Slow Roast Pork Belly with Crispy Crackling

My Mum is a bit of a crackling queen and she happily passed on her year's knowledge to me with cooking pork and the perfect, crispy crackling. Always dry the outer side with kitchen towels or a clean tea towel (which then goes into the dirty washing), score deep into the fat, but not into the meat flesh, and salt, plenty of sea salt. 

This is a slow cooked belly of pork that I cooked with the Simple Slow Cooked Chicken last weekend and it is a bit of a showstopper with that crackling. 

I've used a dry white wine here (Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc) but this also works beautifully with a dry cider in the tin too so feel free to experiment.

Slow Roast Pork Belly with Crispy Crackling

Here's how:

• 2kg belly pork
• Sea salt
• Black pepper
• 250ml dry white wine or a dry cider
• 250ml chicken stock
• Fresh thyme
• 1 bulb of garlic
• 3 bay leaves
• Fry Light or olive oil
• 2 carrots

Firstly whack the oven up to 230 degrees on high. 

Now prepare the meat as above, dry the skin and most importantly the fat. Now use a sharp knife and score across diagonally both ways all across the fat, so you have a criss cross of incisions. You need to go as far down into the fat as you feel confident without touching the flesh of the meat. 

Now season generously with sea salt, a good pinch, and black pepper to taste. You also need to oil the meat (but not the fat!) so I use Fry Light to gently spray around the outside of the meat, just a few sprays. 

Chop the carrots into equally sized pieces and place into the middle of the roasting tin, ready for the pork belly to sit on top of. This will help to cook the meat evenly all over and prevent the bottom side drying out. 

Split the garlic bulb into 3-4 bits and scatter around the roasting tin.

Place into the oven and roast for 50 minutes then remove from the oven.

Turn the oven down to 160 degrees. 

Now without touching the meat and especially the crackling, pour in the white wine and chicken stock. Now return to the oven and cook for a further three hours, by which time, the meat should be incredibly tender. Allow to rest for 30 minutes before carving. Enjoy! 

Slow Cooker Chinese Pork with Noodles

This is a really easy slow cooker dish which I did in my Crockpot last week and devised as a Slimming World friendly meal as we have recently joined in a bid to shed some weight. It works out at half a syn for the whole dish, so win, win.

I used pork loins but shoulder steaks or even pork cheeks would be great for this dish; you do need to cook the pork loins for longer as they are a tougher cut, and you ideally want the meat to fall apart at the slightest touch.

Slow Cooker Chinese Pork with Noodles

The below serves four.

Here's how:

• 400g pork loins (fat removed) or pork shoulder steaks
• 1 white onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 3cm piece of ginger
• 1 red chilli
• 2 tsp Chinese Five Spice
• 1 tbsp sriracha
• 4 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 200ml chicken stock
• 1 tsp cornflour
• Vermicelli rice noodles
• Handful coriander leaves to serve

Firstly place the pork loins or shoulder steaks into the slow cooker. Pour over the soy sauce, sriracha, fish sauce and chicken stock and add the Chinese Five Spice.

Now peel and slice the onion and add to the slow cooker. Peel and mince or finely slice the garlic and add to the slow cooker. 

Peel and either grate or finely slice the ginger and add to the slow cooker. 

Now finely slice the red chilli and add to the slow cooker. Give the combination a gentle mix so the pork is all immersed and then pop the lid on and put on the medium temperature for at least 4 hours. 

You don't have to, but every hour or so, I like to carefully open the lid and give everything a stir. 

When you are close to being ready to dish up and the pork is tender and falling apart at the touch of a fork, cook the rice noodles separately. 

To thicken the sauce or gravy a little, take a small bowl and ladle some of the sauce from the pot into it. Add the cornflour and give a quick stir to combine, you'll get a milky or chalky looking consistency. Now add this back into the slow cooker and give a good mix. 

Once the noodles are cooked, add them to the slow cooker, and mix to combine and ensure every noodle is immersed in the delicious sauce. 

Dish them up into a serving plate or bowl or into individual bowls and scatter over a few coriander leaves. I served with some quick stir-fried vegetables in oyster sauce. Enjoy!

