Category: Pork

Dan Toomb’s Pork Keema Vindaloo

.Reading time 3 minutes.

Serves: 8

Wait!

Before you dismiss this as another pork vindaloo – something I’ve previously typed up – it isn’t.

For starters, it’s pork mince.

(And that is a win in itself.)

Secondly, this spicy mince is going in a buttery roti with hot sauce and shredded cheese as a late Saturday, tequila (or whatever you prefer) shot hit-the-spot dinner.

Turn the lights down, turn the music up and dance in the kitchen sort of food that’s going to get you well past midnight.

A few years back, I thought of creating a category on this blog called “Saturday Night Drunk” to hoover up all the late night recipes you should plan for a great Saturday night in. (Pro tip: try this homemade kebab or Matt Preston’s “Cheat’s Lamb Pide” or this amazing thin-crust Pide with Lamb Topping (Lahmacun).

I didn’t (rightly or wrongly) add the category to my blog though if I had, I’d pin this pork vindaloo to the top.

Nuts good. Just add tequila and music. Another faultless Dan Toombs Indian.

Ingredients

For the marinade

1 tsp chilli powder
1 1/2 tbsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tbsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground fenugreek
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 tbsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
4 green chillies, finely chopped
5 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp soft brown sugar
1 tbsp tamarind concentrate
7 garlic cloves, smashed
2.5cm piece of ginger, chopped

For the curry

800gm pork mince
3 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp brown mustard seeds
10 fresh curry leaves
2 onions, finely chopped
2 tomatoes, finely chopped
2 bay leaves
Salt
Juice of one lime
Rotis, hot sauce and shredded cheese to wrap it all up

Ingredients

  1. Place all the marinade ingredients in a blender and and blend to a paste.
  2. Using your hands, mix the marinade with the meat and refrigerate for 30 minutes or ideally, overnight.
  3. When ready to cook, heat the oil over a high heat in a heavy pan. When visibly hot, add the mustard seeds and when they begin to pop, stir in the curry leaves and fry for about 30 seconds until fragrant.
  4. Stir in the chopped onion and fry until soft and translucent.
  5. Then add the chopped tomatoes and the marinated meat (with all the marinade). Brown the meat, stirring regularly until it is all cooked through. Cook until all of the liquid has been reduced.
  6. Check for seasoning and add salt to taste: and the lime juice.
  7. Serve on top of hot rotis (chapattis): add grated cheese and hot sauce and thank me later.

Matty Matheson’s Meatball Sub

.Reading time 4 minutes.

Serves: 8

Nat said these meatballs were the best she has ever had and I’m not going to lie.

They are.

Add the marinara sauce, the mozzarella and the focaccia and this is just heaven.

It’s the sum of the parts that make this brilliant. No expenses spared.

Matty believes these subs should be served as single meatball portions, though did whole meatball subs and the kids absolutely loved it.

Which is not to say this isn’t something Nat and I wouldn’t cook again and again.

Just for us.

Which is why I am typing it.

Go Matty Matheson!

Ingredients

1 c dry breadcrumbs
2 cups milk
2 eggs
1 small yellow onion, finely diced
6 garlic cloves, minced, plus 1 clove for rubbing the focaccia
1 c flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 tbsp salt
Freshly cracked pepper
1 tbsp chopped oregano leaves
1 c grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving
1 c grated Pecorino Romano
Olive oil
500gm ground beef
500gm ground pork
500gm ground veal
4 tbsp all-purpose flour
4 c Marinara (recipe follows)
1 large focaccia
250gm mozzarella sliced into 16 slices

Marinara (makes 6 cups)

800gm canned tomatoes
1 c olive oil
1 red onion, finely diced
8 garlic cloves, minced
1 bunch basil
2 tbsp salt
3 tbsp sugar
1/2 c grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Method

