Flavour Sensations – Crispy Pork with spring greens, soy and lime

Recipe courtesy of Psychologies Magazine (June 2012)

Serves : 2

The zestiness of the lime perfectly complements the crispy pork.

Preparation : 15 minutes

Total time : 1 hour 45 minutes

Get ahead : Fry the shallot in advance and drain on kitchen paper

Ingredients :
1 x 600g piece belly pork
1 shallot, thinly sliced
2 tsp vegetable oil
250g spring greens
2 bird eye chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
1/2 tsp caster sugar
Juice of 1 lime
1 tblsp Soy sauce
1 tblsp Thai fish sauce
1 tblsp sesame oil
1 tblsp sesame seeds, toasted (optional)
Sea salt

Step One : Preheat the oven to 220oC / Fan 200oC / Gas Mark 7. Rub 1 tsp of salt into the skin of the pork belly. Roast in a shallow roasting tin for 30 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 160oC / Fan 140oC / Gas Mark 3 and cook the pork for 1 hour, then turn the oven up to the initial temperature for the final 15 minutes.

Step Two : Meanwhile, fry the sliced shallot in the oil in a frying pan for 5-6 minutes or until it’s golden and crispy. Set aside on kitchen paper to drain.

Step Three : Towards the end of the cooking time for the pork, bring a pan of water with a steamer to the boil. Trim the spring greens, discarding any coarse ends of the stems, and shred the leaves.

Step Four : Mix half the chillies with the sugar, lime juice, soy sauce, fish sauce and sesame oil. Steam for the greens for 6-7 minutes or until tender, then toss with the chilli dressing and divide between two warm bowls.

Step Five : Slice the pork belly and serve on top of the greens. Sprinkle with the toasted sesame seeds, if using, the crispy shallot and the remaining chilli.

Pork Chops, Cous Cous and Mixed Farmhouse Vegetables

For a change, this recipe if for a meal that I prepared for myself this evening A nice easy meal for a week day evening as it only took about 20 mins to prepare and is lovely and tasty. The cous cous has a really nice chilli tang to it so is delicious with the chops and vegetables.

My only regret is that I didn’t take a picture of it before eating hence the picture of “Homer Simpson”!

Ingredients: 2 pork chops with the fat removed; a small amount of light in colour virgin olive oil; salt and pepper; 1 packet of Ainsley Harriott Tomato and Chilli Cous Cous; a knob of butter; 400g Frozen Mixed Farmhouse Vegetables

Start by pre-heating a cast iron griddle pan until it is hot – do not add oil to the pan. Whilst the pan is heating up, mix together, in a small bowl, the olive oil and salt and pepper. After patting the chops dry, baste the top of the chop with the oil and seasoning mix.
When the pan is slightly smoking, place the chops in the pan oil side down and press down firmly in the pan to create a seal. Let the chops sizzle away for about 4-5 mins before basting the top of the chops ready to turn over for cooking the other side.
Whilst the chops continue to sizzle away, stick the kettle on for the boiling water for the cous cous.
Add the frozen mixed vegetables to a microwaveable dish with a couple of tablespoons of water and cover before microwaving for 2 1/2 mins.
When the kettle is boiled, empty the contents of the cous cous packet into a bowl and add 160ml of water and stir well. Leave the cous cous for 3-5 mins so the grains can absorb the water.
When the microwave pings for the veggies, take out the bowl and give the veg a good stir before returning it to the microwave for a further 2 mins.
The chops will then be ready for one last turn over and will only require a couple more minutes to fully cook.
Once the cous cous has absorbed all the water, add a knob of butter to it and separate the grains with a fork.
To serve, drain the excess water from the vegetables and spoon onto warmed plates with the chops and cous cous.

YUMMY !!!

Roast Pork Fillet with Noodles

Serves: 4; Prep: 20 min; Cook: 45 min

Plum sauce and lemon juice give the pork a delicious sweet and sour taste. Serve with sesame flavour noodles for an exotic touch.

Ingredients: 1 lemon; 3 cloves garlic, peeled; 1 lb / 450g pork fillet; 2 tbsp/30ml plum sauce; 9oz / 250g egg noodles; 1 tbsp/15ml sesame oil; 6 spring onions, chopped; 2 tbsp/30ml chopped fresh parsley.

Preheat oven to Mark 6 / 400oF / 200oC. Remove the lemon peel in strips with a potato peeler, taking care to avoid the white and bitter pith. Cut the strips in half. Cut the garlic into slivers. Cut deep slits into the pork fillet at random intervals, and insert the lemon peel and garlic, pushing them well in. Brush the fillet generously with the plum sauce and roast for 40 minutes or until the meat is tender.

Prepare the noodles according to packet instructions, then pour over the sesame oil and add the spring onions and parsley. Remove the cooked fillet from the roasting pan, add the noodles, toss in the cooking juices and then replace the fillet on top. Serve immediately.

Pork with Chilli and Pineapple

Serves: 6

Ingredients:: 2 tbsp corn oil; 900g / 2 lb boneless pork shoulder or loin, cut into 5cm (2in) cubes; 1 onion, finely chopped; 1 large red pepper, seeded and finely chopped; 1 or more jalapeno chillies, seeded and finely chopped; 450g (1 lb) fresh pineapple chunks; 8 fresh mint leaves, chopped; 250ml (8 fl oz) chicken stock; salt and freshly ground black pepper; fresh mint sprig to garnish; rice to serve

Heat the oil in a large frying pan and saute the pork in batches until the cubes are lightly coloured. Transfer the pork to a flameproof casserole, leaving the oil behind in the pan.
Add the finely chopped onion, finely chopped red pepper and the chilli(e) to the oil remaining in the pan. Saute until the onion the tender, then add to the casserole with the pineapple. Stir to mix.
Add the mint, then cover and simmer gently for about 2 hours, or until the pork is tender. Garnish with fresh mint and serve with rice.

Tip: If fresh pineapple is not available, use pineapple canned in its own juice