If you like Chinese-style dishes you may love some of these:

• Honey Chilli and Coconut Prawns with Ho Fun
• Chinese Style Roast Chicken
• Slimming Friendly Char Sui Pork
• Vegetarian Peanut Noodles
• Chicken Satay Noodle Salad
• Pork Potsticker Dumplings

Pulled Pork in Barbecue Sauce

There aren’t many dishes more moreish than this pulled pork and banging barbecue sauce. It’s a really great family meal and we often have as an alternative to a Sunday roast dinner.

We take out some of the pulled pork to have plain for my eldest daughter who doesn’t like the heat of the barbecue sauce.

There are many variations of side dishes for pulled pork, coriander rice, mash potato, spiced potato wedges and I could go on and on. We had the pulled pork here in a toasted brioche bun with my Healthy Coleslaw and buttered corn on the cob.

The pork does get a little attention with a dry rub and I do like to leave the meat in the rub overnight so the meat is full of flavour. If you are shorter on time or decide in the morning you want that for your evening meal, try to allow for at least an hour in the dry rub. I’ve done this before and it still makes my mouth water. I’ve also been told pulled pork is wonderful in a slow cooker but I’ve yet to try it that way.

The barbecue sauce is hot, sweet and sticky - everything a barbecue sauce should be. I blend it but you can leave it chunky too, it’s fab both ways.

The below was with a 1.5kg shoulder of pork and makes enough for 6-8 portions for a family of four so we have it two days running. 

Pulled Pork and Barbecue Sauce

Here’s how;

The dry rub;

• 1 tbsp mustard powder
• 1.5 tbsp paprika
• 2 tbsp salt
• 2 tbsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 1.5kg shoulder pork

The barbecue sauce:

• Drizzle of olive oil
• 1 white onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 red chilli
• 1 tin tomatoes
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp chipotle paste
• Salt
• Pepper

Firstly in a bowl combine the dry rub ingredients. Add the pork to the bowl and use your hands to get the seasoning all over the edges of the pork and into any crevices where flesh or skin is. Then wash your hands and cover the bowl with clingfilm and place into the fridge overnight - or for as long as you are able.

Once ready to cook the meat, place the oven onto a low heat of 160 and place the pork into a baking tray or tin. Cover loosely all over with tin foil and place onto a middle shelf for 4 hours. Don’t use you best ceramic dish as this will get charred and messy.

For the barbecue sauce simple drizzle the olive oil into a saucepan and place on a low heat.

Peel and roughly chop the onion and garlic and add to the pan.

Slice the chilli (keeping the seeds) and place into the pan too.

Once this mixtuew has softened down a little add the tin of tomatoes, the chipotle paste, balsamic vinegar, honey and soy sauce. Season generously and stir and leave to cook for twenty to thirty minutes.

The barbecue sauce during cooking

Remove from the heat and allow to cool right down. Once cool blitz or blend - I use a Nutribullet so always allow it to cool right down.

When the meat has cooked for the full four hours, it should be super tender and easy to ‘pull’. To test, simply poke at it a bit with a fork and see if it is easy to shred. If not, return to the oven with the foil for a little longer.

Once the pork is out of the oven place onto a plate and allow to rest for twenty to thirty minutes.

Once resting time is up, any liquid that has escaped the pork, carefully place into the barbecue sauce, and pop the sauce back on a low simmer to warm through.

On a large chopping board, pull the pork by using two forks to shred the entire piece. 

Pulled pork

Once shredded, retain any you don’t want in the sauce then place the rest of the pulled pork into the barbecue sauce and stir through to ensure all of the meat is well coated. 

Pulled pork in barbecue sauce

Allow the pork to warm right through before serving with your choice of accompaniments. Enjoy!

Pork Fillet in a Creamy Mushroom Sauce

This is a lovely comforting family meal that can be whipped up in no time at all and is versatile enough to be served with mashed potato, rice or simply with a ton of vegetables or salad leaves.

Pork fillet is fairly economical these days too and is leaner than other parts of the pig, but still has a great flavour.

I add just a light drizzle of truffle oil at the end of the cooking process here for a touch of decadence and whilst it takes less then 30 minutes to prepare and cook, this family meal really does feel quite special.

I used double cream here simply as I had it in stock, but you could use a lighter creme fraiche or sour cream here to lighten the calorie / fat intake.