  1. In a large bowl, combine the breadcrumbs and milk, mixing them thoroughly, and let stand for 10 minutes, until the breadcrumbs are hydrated. Add the eggs, onion, garlic, parsley, salt, black pepper, oregano, Parmigiano, Pecorino, and a dash of olive oil and mix everything until combined.
  2. Next add the beef, pork and veal. Use your hands to really work the meat until everything comes together into a nice homogenous mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and let the mixture sit in the fridge for 1 hour.
  3. After the mixture has rested, portion the mixture into golf ball sized balls. In a medium bowl, add the flour. Gently dust each meatball with the flour.
  4. Preheat your oven to 180c.
  5. Pour 1.5cm of olive oil in a large cast-iron skillet and bring it up over medium heat. Brown the meatballs in batches, about 10 minutes on all sides. Be gentle. Transfer the cooked meatballs to a large baking dish and cover them with marinara. Bake for 30 minutes.
  6. Slice the focaccia down the middle and lightly drizzle with olive oil. Grill or toast until olive-oil side is golden brown. Rub both grilled sides with a sliced piece of garlic.
  7. Preheat your grill on high. Spread the meatballs over the bottom half of the toasted focaccia. Sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano and place a slice of mozzarella over each meatball. Place onto a baking sheet and grill until the cheese is bubbling and lightly browned: 5 minutes. Coat the meatballs in the marinara mixture and the remaining slice of focaccia. If serving individually, skewer each meatball or cut it up however you want.
  8. For the marinara: in a heavy pot, warm the olive oil and add the onion and garlic and cook until translucent, stirring frequently. Add the tomatoes, helping to break them down. Turn the heat down, add the basil an allow the sauce to simmer for 1 hour or more.
  9. Remove from the heat, remove the basil stems and add the salt, sugar and Parmesan. Using a hand blender on low, gently blend the sauce until the tomatoes break down: you are looking for a sauce that is slightly chunky. Allow the sauce to cool. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Vefa Alexiadou’s Pork Chops in Wine

.Reading time 1 minute.

Serves: 4

Another excellent and simple Greek dinner from Vefa Alexiadou’s ‘Greek Cookbook’.

We were after a quick Monday dinner and this totally hit the spot.

Alongside a green salad and some pan-fried potatoes with oregano and feta, this is how you celebrate beating Monday.

Plus now that you have an open bottle of red or white wine, well, you know…

Ingredients

4 large pork chops, 1.5cm thick
Salt and pepper
4 tbsp olive oil
2/3 c dry white or red wine
4 lemon wedges
Fried potatoes and greens, to serve

Method

  1. Season the chops with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a skillet or frying pan large enough to hold the chops in a single layer. Add the chops and cook over medium heat for 2 – 3 minutes on each side, until lightly browned.
  2. Pour in half the wine and cook for a few minutes until the alcohol has evaporated, then pour in 5 tbsp water, cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until cooked through.
  3. Increase the heat and let the chops sizzle. Pour in the remaining wine and cook for 1 – 2 minutes, until the alcohol has evaporated. Serve immediately on warmed plates with 1 – 2 tbsp of the wine sauce, garnished with lemon wedges and accompanied by fried potatoes and greens.

Colin Fassnidge’s Pork, Marjoram & Parmesan Rind Rigatoni

.Reading time 2 minutes.

Serves: 4 – 6

I was worried this wouldn’t be a special pasta, though there is something very special about it. There is a real nuance in the flavour and it’s just lovely.

Definitely the marjoram. Definitely.

Could also be the parmesan rind.

Could be that I really slowly cooked it down and then let it sit for a few hours.

Definitely was because it was a mid-week dinner.

We had dinner at Pelengrino2000 for Nat’s birthday earlier in the week and this is exactly what I would have expected from them.

1-hat stuff.

Hat’s off Colin Fassnidge. First recipe and it hit it out of the park.

