 5 mins
  5. Add the celery and carrot, chopped tomatoes, a tin of water, salt and pepper
  6. Bring to the boil then lower the heat to a low simmer
  7. Add the meat back to the pan, along with any juices that have leaked out
  8. Cover and cook very gently for 2-3 hours. Stir from time to time and check there’s enough liquid – you can add a bit more water if it gets too thick. The sauce will be rich and thick when cooked and the meat will be so tender you can cut it with a spoon
  9. Remove the pork ribs and any bits of gristle, plus the bay leaf, carrot and celery (and eat the veg secretly in the kitchen before serving)

Serve with piles of tagliatelle or papardelle, traditionally as 2 separate courses – the pasta with the tomato sauce (primo) and the meat (secondo).

Sausage and chestnut stuffing

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Delicious savoury stuffing, although I always cook it on the side and never stuffed into anything. Eat it with a lovely roast chicken, a turkey or just on its own with a pile of roast potatoes and gravy.

  • 350g sausage meat (or just plain sausages squeezed out of their skins. Don’t look at the skins afterwards, they’re a bit weird)
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 1 stick celery, finely chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 1 pouch (180g) cooked whole chestnuts, chopped into small pieces
  • 2 eating apples, peeled and cored
  • 40g fresh breadcrumbs
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • Large handful of fresh herbs – soft ones like sage, chives, thyme, parsley – chopped finely
  • Salt and pepper
  1. Heat the oil in a small pan and cook the onion, celery and garlic over a low heat until completely soft
  2. While it’s cooking, dice the apple finely
  3. Add the apple to the pan and cook for a couple of mins
  4. Take off heat and cool
  5. In large bowl combine the cooked onion, celery and apple with sausage meat, chestnuts, herbs, egg, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper
  6. Pre-heat oven to 180C fan (200C)
  7. Either put the stuffing into a shallow dish and fork the top to give it peaks, then bake for 30 mins or form into walnut-size balls and bake on a baking tray or around the roast for 15 mins

Konigsberger klopse

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A very traditional German meatball dish, one that I’ve never come across anywhere but my family. My dad’s granny used to make it for him and the tradition continues through the generations. It sounds odd – meatballs in a gravy which includes sour cream, capers, lemon and gherkins – but you won’t regret trying it. The combination is rich, savoury, tangy, creamy and delicious.

  • 2 tbsp milk
  • 1 thick slice white bread, torn into pieces
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 5 tbsp butter
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 350g minced beef
  • 300g minced pork
  • 5 tbsp finely chopped parsley
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • Zest and juice of ½ lemon
  • 1 tsp worcestershire sauce
  • A grating of nutmeg
  • 1 litre chicken stock
  • 4 tbsp plain flour
  • Salt and pepper
  • 3 tbsp baby capers
  • 3 tbsp gherkins, finely chopped
  • 200ml sour cream
  1. Soak the bread in the milk for 5 mins then mush it together and pull into smaller pieces with your fingers or mash with a fork
  2. Melt the butter in a small saucepan, add the onion and cook over a low heat for around 8 mins until completely soft
  3. In a large bowl put the beef and pork mince. Add the soaked bread and cooked onion
  4. Add 3 tbsp of parsley, the salt, paprika, lemon zest, 1 tsp juice, worcestershire sauce and nutmeg
  5. Combine really thoroughly with your hands, pressing the mixture together as you mix
  6. Shape gently into golf ball-sized meatballs. Don’t compress them too much, you want the texture quite light and open
  7. Bring the chicken stock to the boil in a large pan, then turn to a simmer
  8. Drop the meatballs into the stock gently, one by one. Cover the pot and cook for 15 mins
  9. Remove the meatballs with a slotted spoon. Pour the stock into a jug. There should be around 800ml
  10. In the same pan, over a medium heat, melt the remaining 4 tbsp butter
  11. Add the flour and combine into a paste. Cook for 2 mins, then whisk in the hot stock bit by bit to make a sauce
  12. Season with salt and pepper, then add the rest of the lemon juice, the capers and gherkins. Stir in the sour cream and the remaining chopped parsley. Check the seasoning and adjust if needed
  13. Add the meatballs back in and heat for a couple of mins, but don’t allow to boil

Serve with oodles of noodles (tagliatelle or papardelle work), a pile of knobbly spaetzle or some steaming new potatoes. Green beans on the side. Job done.

