Category Archives: pork

Pecan Cranberry stuffed Pork Roast

3 Replies

Pecan Cranberry stuffed Pork Roast is the best to feed a crowd.

If you’re on a budget or if you don’t have a lot of people coming over this Christmas, or for whatever reason (still a lot of restrictions in Europe) a roast Pork is a great idea!

This delicious roast pork is stuffed with sausage meat, onions, pecans and cranberries, all of those wonderful Christmas flavors, so you can imagine how thrilled I am about this easy roast. And also, this way you won’t be stuck with a wheelbarrow of leftover turkey, maybe just enough for a sandwich the next day.

You can serve this with mashed potatoes or roast potatoes and lots of different roast vegetables. Or if you want a super quick side dish you could make polenta, which might even be the best choice, with some butter and parmesan.

INGREDIENTS:

Serves 4 to 6

  • 1/2 cup pecan halves, chopped
  • 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries
  • 1 cup fresh sausage meat, half a pound roughly (Casings removed)
  • 1 tsp. dry sage
  • 1/2 tsp. all spice
  • 1 Pork loin, 2 1/2-3 lbs.
  • a good drizzle of olive oil

For tray and gravy

  • 1 onion
  • 2 carrots
  • 2 celery stalks
  • a few sage leafs
  • a few sprigs of thyme
  • one glass of red wine or port
  • one tablespoon flour
  • 1 cup stock

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Fry onion in olive oil over medium heat, add garlic after two minutes and cook gently until golden.
  2. Add dry sage and allspice, give it a stir and remove from the heat, let cool completely.
  3. Cut pork loin open to form a blanket or ask your butcher to do this.
  4. Spread the pork loin out on a cutting board and season generously with salt and pepper, on both sides.
  5. Mix onion-spice mixture with sausage meat, pecans and cranberries. Spread over pork leaving a one inch/2.5cm strip uncovered on the outer end (away from you). Roll up the pork carefully and tie with butcher’s string. If you have difficulty tying, use small pieces of string that fit around once and tie to make a knot. Use 4 to 5 pieces of string, it doesn’t matter as long as it holds together, we will remove the string before serving anyway.
  6. Heat oven to 200 C/400 F
  7. Place pork on a bed of onion, carrots, Celery and herbs. Drizzle with olive oil
  8. Bake for 30 min. Reduce temp to 180 C/350 F and cook for another 45 min. Depending on size or meat. It’s 30 minutes per pound.
  9. For the gravy, remove pork from tray to let rest for 5 to ten minutes, covered lightly with aluminum foil. Remove the strings before serving.
  10. Place tray on the hob on medium heat and scrape the bottom of the pan, add one glass of red wine, or port. Stirring all the time, add a tablespoon of flour and stir it to combine well. Now slowly add chicken or beef stock until desired consistency. Let cook for a few minutes and strain into a sauce boat.
  11. Serve sliced with gravy and your favorite vegetables and potatoes. Enjoy!

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Sticky Sweet Asian Spareribs

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These are easy and delicious. Sticky sweet Spare ribs are first simmered to tenderize and then grilled or barbequed to get crispy and sticky. So delicious, you won’t be able to stop eating them.

Serves: 4

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 65 minutes approx.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 pounds meaty spare ribs, sliced into individual ribs
  • 4 tablespoon dry white wine or Shaoxing
  • 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
  • 2 tablespoons vinegar* See note below
  • 4 tablespoons honey
  • 1/2-1 teaspoon chili paste/sauce such as Gochujang or Sambal Oelek
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and grated
  • 1 “/2.5 cm peeled and grated ginger
  • 3/4 tsp. Chinese five spice
  • 6  tablespoons water
  • 1 tablespoon corn starch + 1/2 cup water 
  • Sesame seeds, optional

INSTRUCTIONS:

Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Season spareribs with salt and pepper. Add enough of the sparerib pieces to the pan, fat sides down, to fit in a single layer. Cook 10 minutes or until browned, turning once. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining pieces. Discard fat.
Meanwhile, in a large pot stir together wine, soy sauce, hoisin, vinegar, honey, chili paste, garlic, ginger, five spice and water until mixed.

Return all ribs to the pot with any juices. Bring to a simmer, stirring to coat ribs. Reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 45 minutes or until ribs are just tender, stirring once or twice, adding a little water if necessary.

Pre heat oven to 450 F / 200 C . Remove ribs onto a oven safe rack/baking tray and bake for 20 minutes until dark , crunchy and sticky. Brush with additional marinade half way.

Meanwhile make a slurry with the cornstarch and water, add this to the pot and simmer for a few minutes to thicken the sauce. Serve alongside the spare ribs. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired. I like to serve this with some stir fried broccoli, with some chili and garlic. Enjoy!

  • *Vinegar is essential, as it tenderizes the meat and also renders out excessive fat.