Ingredients

1/2 c extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 bunch marjoram, leaves picked and finely chopped, stalks finely chopped
1 red chilli, finely chopped
500gm pork mince
1/3 c white wine
700ml tomato passata
2 parmesan rinds (substitute 1/2 c finely grated parmesan) plus extra finely grated to serve
350gm spaghettini or rigatoni

Method

  1. Heat oil in a large skillet over low-medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, marjoram stalks and chilli, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until the onion is softened. Increase heat to high, add pork and cook for 10 minutes or until evenly browned.
  2. Add the wine and cook, stirring regularly, for 2 minutes or until the liquid is reduced slightly. Add passata, parmesan rinds and 3/4 marjoram leaves, and bring to the boil. Reduce to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes to reduce slightly and develop flavour. Discard rinds.
  3. Meanwhile, cook your pasta al dente, reserving 1/3 pasta cooking water.
  4. Toss pasta and reserved cooking water through the tomato mixture. Scatter with remaining marjoram leaves and extra parmesan to serve.

Melissa Clark’s Porchetta Pork Chops (New York Times)

.Reading time 3 minutes.

Serves: 2

I absolutely love porchetta: stuffed, rolled and roasted pork belly.

What isn’t to love?

Unfortunately, Nat doesn’t share my love for pork belly and so when we cook really any form of pork belly, it’s a treat: probably how it should be anyway.

Anyway, it was my turn to cook a late, Italian lunch and I nominated that a pork chop be at the centre. And I managed to get my nomination over the line!

Then I found this recipe on the New York Times: thousands and thousands of five-star reviews, always a reliable omen.

An absolutely excellent cheat’s porchetta. 1-hat Italian sort of stuff.

The flavour of porchetta, essentially the ease of cooking a pork chop.

Such a classic porchetta filling.
Stuff and rub those pockets!
Ready to cook.
25 or so minutes later, you’re ready to plate.

An absolute treat. A must cook. Especially alongside these incredible brussels sprouts and this Lidia Bastianich onion and potato gratin.

Ingredients

2 bone-in pork chops, 3cm – 4cm thick
1 tsp sea salt, plus a pinch
1 lemon
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp chopped rosemary
Large pinch red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp fennel seeds, lightly crushed
2 tbsp chopped fennel fronds, more for garnish
2 tbsp olive oil

Method

  1. Heat the oven to 180c. Pat the pork chops dry and using a very sharp paring knife, cut a large pocket into the fat-covered edge of the pork chop. Season chops all over with 1 tsp salt including inside the pockets.
  2. Finely grate zest from the lemon and put in a small bowl. Cut lemon in half ready to juice over the cooked pork.
  3. Using a mortar and pestle or the flat side of a knife, mash the garlic with a pinch of salt until you get a paste. Add to the bowl with the lemon zest and stir in the rosemary, pepper flakes, fennel seeds, 2 tbsp fennel fronds and 1 tbsp olive oil.
  4. Divide the filling between the pork chops, filling the pockets and rubbing the rest on the outside.
  5. Heat a large ovenproof skillet over a high heat and add 1 tbsp olive oil. Sear pork chops on one side for 5 minutes, or until golden brown. Gently turn over the chops and cook for a further 1 minute, and then transfer the skillet to the oven. Cook until the meat is just done, 5 – 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, tent with foil and let rest for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with fennel fronds and a good squeeze of lemon juice.

Thomas Straker’s Baked Gnocchi with Beef and Pork Ragù (TikTok)

.Reading time 6 minutes.

Serves: 6 – 8

The first Thomas Straker recipe I typed up a few weeks ago was extraordinary.

And no kidding, my traffic grew by a third almost overnight and the recipe became my second most viewed.

All of Thomas Straker’s recipes are contained in short-burst TikTok videos without the recipe. Totally viral and social content, though not very helpful regarding cooking.

For the second time, however, Nat was still determined.

Introducing this totally nuts, baked gnocchi with beef and pork ragù!

On account of going up to Newcastle – two hours north of Sydney – for a 40th Saturday night, Nat started the ragù Friday. Gnocchi and béchamel on our return.

A triumphant, late Sunday winter lunch?

You absolutely bet!

What absolute luxury. Total, last meal decadence.

A dish that you’d drive across town for. Honestly, a dish you just can’t stop smiling about.

In a world of food complexity and pretence (and I am plenty guilty of that), this is a swinging boulder from the other direction to smash it all to pieces.