Sticky hoisin pork belly

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Unctuous, succulent, savoury and sweet. A joyful testament to the transformation wrought by low heat and time.

  • 500g slices of pork belly
  • 6 tbsp hoisin sauce
  • 3 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 3 garlic cloves, peeled and squashed
  1. Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a bowl and then pop the pork belly in and turn to coat the pieces. Cover, putnin the fridge and marinate for 4 hours
  2. Heat the oven to 150C fan (170C) and line a roasting tin with foil
  3. Tip the meat and the marinade into the tin and cover tightly with foil
  4. Roast for an hour and a quarter
  5. Then turn the oven up to 170C fan (190C) and take the foil top off
  6. Cook for a further 44 mins, turning the pork occasionally until it is soft, caught lightly around the edges and coated with a sticky, dense glaze. Keep a close eye on the final 15 mins to make sure it doesn’t burn
  7. Remove the pieces from the pan and cut into bite-sized pieces
  8. Eat with chopsticks, a bowl of steamy rice and cucumber salad

Carnitas in the slow cooker

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Juicy, intensely flavourful pork, just begging to be wrapped in a torilla and put into your mouth. Incredibly easy to make, amazing for a party. This will fill your house with mouthwatering smells all day – then it’s just a quick 15 mins to pull it all together when you’re actually ready to eat. Feeds 6 generously

  • 1.4kg boneless pork shoulder, cut into large cubes
  • 180 ml orange juice
  • Juice from ½ lime
  • 7 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 small onion, grated
  • ½ tbsp salt
  • 1 tbsp cumin
  • 1 tbsp paprika
  • ½ tbsp dried oregano
  • Small bunch coriander, chopped (incl the stems!)
  • 60ml chicken stock
  • Ground black pepper
  • Veg oil
  1. Place all the ingredients except the oil in the slow cooker and stir to combine
  2. Set slow cooker to high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours
  3. Once the pork is done, it should be tender enough that you can shred it with a spoon.if its not quite there, give it a little longer
  4. Heat a large, ideally non-stick, frying pan with 2 tbsp oil over a high heat
  5. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the meat from the slow cooker to the pan and fry it until the edges go brown and crispy, breaking it up as you fry it. For best results, cook it in batches so you don’t crowd the pan

Serve with flour tortillas and any combination you desire of salsa, chopped tomato, jalapenos, diced avocado, finely chopped onion, sour cream, slaw, fresh coriander, black beans and lime wedges to squeeze over.

(If you don’t want to waste the cooking juices, deglaze the frying pan with stock or a slosh of Corona and combine with the pork cooking juices for an excellent tortilla soup base)

Sticky spare ribs

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Sticky, saucy, seriously gorgeous. Beloved by everyone who tastes them. And cheap too!

  • 15-20 pork spare ribs
  • 125ml sweet chilli sauce
  • 2 tbsp redcurrant jelly
  • 60ml soy sauce
  • 1 orange, juice and zest
  • 3 star anise
  • 4 cm fresh ginger, sliced into chunky rounds (don’t bother peeling it)
  • 8 cloves garlic, squashed and left whole
  1. Mix together all the ingredients except the meat
  2. Put the ribs into a large ziplock bag, pour over the marinade, seal the bag (excluding as much air as poss) and squish it all about to coat the ribs. Pop in the fridge and leave to marinate for at least a couple of hours, if not a full 24
  3. Pre-heat the oven to 140C fan (160C)
  4. Line a deep roasting tin with foil (you’ll thank me at washing-up time!) and tip the whole contents of bag into the tin. Cover with foil and cook for 2 hours, turning the ribs a couple of times in the sauce and checking it’s not drying out
  5. Then turn the oven up to 180C fan (200C) and remove the foil cover
  6. Cook for further 30 mins to caramelise the ribs and reduce the sauce to a sticky glaze, turning them over in it to coat