Mediterranean Pork Belly Strips

This is a simple but immensely satisfying meal that is very easy on the purse-strings too.

Pork belly strips are very inexpensive but deliciously fatty. Picked up for only £3-4, when these are treated nicely they are just fab and this meal is particularly comforting.

I very simply baked on a bed of cherry tomatoes, peppers and black olives with garlic for a real taste of the Mediterranean and when accompanied with Greek Roasted Lemon Potatoes it really is to die for. Rather than a sauce, the juice made from the pork fat, tomatoes and peppers works a treat.

Once the chopping and assembling is done – this can all be bunged in the oven for 45 minutes and you can sit and relax with a glass of wine, or get on with bits and bobs at home, safe in the knowledge a gorgeous meal is in progress that takes next to no nurturing.

Here’s how:

·         Packet of pork belly stips

·         Handful of cherry tomatoes

·         Handful of black olives

·         Few cloves of garlic, skin on

·         1 red and yellow pepper

·         1 tbsp olive oil

·         Salt & Pepper

·         1 tbsp dried oregano

Firstly get the oven on around 180-200 degrees and prepare the veg. The tomatoes need to be halved, the peppers sliced and the olives sliced into 2-3 pieces, depending on the size. Then scatter with the garlic into an oven-proof dish.

Season the pork belly strips generously on both sides then place on top of the ‘bed’ of tomatoes, olives and peppers. Next drizzle over a good glug of olive oil, the best quality you have to-hand and finally scatter over some dried oregano.

Place into the oven and roast for 45 minutes-an hour, depending on your oven and how crispy you like the strips to be.

Enjoy with the Greek Roasted Lemon Potatoes.

Feta and Roasted Vegetable Tarts

Following on from my last post ~Jerk Chicken the other addition to the Brighton picnic, with friends Stephanie and Jade and my brother Daniel, were some quick and easy Feta and Roasted Vegetable Tarts.

I have made pastry many times but this time I used shop bought - as I was stuck for time - and the result was excellent. I think little cheats like this are OK in today's fast-paced culture. Lifestyle means that whilst people are keen to cook and try out new recipes, time and money can often be the biggest hurdles to overcome, so if buying a packet of pastry helps then so be it - and if it's good enough for Delia it's certainly good enough for me.

Also I used tomatoes which were the fruits of my efforts which you can read about in Green Fingered Pursuits - and have to say there really is nothing as satisfying as using produce which you've grown yourself.

1 packet of Feta Cheese
1 packet of Shortcrust Pastry
10 Small Tomatoes
1 Red Pepper
1 Yellow Pepper
100g Spinach Leaves
200g Ricotta Cheese
Knob of Butter
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Honey
Salt and Pepper to taste

Pre-heat the oven to 180D. Grease 6 tart cases.

Chop tomatoes in half and slice peppers. Place on an ovenproof tray and drizzle with a little Olive Oil, Balsamic Vinegar and Honey. Season with salt and pepper and bake for 25-30 minutes until the vegetables start to discolour and appear charred.

In the meantime roll out the pastry and cut out rounds and use fingers to place into tart cases, to fit cerrated edge.

Once vegetables are out of the oven place the tarts in for 10-12 minutes.

Chop the Feta into small cubes and place in a large mixing bowl with the Ricotta cheese. Stir in and add the vegetables.

Heat a pan and add the Spinach till it shrinks. Then add this to the Feta mixture and stir in well.

Season with salt and pepper.

Remove tart cases and spoon in a generous amount of the cheese mixture into each, flattening down with a knife.

Bake for 25 minutes, or until starting to brown.

Remove from the cases and either serve immediately with a fresh salad or allow to cool and include in a picnic as I did.