The beginning of homemade gnocchi.
Taking shape.
Plunged in an ice bath, reserved and tossed with olive oil.
The incredible ragù.
Béchamel with mozzarella and parmesan.
OMG. Combine the béchamel and ragù and two very good things have come together.
More parmesan and we are ready to bake.

Ironically, as we were leaving Newcastle this morning, Nat spotted an institution – Don Beppino’s House of Lasagne – a restaurant we had a late-night meal at 12 years ago. Already with a few drinks under our belt, we had the best night: the sort of food I am typing up here with too much Chianti and too many laughs.

About as old-school as it gets.

This is what life is all about.

Ingredients

Ragù

Extra olive oil
1 carrot, unpeeled, chopped finely
1 onion, finely diced
1 stick celery, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 sprig rosemary
1 tsp Italian herbs
1/2 tsp dry oregano
500gm beef and pork mince
1 tbsp tomato paste
Salt
1 tbsp sherry vinegar
3/4 c red wine
1 can cherry tomatoes
500ml chicken stock

Béchamel

2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
1/4 c milk
1/2 mozzarella ball (175gm), chopped
1/4 c parmesan, grated
Salt

Gnocchi

6 baking potatoes
1 1/2 c plain flour (plus more as you need it)
2 egg yolks
1 tsp salt
Extra virgin olive oil

Pepper and extra parmesan to sprinkle before baking

Method

  1. Start by making a sofrito: heat some oil in a heavy pan and softly sauté the carrot, onion, celery and garlic until very soft though not golden.
  2. In a separate heavy pan, heat more oil over medium-high heat and fry the mince until browned. Add the tomato paste, salt and sherry vinegar and combine. Add the red wine, canned tomatoes and stock and bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat to a simmer adding the herbs. Cook for 30 minutes. Add the sofrito and combine, reducing the heat to low and cook for as long as you can. Taste and season and remove the rosemary sprig.
  3. For the béchamel, in a saucepan, heat the butter over medium-low heat until bubbling. Whisk in the flour until well combined and then add the milk, whisking until combined. Increase the heat and add the mozzarella and then Parmesan, whisking until well combined and fully melted.
  4. Slowly introduce the béchamel sauce to the ragù and stir to combine.
  5. To make the gnocchi, bake the potatoes at 180c until cooked through. Remove the flesh when cool and rice/mash. Combine with the flour, egg and salt and knead until combined. Set aside for 5 minutes.
  6. Heat a large pot of boiling water and separately, set up an ice water bowl to reserve the cooked gnocchi. Using a piping bag with no attachment, pipe long tubes of the combined potato mixture and then cut into 3cm gnocchi with a sharp knife.
  7. Cook the gnocchi rapidly for a few minutes until they float. Immediately transfer to the ice water bowl and allow to cool completely. When cooled, quickly drain and toss with oil.
  8. Heat an oven to 200c. Carefully combine the gnocchi with béchamel ragù mixture ensuring the gnocchi does not break up. Pour the gnocchi mixture into a baking pan; or several pans. Pepper, very liberally sprinkle over parmesan and bake until bubbling.
  9. Serve immediately with Chianti!

Jamie Oliver’s 12-hour (overnight) Roasted Pork Shoulder

.Reading time 5 minutes.

Serves: 12

I don’t cook a lot of Jamie Oliver recipes.

His stuff is always great though a little mass-market for what we are often aiming for on a Saturday night. (Please, don’t get me wrong here: he is amazing! We just try to stretch a bit further when given the opportunity.)

Though lordy, when it comes to a roast – which I rarely do, grumbles Nat – Jamie Oliver and his Italian roasts are in an incredible league. This Arrosto Misto I typed up years ago is a testament to the point.

This particular roast was even more outstanding.

A labour of love – and time – it was the sort of 1-hat roast you would die for in a great Italian restaurant on a ‘Sunday roast’ afternoon. Add in the crackling and this is bravo level.

I embellished the gravy component over what Jamie called for.

I served up steamed green beans on the side.

An extra serving of those incredible potatoes and wow.

Play with the apple cider vinegar though get it right and this is just an epic meal. Sunday lunch or dinner, this is what I am talking about.