I used chestnut mushrooms for the same reason - if you are able to get hold of some wild mushrooms, this will intensify the flavour here.

The below serves a family of four.

Pork Fillet in a Creamy Mushroom Sauce

Here’s how:

• Tiny drizzle of oil
• Pork fillet (about 300g is sufficient)
• 250 chestnut mushrooms
• 1 white onion
• 1 clove garlic
• Splash of white wine
• 200ml double cream
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• Handful fresh parsley
• Drizzle of truffle oil

Firstly place on a low heat a drizzle of olive or vegetable oil in a non-stick pan.

Peel and dice the onion and mince the garlic and add to the pan to gently saute.

Now roughly slice the mushrooms and set aside for the moment.

Roughly chop the parsley and set this aside for the end.

Now cut the pork into little medallions of meat, about 1-2cm thick and then season generously on both sides with salt and black pepper.

Once seasoned, add them to the pan and allow to brown on one side, which should only take a few minutes and them turn to cook the other side. You’ll see once the meat is cooked as the colour of the little medallions shifts.

Once the meat is cooked through add in the mushrooms with the dried thyme for a couple of minutes, stirring them around to ensure they get a little sauteeing, but don’t over cook.

Add the splash of white wine and as soon as that has cooked away, add the cream and season again.

Allow this to gently cook down for five- seven minutes, remove from the heat, drizzle over the truffle oil and stir through the fresh parsley and serve with your choice of accompaniments. Enjoy!

Here's a couple of other pork recipes:

Mediterranean Pork Belly Strips

Middle Eastern Roast Pork with Roasted Roots and Yoghurt Dip

Pulled Pork with BBQ Sauce

Skinny Mexican Pork Cheeks

Pork Souvlaki with Baked Feta

Roast Pork Shoulder with Crispy Crackling

Pork Cheeks Braised with Cider and Apples

Hong Kong: Michelin Star Dim Sum at Yue, City Garden Hotel

My paternal grandfather hailed from Hong Kong before he settled here in London back in the sixties, and so whilst he is no longer with us, we have some family that remain in various parts of Hong Kong.

During our stay, we were invited by my Dad's two first cousins Wai Hung and Wai Lock and their wives invited us to join them, alongside my Grandad's two brothers, to visit the Michelin starred Cantonese restaurant, Yue at the City Garden Hotel in the Fortress Hill area.

As well as some of the more traditional dim sum dishes with which we are very familiar, such as sui mai and har gau (steamed crab and pork dumplings and pork dumplings) we also enjoyed something a little more unusual and experienced why Yue has that Michelin star. 

Sui Mai at Yue

Har Gau at Yue

One of the signature dishes we had was a beautiful looking confection that looked more like a dessert on first glance. It was a well-seasoned small piece of fried grouper with fish maw placed a top of a three layered blancmange-looking jelly; that was in actual fact, egg white with truffle sauce. As I don't eat egg, it was a shame, I did try the truffled egg white but it wasn't to my taste which was a shame as overall it looked very impressive. The grouper, however, was utterly delicious and the dish was awarded the Gold with Distinction Award, 2010 Best of the Culinary Awards by Hong Kong Tourism Board.

Seared Grouper with Fish Maw on Truffled Egg White

We also enjoyed some char sui - which we did most days during our stay in Hong Kong but this pork was exquisite. It was the perfect balance of sweet and umami and just beautifully melt-in-the-mouth tender too and sat upon some gorgeously seasoned soya beans - a definite stand out dish here.

Char Sui on Soya Beans

Equally delicious was a dish I was surprised to have in Hong Kong - crispy pork served with a dipping sauce of English mustard. Again the meat was fantastically tender and the crispy skin was addictively good. 

Crispy Roast Pork at Yue

We had crispy noodles with seafood - another of our favourites whenever we enjoy Chinese food, but this again was something extra special with gorgeous prawns, scallops and squid - everything was just so, seasoned really well and cooked perfectly.

Crispy Noodles with Seafood

Other new dishes we enjoyed at Yue included chicken & pineapple buns that sound like an odd combination but were actually really delicious; like so many exceptional Cantonese dishes, they combine the sweet with the savoury with great results. 