    • Lighter French Cassoulet

    4 Replies

    Cassoulet, the name of the earthenware dish in which it is served, is an aromatic, hearty bean and meat stew with some aromatic herbs and spices, the flavor is subtle and delicate, and really comforting.
    The key to a perfect cassoulet is the slow cooking process that tenderizes the meat and the beans and infuses the stew with its rich flavor. Your house will be filled with an incredible aroma that will get anyones stomach rumbling as soon as they walk thru the door.
    There are many varieties of Cassoulet depending on your meat choices. My personal preference is smoked sausage, bacon, pork and chicken. You could go for Duck confit, but I find it too heavy so I have opted for the chicken instead.

    Serves 4

    INGREDIENTS:

    • 2 fresh small ham hocks
    • 5 oz. diced smoked Bacon
    • Salt and freshly ground pepper
    • 1 pounds dried cannellini beans, soaked overnight
    • 2 small carrots, thinly sliced
    • 1 medium onions, diced
    • 1 celery stalk, sliced
    • 2 Bay leaves
    • 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
    • 1 head of garlic, unpeeled, plus 2 small garlic cloves, peeled
    • 1 glass of dry white wine
    • 1 can chopped tomatoes
    • 1/4 tsp. All spice
    • 1 quart / 1 liter, chicken broth
    • 4 parsley sprigs, 2 thyme sprigs and 2 bay leaf
    • 4 chicken legs
    • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
    • 4 pork sausages, your favourite kind
    • 1 smoked kielbasa or other smoked sausage, or 2 small ones

    METHOD:

    • In a bowl, cover the beans with 3 inches of water and soak overnight.
    • Add the bacon and ham hocks to a very large frying pan or pot and brown them all over.
    • Remove and set aside.
    • Add the carrots, onions and celery and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are golden, about 7 minutes. Add the chopped garlic and bay leaves.
    • Add the all spice.
    • Add the glass of wine.
    • Add the head of garlic and the tomatoes and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add the broth and the herbs and bring to a boil.
    • Add the beans to the pan and simmer until the beans are just tender, about 2 hours.
    • Pick out the ham hocks. Cut the meats into bite-size pieces; discard the bones, skin and gristle. Pick out the head of garlic and reserve.
    • Put the meat back in with the beans.
    • Transfer the beans and liquid to a casserole dish
    • Preheat the oven to 180 ° C / 350° F
    • Heat the vegetable oil in a medium skillet.
    • Season the chicken legs with salt and pepper.
    • Add the sausages and chicken legs to the skillet and cook over moderately high heat until browned all over.
    • Nestle the sausages, the chicken and the kielbasa into the cassoulet.
    • Put the garlic bulb in the middle.
    • Bake the cassoulet for 1 hour longer, until it is richly browned on the surface. Transfer to a rack and let rest for at least 20 minutes before serving.
    • Serve with plenty of crusty french bread.

    Enjoy!

    Quick and Easy Pulled Pork Sandwiches

    5 Replies

    This is a super easy, no fail slow cooker recipe, put together in an instant.

    Pulled Pork is one of my favourites to make and eat, since it’s packed with flavour and made with minimal effort. The Pork comes out very tender and juicy and stuffed into a sandwich,  it’s scrumptious .

    Once you’ve placed the ingredients in your slow cooker, you can pretty much forget about it until you’re ready to eat.

    This is also great for crowds and parties since you can leave the finished pulled Pork in the slow cooker on the “keep warm” setting for at least an other two hours.

    Alternatively, you can freeze half and eat the the remainder some other day. It will keep in the freezer for about two months.

    ⏰ Prep time : 15 minutes
    🍴 Cooking time : 4 hours.
    🍝 Serves : 6 – 8

    INGREDIENTS:

    1/4 cup packed brown sugar
    1 tablespoons chili powder
    3 tbsp smoked paprika
    2 to 3 sprigs thyme, leaves only
    2 cloves garlic, peeled and grated
    2 teaspoons salt
    1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
    1/2 tsp cayenne
    1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
    3 tbsp olive oil
    3 1/2 – 4 lbs. boneless pork shoulder, trimmed of excess fat
    ___________
    1/4 cup chicken broth
    1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
    3/4 cup barbecue sauce

    INSTRUCTIONS:

    • In small bowl, mix brown sugar, chili powder, paprika, thyme, garlic, salt, cayenne, ground pepper and olive oil to form a paste.
    Rub mixture all over pork.
    • Marinate for a few hours if you have the time, it will taste great either way.
    • Place in slow cooker.
    • Pour broth and 1/4 cup of the vinegar over pork. Cover and cook on High heat setting 3 hours.
    • Add a little water if the sauce evaporates to quickly.
    • Add the Bbq sauce and cook for about an other hour until completely tender. Check by pulling away some meat with a fork.
    • Remove pork to cutting board, and shred using 2 forks. Return to slow cooker and cook on low heat setting for about 20 minutes or until warmed.
    • To serve, split buns open, and scoop out s big ladle of pulled pork with sauce onto the bun, top with pickles and/or coleslaw and cover with top halves of buns, eat immediately.
    • Have plenty of napkins ready!

    Enjoy!
    Myra XO