Ingredients*

* I halved the recipe successfully.

5kg shoulder of pork, bone-in, skin removed and reserved
Olive oil
4 onions
2 – 3 eating apples
3 sticks of celery
1 bulb of garlic
1 bunch fresh sage
4 fresh bay leaves
500ml bottle of cider
2 tbsp fennel seeds
2 whole cloves
2 dried chillies
Salt and freshly cracked pepper
Steamed green beans to serve

Fennel and Potato Gratin

1.5kg potatoes
5 bulbs of fennel
4 cloves of garlic
4 anchovy fillets
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 whole nutmeg, for grating
100gm Parmesan cheese
400ml double cream
200ml single cream
Salt and freshly cracked pepper

For the Gravy

1 c chicken stock
3 tbsp plain flour
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Salt and freshly cracked pepper
Reserved drippings from the cooked pork

Zingy Salsa

2 eating apples
1 tbsp cider
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 bunch mint
Salt and freshly cracked pepper

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 250c. Toss the reserved pork skin in a little oil and sea salt, lay it flat on a tray and roast until golden and crisp. Set aside. Reduce the oven to 130c.
  2. Peel the onions and cut them into wedges with the apples. Trim and roughly chop the celery and slice the garlic bulb in half horizontally. Scatter it all in your largest roasting tray with the sage and bay leaves, pour in the cider and add a good splash of water.
  3. Bash the fennel seeds, cloves, dried chillies and 1 heaped tsp salt into fine dust in a mortar and pestle, then massage all over the pork with a drizzle of oil. Sit the pork in the tray, cover tightly with a double layer of foil, place in the oven and roast for 10 – 12 hours, or until the meat pulls easily away from the bone. Drain the drippings from the tray and set the pork aside, covered in a couple of clean tea towels to keep warm. Turn the oven up to 200c.
  4. Whilst the pork is cooking, peel the potatoes and cut lengthways into wedges along with the fennel. Parboil the potatoes for 7 minutes and the fennel for 6 minutes, then drain and leave to steam dry completely. Place in a large roasting tray. Peel the garlic and blitz until fine with the anchovies, rosemary leaves and a good splash of boiling water in a blender. Finely grate in half the nutmeg and most of the Parmesan and pour in the cream. Add a pinch of pepper and salt, blitz again and pour over the vegetables. Sprinkle over the remaining Parmesan and bake for 45 – 50 min, or until golden and bubbling.
  5. For the gravy, in a small saucepan, heat the chicken stock, apple cider vinegar and reserved drippings. Stir in the flour, combine and season.
  6. For the salsa, chop the apples into fine matchsticks and toss in a bowl with 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar and 4 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil. Finely slice the mint leaves and toss into the bowl with salt and pepper
  7. Serve the pork with the gravy and the salsa on top, potatoes and beans at the side. If you haven’t had a wine by this point, pour a double. You have earnt it!

Valeria Necchio’s Casoncelli – Pork, Beef, Raisin and Amaretti Ravioli

.Reading time 4 minutes.

Serves: 6

Holy shit, this recipe is just incredible.

“Decident” said Nat. “Marvellous” I said. “I don’t want this to end” said Nat.

And boy, wasn’t that the truth.

Yes, in our pre-baby #4 quest to find the world’s greatest pasta, this is truly, truly in the running.

This pasta separates itself from the wonderful though simple Lidia Bastianich and Antonio Carluccio pastas we have been pushing, taking it up a level in finesse and clarity.

This pasta jumps over this otherwise incredible white ragu, being more sophisticated: less steam train, more race car.

And look, this Rodney Dunn Mushroom Cannelloni with fresh pasta sheets was one of the best pastas we have cooked.

Though in terms of peak genius, this Casoncelli is just so much more refined. Just so much more ‘in the moment’ special.

We used sliced roast beef from the supermarket. Otherwise, everything is straightforward.

Slightly depressed to read this is a common dish in the Bergamo and Brescia parts of Italy, though I guess we’ve always known the Italians have truly the best food lives. I guess we have our beaches here in Sydney however. (I know which I would take!)