Chicken & Pineapple Buns

We also had a dish of which I'm unsure of the name of, the outside were rice rolls, like with Cheung Fun, but the inside was crispy fried noodles - a really lovely textural contrast. We had fried rice with XO sauce which was another winner, vegetable spring rolls, turnip paste, that was infinitely better than any I've tried in the UK, glutinous rice in lotus leaf and tried the steamed sponge cake for the first time at any dim sum, of which my daughter adored and we now get every time we have dim sum. 

Fried Rice with XO Sauce

Vegetable Spring Rolls

Turnip Paste at Yue

Glutinous Rice in Lotus Leaf at Yue, City Garden Hotel

This was a really great meal - an elevated experience from your average dim sum experience; and one of my favourite meals in Hong Kong - it was extra special as was spent with family members who we don't often see. If visiting Hong Kong make sure Yue is on your restaurant wish list.

The Cheung family

Quick Pork Noodle Soup

If you have leftover roast pork, chicken, turkey or even beef this is a lovely, quick and easy noodle soup recipe that is fragrant, warming and makes a welcome change from a traditional British leftover stew.

Using Asian flavours such as Chinese Five Spice, a smidge of Thai Green Curry Paste and plenty of chilli, ginger, garlic and coriander this is an utterly addictive recipe and once you've made it I'm sure it will become a leftover staple.

Quick Pork Noodle Soup

Serves two.

Here's how:

• Three slices of leftover roast pork
• 1 tbsp Chinese five spice
• 1 teaspoon green Thai curry paste
• 2 cloves garlic
• Bunch spring onions
• Two thumbnail sized pieces of ginger
• 1 and a half large red chillis
• 1 carrot
• 1 red pepper
• Handful mushrooms
• Handful bean shoots
• Some green leaves - I used cavello nero here but you can use cabbage, lettuce, greens - whatever you have in stock
• 1 lemon or lime
• 1 tin coconut milk
• 1 packet instant noodles
• Bunch of fresh coriander
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp Shaohsing wine

Firstly slice the pork into bite-sized pieces and pop into a bowl with a drizzle of the sesame oil and the Chinese five spice. Use a spoon to toss the meat to absorb all the flavours and leave to one side whilst you prepare everything else.

Now crush the garlic, and finely slice the ginger and chill. Place the remaining sesame oil into a wok on a gentle heat and add the garlic, ginger and  half of the chilli to slowly soften and flavour the oil. 

Whilst these are softening in the wok, peel the carrot and very finely chop into matchsticks, slice the pepper, spring onions and mushrooms and shred the greens. 

By then the oil should be full of flavour - now add the marinaded pork including anything left in the bowl to the wok and allow to cook for several minutes until the pork becomes nicely gnarly from the five spice coating. Next add the carrots and pepper and allow to cook for a minute or so.

Now add the coconut milk which will make the basis for the soup, stir in the Thai curry paste and add the mushrooms, most of the bean shoots and greens. Add the soy and Shaohsing wine and squeeze in the juice of a whole lime and give a gentle stir. 

Now gently slice the coriander and remove the stalks - place the stalks into the wok with the soup. 

After the soup has simmered for four-five minutes add the instant noodles to the mix which should cook in three minutes. 

Whilst the noodles are cooking place the red chilli, the other half of lime and a bunch of fresh coriander onto a little plate as additional seasoning for the table and then dish up your soup into deep bowls. Enjoy!

Roast Pork Shoulder with Crispy Crackling

Roast pork with crackling is one of the most delicious things to eat and is so simple to do. With all the trimmings (roast potatoes, a selection of vegetables and gravy) it's a truly beautiful thing and here's how to get a gorgeous joint of meat that will make a fantastic roast dinner and provide leftovers for a selection of delicious tasting meals. Ask the butcher to score the fat for you if you're not comfortable doing yourself or give it a go for spectacular crackling.

Roast pork shoulder with crispy crackling

Here's how:

• 1 shoulder of pork - roughly 2.5-3kg 
• 1-2 tbsp sea salt
• 1 tbsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp dried thyme or three to four sprigs of fresh
• 1 tbsp dried rosemary or three sprigs of fresh
• 2 carrots
• 2 parsnips
• 2 sticks of celery
• 1 large white onion
• 1 bulb garlic
• 1-2 tbsp olive oil or rapeseed oil

Firstly take the pork from the fridge, remove any packaging and allow to sit for twenty minutes or so to get back to room temperature and preheat the oven to 180.

In the meantime roughly chop the carrots, parsnips, celery and onion (no need to peel either) and place into a large roasting tin - this will be a trivet for the meat to sit on. Add a whole bulb of garlic broken into cloves which will give fantastic flavour to the meat. 

Now place the meat on top of the vegetables and firstly drizzle over the oil. Next add the black pepper and salt to the outer flesh of the meat and rub in with your hands - you can wear gloves if you prefer. Now add at least one tablespoon of sea salt to the skin on top which will help to crisp up the crackling. Finally add the herbs and then loosely cover with tin foil and place into the oven.

Cook the meat for thirty five minutes per 0.5kg and then an extra 25 minutes and remove the foil for the final 30-40 minutes of cooking for really crispy crackling.

Remove from the oven and allow to rest for about forty minutes before serving.

Pork Cheeks Braised in Cider and Apples

I have been experimenting with pork cheeks a lot lately - they are so delicious slowly braised, and yet one of the cheapest cuts of meat out there. I picked up four cheeks for £1.40 in Morrison's for this particular recipe - bargain.

This recipe calls for a bottle (500ml) of apple cider. I also used some Kentish apples straight from a farm in Hunton, but any cooking apples will do.

The combination of cider, apples plus the parsnip make this quite a sweet dish so I serve alongside some mustard mash or with a jacket potato with oodles of grain mustard to offset the sweetness and with extra vegetables too to ward off any colds or flu now the cold is setting in. This is a favourite batch cook meal too - you can make it, freeze it and it can be on the table in thirty minutes when you get in from work mid-week which makes it a winner in my eyes.

Pork Cheeks Braised in Cider and Apples

Here's how:

• 4 pork cheeks
• 1 onion
• 4 celery sticks
• 2 carrots
• 1 parsnip
• 2 apples
• 1 clove garlic
• 500ml apple cider
• 500ml chicken stock
• Pinch salt & black pepper
• Pinch of dried thyme or few sprigs of fresh
• Drizzle olive oil 

Firstly slice the onion and celery, mince the garlic and add to a casserole pot.

Peel the carrots and parsnip and slice finely then add to the pot. Do the same with the apple.

Now drizzle the oil into a pan and place on a medium heat.

Season the pork cheeks and brown all over in the pan. Once browned, add to the pot and cover with the cider and stock.

Give a good stir, season again and place into the oven for 3 hours.

Remove the casserole dish every 45 minutes- 1 hour and give a stir.

When you remove the casserole from the oven check the meat is perfectly tender, it should fall apart easily if you prod it with a fork.

Serve with your accompaniments and enjoy.

A London Lunch: Pork Katsu Sandwich from Zou

Zou is a street food vendor, along Leather Lane among the plethora of street food stalls, towards the Farringdon end and directly opposite the Vietnamese Chef - or at least it is Monday-Friday.

The lunch in question was a pork Katsu sandwich, and was frankly one of the best sandwiches I've ever tried.

The pork katsu, was not dissimilar to a schnitzel; fillet of pork, flattened and coated in panko breadcrumbs and then deep fried. Very greasy and I have to say I did bookmark it for the next time I have a hangover as the stodge from the bread plus the grease seems to be perfect day-after fodder.

The bread itself was like a ciabata roll, generous in size but not unmanageable and very good quality. The pork went on the bottom half of the bread and was then layered with pickled cabbage and a slathering of ginger-infused mayonaise, a condiment that seems to have been sent from the Gods, so good!

This is then smeared with Japanese BBQ sauce, sticky, sweet and with a great tang to it.

Everyone marries together just beautifully and I can say this is one of the best things I've eaten off of Leather Lane in a long time and is a steal at only £5 a pop.

North African Spiced Pork

Pork chops, whilst being evocative of 1970's cuisine, are in fact a versatile, flavousome cut of meat and this spicy marinade makes for a delicious meal for two. Serve with some vegetable couscous, salad (tabbouleh works so well) and some fresh scattered mint leaves and wash down with a dry white - it's a flavour winner.