If you are like us and want to chase the Saturday-night pasta hit, this my friend is unquestionably the next rung in the ladder.

Ingredients

Pasta dough

Make my Kitchenaid Pasta dough

Filling

1 tbsp unsalted butter
150gm Italian sausage meat, crumbled
100gm roast beef, minced
120gm breadcrumbs
1 medium egg
70gm Parmesean, grated
10gm Amaretti biscuits (about 3), crushed
10gm raisins, soaked, squeezed and then chopped
Fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Sauce

80gm unsalted butter
80gm pancetta, cut into thin strips
4 sage leaves
80gm Parmesean, grated

Method

  1. Make the pasta per my Kitchenaid Pasta Dough Recipe.
  2. Make the filling: brown the sausage meat with the butter over a medium heat, then add the roast beef and cook for a few minutes, stirring often, so the flavours can mingle together. Transfer to a bowl, then add the breadcrumbs, egg, Parmesean, amaretti and raisins. Season with salt and pepper and stir to combine.
  3. Roll the pasta in a pasta machine to setting 2. Using a round 7 – 8cm ravioli cutter, cut out as many circles of pasta as you can get.
  4. Place a tsp of the filling at the centre of each circle, then gently fold it over to form a half moon. Press the edges together using a fork.
  5. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Meanwhile, in a frypan set over a medium heat, melt the butter for the sauce. Add the pancetta and sage and fry for a few minutes, until crispy.
  6. Cook the casoncelli in boiling water for a few minutes until they float to the top. Drain with a slotted spoon and transfer to the frying pan with pancetta and butter sauce. Sauté for 30 seconds, until evenly dressed.
  7. Serve immediately with a dusting of grated Parmesean.

Hubert Keller’s Pork Chops with Calvados Sauce, Sautéed Apples and Roasted Creamed Corn

.Reading time 6 minutes.

Serves: 2

A lot to unpack here.

Nat’s turn to wow with a late, midweek lunch. Something to look forward to during the week, something to smile about afterwards.

French Bistro the theme locked in.

Nat started with a freshly baked baguette: cheese, pâté, cured meat.

What a way to start with a cold lager!

And then this dish.

Something to smile about afterwards? You absolutely bet!

This was French Bistro as good as you could imagine. Absolutely impossible to fault.

So Hubert Keller? I’d never heard of him, though he trained under Paul Bocuse, the father of modern French cooking who undisputedly set the benchmark for this style of French cuisine. (Fun fact: my parents went to a dinner he hosted in Sydney and Mr Bocuse signed a menu for me. I still have it!)

And then this cut of pork. I’ve mentioned our amazing local butcher Hummerstons and a quick text to Steve and he had it under control. 2 double pork chops with 1 bone removed, about 4cm thick. Talk about a dramatic presentation!

Nat and I debated using a thinner pork chop as an easier entry to this dish, though absolutely do not cut corners. If ever there was a time to engage your butcher and have the double chop, it is this.

The roasted cream corn with the spring onions and parmesan is just luxury and pairs perfectly with the pork and the apple. Did I mention smiles?

Occasionally you wander onto a dish that is a hero and this is one of them.

It is rude however to suggest that Nat wanders into anything when it comes to food.

This was always going to be an extraordinary meal and mopped up with a homemade baguette and glass of light red, very hard to argue that life isn’t great.

P.S. Nat says start the corn first.

Ingredients

2 double pork chops with 1 bone removed, 4cm thick
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
4 Fuji apples
2 tbsp butter
3/4 c Calvados apple brandy*
1 c apple cider
1 c chicken stock
2 tbsp chives, thinly snipped

Creamed Corn

2 ears corn, husks removed, both ends trimmed
2 tbsp softened butter
Pinch salt
Pinch pepper
1 c heavy cream
1/2 c chicken stock
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp fresh ginger, minced
2 stalks spring onion, thinly sliced
1/4 c Parmean cheese grated

Method

  1. Peel the apples and cut each into 6 wdges. Cut out the cores, and trim each wedge into a football shape. Reserve all peels and trimmings.
  2. In a small sauté pan, melt butter and add apple wedges. Coover over a medium heat, stirring occasionally, until apples are browned and softened, 10 – 12 minutes. Set aside. Season both sides of the pork chops with salt and pepper and in a sauté pan large enough to hold both pork chops, heat oil until smoking.
  3. Lay pork chops into hot oil and sear approximately 7 minutes on each side until golden brown and the internal temperature is at 62c. **
  4. Remove from the pan and cover with foil to keep warm whilst you make the sauce. Discard half the fat and trimmings from the pan, then add apple trimmings and sauté over medium-high heat for a few minutes.
  5. Add Calvados and apple cider, and bring just to a boil. Reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 5 minutes, or until it becomes thick, with a syrup-like consistency. Add chicken stock and simmer for 5 minutes. Strain the sauce through a fine mesh strainer, pushing down on the apple trimmings with the back of a spoon to remove all juices.
  6. Put the sauce back in the pan over low heat and add the chives. Taste and adjust for seasonings.
  7. For the creamed corn, heat the oven to 180c. Brush the corn with butter and season with salt and pepper. Warp each corn ear in foil and roast in the oven for 30 minutes, or until the corn starts to brown.
  8. Unwrap the corn and when cool enough to handle, slice off the kernels. In a small saucepan over a medium-heat, combine cream, ginger, salt and pepper and reduce by one-third, 5 – 7 minutes. Add the corn kernels and chicken stock to reduced cream and cook for 10 minutes, or until cream thickens and is absorbed by the corn.
  9. Remove corn from the heat, and stir in the spring onions and Parmesean cheese.
  10. Served the pork, with apple wedges, corn alongside and the sauce ready to pour.

* Substitute 1/2 c brandy and 1/4 c apple juice.

** This will take longer. Potentially finish off in the oven if the internal temperature is rising too slowly.

Adam Liaw’s Lions’ Heads

.Reading time 3 minutes.

Serves: 4

I almost didn’t cook this dish on account of – wait for it – the photo of the recipe in Adam Liaw’s book Asian After Work though my goodness, I’m glad I did.

Nat and I had a late Sunday lunch on Sydney’s Spit and wanted something easy and yummy for a later supper.

Talk about just god damn moorish. The stock becomes slightly oily and is filled with such a wonderful Chinese flavour. Add in those shiitake muchrooms.

And then the fried and then poached pork balls.

With some rice at the side, this is absolutely Chinese comfort. Curled up on the couch with a beer watching Yellowstone (yes, we are late to the series though how bloody good!), this was the perfect way to end the weekend.

Add this recipe to your backlog. Tick tick tick. It’s brilliant.

Ingredients

8 dried shiitake mushrooms
2 tbsp cornflour
1/2 Chinese cabbage, cut into 5cm lengths
Vegetable oil for shallow frying
500ml quality white chicken stock
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
1/4 tsp caster sugar
2 spring onions, white and green parts, trimmed and sliced, to serve
Cooked Jasmine rice, to serve

Lions’ Head Meatballs

750gm pork mince
2 – 3 spring onions, white and light green partsm trimmed and minced
1 tsp grated sugar
1 eg yolk
1 tbsp cornflour
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tsp Shaoxing wine
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
A pinch of white pepper
A pinch of caster sugar
1/4 tsp salt

Method

  1. Rinse the shiitake mushrooms quickly under running water and soak in 1 1/2 c boiling water for at least 20 minutes until softened. Trim and discard the strems, slice the caps, and reserve the liquid.
  2. For the meatballs, mix together all the ingredients and shape into 4 large balls. Sprinkle with the additional 2 tbsp of cornflour to coat, and set aside.
  3. Place the cabbage and shiitake mushrooms in the base of a large casserole dish. Deep or shallow-fry the meatballs in plenty of oil until well browned all over. Place the meatballs on top if the cabbage and pour over the stock, soy sauce, wine, sugar and reserved shiitake steeping liquid. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes, or until the meatballs are cooked through and the cabbage is very soft. Scatter with spring onions and serve with rice.