Here's how:

2 pork chops

Juice of 1 lemon

Zest of half a lemon

1 1/2 preserved lemons chopped

2 large cloves garlic, crushed

1 red chilli, chopped finely

1 tsp harissa paste

1 tsp ground cinnamon or half a cinnamon stick crumbled

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp hot paprika

1/4 tsp cumin seeds

Bunch fresh torn mint and coriander leaves

2 tbsp olive oil

Simply combine all of the marinade ingredients in a food bag and throw the pork chops in. Seal and ensure the meat is completely immersed in the marinade.

If possible, leave in the fridge overnight to allow the flavours to permeate the meat, but if you are pushed for time, allow to stand for a couple of hours.

These can then be cooked over a barbecue (while the weather's glorious) or as I did here in the oven for about 40 minutes around 180 degrees. Enjoy!

Pork Souvlaki and Baked Feta

As regular readers will know I adore Greek food but struggle to find many decent, authentic restaurants serving Greek food around so when I get a craving for this type of food there are a few recipes I turn to for an instant mood boost. 

Prawn saganaki or youvetsi, stifado, briam, moussaka and beautiful gemistes or stuffed tomatoes or peppers are favourites but take a little effort. For mid-week Greek, my go-to is always souvlaki - fantastically flavoured skewers of pork or chicken that transport me immediately to the beautiful islands. 

Marinated overnight, the accompaniments can be flung together while the meat cooks. Here I've served with Greek Salad, pitta and homemade tzatziki as well as baked feta or as my Greek friends call it, 'feta in the oven.' 

This recipe makes a meal for two or three and some delicious leftovers for lunch the next day.

For the souvlaki:

350g pork loin steaks

150ml extra virgin olive oil (you can just use olive oil but I prefer the pepperiness from the extra virgin)

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Juice of 1/2 lemon

2 large garlic cloves, crushed

1 large tbsp dried oregano

1/2 tbsp dried thyme

I use pork loin steaks but almost any cut could be used here. Chop the pork into equal cubes and place into a bowl or a food bag and cover with the olive oil.

Add the remaining marinade ingredients, stir and cover and place in the fridge either overnight or for at least 2-3 hours..

Remove from the fridge and allow the pork to come back down to room temperature while you assemble the simple Baked Feta dish for which you will need the following:

1/4 block of feta

1/2 red pepper

1/2 green or yellow pepper

1 1/2 tsp runny honey - preferably Greek

1 heaped tsp paprika

1/2 tsp black pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees. Slice the peppers longways and place into a small, oven-proof dish. 

Slice the small block of feta into similar size and shape as the peppers and pop into the dish. Season with black pepper and if you wish, a small pinch of salt - I omit from using the salt as feta is quite a salty cheese. 

Sprinkle over the paprika and then drizzle over the runny honey and place into the oven for 30 minutes.

Getting back to the souvlaki - if you have some, place the meat on skewers. You can easily make without the skewers though so don't worry. If cooking inside, the grill is preferable. I tend to cover the grill with a sheet of tin foil and then place the souvlaki on top and cook for about ten minutes on the medium setting, watching and turning as needed.

While the souvlaki is cooking you can throw together your Greek Salad and Tzatziki and either place your pitta into the grill too or gently toast.

I do hope these recipes are useful to some readers - they certainly bring me comfort when I'm craving Greek food and on that note if anybody knows of any good Greek restaurants, please do share - enjoy!

Three-Cheese Topped Pork Lasagne

Foolishly,and in my natural greed, I forgot to take a photo of Sunday night’s dinner – but frankly it was too delicious not to share so here we are. Not a health tonic, it’s much more of an indulgent, comfort-food style of eating: my Three-Cheese Topped Pork Lasagne.

This can of course be tweaked to include beef or lamb mince, but do try the pork version as it is a definite flavour winner.


Ingredients


400g lean pork mince

1 red onion, chopped finely

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp dried oregano

Tin of tomatoes

2 tbsp sun-dried tomato paste

Lasagne sheets (I used dried but you could use fresh or if you have a pasta maker make your own)

425ml milk

45g butter

20g plain flour

Parsley stalks

10 peppercorns

1 bay leaf

Salt and pepper

Half ball of Mozzarella

100g Parmigiana Reggiano

100g Mature Cheddar


How To


The Béchamel Sauce

  1. First in a saucepan warm through the milk with the peppercorns, parsley stalks and bay leaf as well as some generous seasoning. Allow to boil, then simmer for five minutes. Take off of the heat.

2. In a separate pan melt the butter slowly, not letting it burn. Once melted add the flour, bit by bit, constantly stirring it in with a wooden spoon.

3. Sieve the milk contents into the butter and flour mixture slowly, keeping up the stirring until all milk has been added and the consistency is thick and sauce-like whilst also smooth.

4. Add about 20g of the Cheddar and continue to stir until the sauce returns to the thick and smooth consistency

5. Taste and then add seasoning where necessary and take off of the heat.



The Meat & Sauce

1. Firstly sauté the chopped onion and garlic in some extra virgin olive oil in a non-stick pan.

2. Once softened add the pork mince and continue to move around the pan with a wooden spatula or spoon until its beginning to brown.

3. Add the cinnamon and oregano to the meat with a pinch each of sea salt and ground black pepper and allow to cook for a few minutes.

4. Add the tin of tomatoes and stir through so the meat is evenly covered. Next add the two tablespoons of sun-dried tomato paste. Cover and allow to simmer for twenty minute. Just before taking off of the heat add in some roughly torn fresh basil leaves.


Assembly


1. In your greased, ovenproof dish firstly layer some of the meat.

2. Use a large spoon or ladle to pour on some of the béchamel sauce then use a palette knife to spread over the meat.

3. Add a sprinkling of the Parmesan over the sauce.

4. Top with the lasagne sheets so all of the sauce is covered and then add your next layer of meat.

5. Repeat this process so you have three layers of meat and then for the top layer top the lasagne sheets with the remaining béchamel sauce.

6. Finally use the remaining cheese to cover the top, sprinkling the Parmesan and Cheddar on evenly and tearing the Mozzarella and placing in even spots around the lasagne.

7. If you want to you can top with slices of tomato for a garnish.


Cook


1. Place in a pre-heated oven at around 160-170 degrees and allow to cook for around 40-45 minutes or until the top is a glorious golden brown and the cheese is bubbling away


Serve


Perfect with a simple green leaf salad, lightly dressed with either a squeeze of lemon or a drizzle of olive oil and some freshly ground black pepper. Serve with a glass of glorious Italian red wine - I enjoyed with a Barolo Milani 2007/8 Rocca, which was given to me recently as a present, and it went down rather well indeed.

Apricot Crusted Pork Fillet

Pork fillet when cooked well is one of the most deliciously tender pieces of meat and is one my favourites. Here is a really simple method that I love that combines a little heat from Dijon mustard with the sweetness of apricots.

I usually serve this dish with creamy layered potatoes and seasonal vegetables or as an alternative to a roasting joint with all of the traditional trimmings associated with a Sunday lunchtime meal.

The delicious crusty exterior of this dish is great once baked and gives a great, crunchy but sweet texture to a delicate piece of meat.

A good wine to serve with this is a Moscato and I have paired this with the Barefoot Moscato on several occasions as this has notes of peach and apricot which really complement the pork dish and give me an excuse to indulge in some sweet wine, which I love, but only goes with certain food.

Ingredients:

I pork fillet, trimmed and washed

2-3 Tbsp Dijon Mustard

2-3 Slices Bread – I prefer to use ciabatta or a flavoured bread such as tomato bread or olive bread

200g Dried Apricots

Tbsp Fresh Sage

Sea Salt and Pepper to taste

How To:

1.       In a food processer whizz up your bread so it becomes breadcrumbs and add in the sage leaves so these breadcrumbs are nice and herby. If you’re not a fan of sage try this with rosemary or thyme which will also work well with the pork fillet

2.       Chop the apricots into small chunks and throw in with the breadcrumbs and mix with a spoon adding Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

3.       Firstly wash your meat and then pat dry with kitchen towel to ensure all excess moisture is absorbed

4.       Rub a little salt and pepper all over the fillet to flavour the meat

5.       With a pastry brush, cover the fillet with the Dijon mustard and then roll in the breadcrumbs until nicely coated all over

6.       Place the fillet onto an oven-proof dish or tray and place into a pre-heated over for 20-25 minutes, depending on how you like your meat cooked – the crumb should be nice and golden brown in appearance

7.       Remove from the oven, wrap the dish in tinfoil and allow to rest for up to ten minutes before carving and serving with your chosen accompaniments

Make Weekly Meal Planning a Doddle

As regular readers will know, I work in the wonderful world of food PR and in over two years of writing this blog I’ve never once included any of the clients I’ve represented. However, I’ve just started working with a brand new food delivery and recipe service that has launched into the UK and I’m keen to share my review with readers.

Hello Fresh is an online service that creates weekly recipes and delivers the recipe cards along with the ingredients needed to create the meals, measured out exactly, depending on whether you’ve selected a two, four or six person meal plan.

One of the great things about Hello Fresh is the precision with which ingredients are delivered, aside from the fact that this avoids buying obscure and often expensive ingredients that might only ever be used once in a blue moon, what I think is truly fantastic is this accuracy completely eliminates waste.

When my box arrived, all of the ingredients for which only a pinch was required, came in tiny pots, all popped together in a brown paper bag entitled ‘The Little Bits. I have to say it was very exciting receiving this box of goodies, and opening it up like a gift to find out which meals I’d be preparing that week.

I trialled the 3-meal plan for two people, which I thought was a good way of testing how well the recipes worked against three different people following the instructions so I roped in my boyfriend, who is very much a can’t cook, won’t cook type and my brother who is comfortable in the kitchen but very much a novice.

Glen, the kitchen-phobic, took the first baton and prepared Stir Fried Pork & Prawn Noodles with Shitake Mushrooms. Frankly I was gobsmacked and impressed to see my boyfriend comfortably chopping, slicing and stirring, and even more so when he dished up a meal in less than twenty minutes that looked appealing and tasted great.Hello Fresh supply the customer with smart recipe cards, which on one side display an image of the finished dish, with the ingredients listed out below with an image of each, and on the other side is the recipe method, which is broken down into step-by-step stages which are illustrated clearly with a photograph. The very fact that Glen was able to follow these instructions clearly and produce not just an edible, but frankly a delicious meal is testament to the fact that these really are a simple format easy enough for anyone to follow, regardless of their competence in the kitchen.

When we received the recipe cards, this was the one I was least excited about it but it was actually my favourite one, with a very fresh chilli and coriander flavour it was thoroughly enjoyable and I’ve retained the recipe card to re-produce at a later date.

On enjoying this meal and the two that followed in the next couple of days, the first point that simply must be made is the very high standard of the produce used. The meat in particular was incredible, and in this first dish, the fresh, large and succulent prawns were what elevated a week-day meal into something spectacular.

My brother Daniel prepared Chorizo and Toasted Pine Nut Burgers with Red Onion Marmalade and Corn on the Cob. Once again instructions proved to be clear and the final result was great – so much so that a photocopy of this recipe was made so both of us could enjoy this dish again at a later date.

The final dish, which I cooked, was Chicken Skewers with Ginger Rice and again I couldn’t fault it on either flavour, ease of preparation or originality – a triumph for the third time.

I have already recommended Hello Fresh to friends and family as I think it is a truly convenient way to enjoy fresh, home-cooked meals from scratch, that are of a very high standard without the stress of visiting a supermarket or even planning meals for a week. In the fast-paced culture we live in, it’s not unusual to ‘pop’ to a supermarket after work during the week to pick up your evening’s dinner, and in my experience I usually spend £20 or more doing this, buying unnecessary extras and over-priced convenience purchases – not to mention the fact that if you go there not knowing what you’re planning on cooking (which is often half the problem) then traipsing around the aisles can be an uninspiring and definitely not an enjoyable way to spend precious hours outside of the working day.

Hello Fresh is priced from £39 per week for a 3-meal plan for two, which is what I trialled, and which works out at £6.50 per person, per meal and for the high quality of the dishes prepared and the ingredients included I think this is simply marvellous.

As readers will be aware, I’m very passionate about food and particularly about home-cookery and I think Hello Fresh is an affordable way of equipping people who might lead a hectic lifestyle to enjoy all of the benefits of cooking at home for family or friends.

I will definitely be using this service and I urge readers to try too.

For more information about Hello Fresh check out their website www.hellofresh.co.uk