Holly Fresh Recipes

Lasagne

It always seems like a chore doing all the steps needed for a really great lasagne, but it is so worth it.

I make enough to share, eat the next day as well or freeze for an easy meal at a later date.

• 500g beef mince
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 large carrot, grated
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1 Beef stock
• 1/2 cup red or white wine (or use stock)
• 1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
• 1 tablespoons dried oregano
• 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1-2 anchovies, very finely chopped (optional)
• 1 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1-2 cups spinach, chopped
• 2-300g lasagne sheets
Cheese Sauce
• 100g butter
• ½ cup flour
• 3 ½ cups milk, warmed
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, grated plus extra for topping
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard


Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C conventional bake.
Mince
In your largest frying pan, heat a little oil over a high heat. When the pan is hot, add half the mince, breaking up the big lumps quickly with a wooden spoon. Leave the mince to sizzle until the underside is browned, then stir and brown the other side. Set aside and repeat with the remaining mince.
Discard any excess fat from the pan, replace over a medium heat and add a dash of oil. Add the onions, garlic and carrot, and cook, stirring for about 10 minutes until soft. Add the mince back into the pan with the tomato paste, stock, wine, tomatoes, oregano, sugar, anchovies (if using), and balsamic vinegar. Simmer gently for 25-30 minutes or until reduced to a thick sauce. Add the spinach with 5 minutes to go. Season to taste.


Cheese sauce
Melt butter in a large saucepan over a medium-low heat. Add flour and cook, stirring, for 3-5 minutes (don’t let it brown). Remove from heat and slowly add all the warmed milk in a thin stream, whisking all the time, until smooth. Return to heat and cook, stirring, until thickened. Add the cheese and mustard, stirring until smooth. Season to taste and remove from heat.


To assemble
Grease your largest baking dish (or two small). Add a layer of lasagne sheets to the bottom and spread over a third of the meat sauce followed by a third of the cheese sauce. Repeat until ingredients are used up, finishing with a layer of white sauce. Sprinkle with extra cheese. Cover with tinfoil with a couple of steam holes, and bake for 35 minutes. Remove the foil and cook a further 10 minutes or until the top is golden brown and bubbling (you can grill it at the end to help it along). Transfer to a wooden board and rest for at least 10 minutes before you cut and serve it.
Serve with a fresh crunchy salad and tangy vinaigrette.

Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Chicken Breasts

2 large chicken breasts
4 slices Holly bacon
100g cream cheese
4 spring onions
½ red capsicum, diced
1 clove garlic chopped and cooked.
1 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper

 

Preheat oven to 175 degrees C. Lightly grease a small baking dish.

Cut each chicken breast in half longwise and fold gladwrap or greased paper over. Please on a solid bench, gently flatten each breast piece out evenly by hitting it gently with a rolling pin.
Remove the flattened  chicken pieces from the gladwrap or paper.

Heat a large frypan and cook the  bacon until soft but not too crispy. Remove, and pat dry with paper towels; set aside.

Stir together the cream cheese, spring onions, bell pepper, cooked garlic, salt, and pepper in a bowl until combined. Divide this mixture onto each chicken breast. Roll the breasts around the filling  and wrap with 1/2 slice of bacon. Secure with toothpicks as needed. Place into the prepared baking dish.

Bake in the preheated oven until the chicken is no longer pink in the thickest part, and the bacon is crispy 30 to 35 minutes. Remove the toothpicks

Japanese Meatballs

By Louise Robinson

400g of pork mince
20g of Panko breadcrumbs
1clove garlic, crushed
1 tbsp fresh ginger, finely grated
1 tsp sesame seeds
2 tsp sesame oil
1 spring onionfinely chopped
1egg, lightly beaten
1 tbsp oil
60ml of soy sauce
90ml of mirin
1 tbsp of rice wine vinegar
45g of honey
Coriander leaves
Black sesame seeds
135g soba noodles, cooked according to pack instructions
Sea salt
Black pepper

Preheat the oven to 200°C

Begin by making the meatballs. Place the pork, breadcrumbs, garlic, ginger, sesame seeds, 1 tsp of the sesame oil, green onion, egg, salt and pepper in a large bowl and mix well until all of the ingredients are combined. Put a large deep-sided roasting tray in the oven for 5 minutes or until hot

Take a tablespoonful of the pork mixture, roll into a ball and place on a plate. Repeat until you have used all of the mixture

Drizzle1 Tbsp oil onto the hot tray, add the meatballs and return to the oven to cook for 5 minutes

While the meatballs are cooking, put the soy sauce, mirin, 1 tsp sesame oil, rice wine vinegar and honey in a bowl and stir to combine

Remove the tray from the oven, add the sauce mixture and gently stir to coat the meatballs

Return to the oven and cook for another 15 minutes or until the sauce is sticky and the meatballs are golden brown.

Serve over the soba noodles. Sprinkle with chopped coriander, and sesame seeds, Add a carrot and bean salad and garnish with the toasted seeds

Pork Spare  Ribs in Maison Therese Asian Marinade

This fabulous Asian Marinade has flavours of dark soy, tamarind,palm sugar and tomato paste for an amazing taste with no effort!! Order it here

Preheat a large high sided dish such as a la Creuset over high heat with oil.

Season ribs with a good amount of salt and pepper.

Cook down garlic for a few minutes and add half the Asian Marinade sauce and 1 litre of beef stock – adjusting the beef stock requirement to cover the ribs depending on your dish size.

Cover dish with lid or foil and transfer to an oven set to 160°C (320°F) for 2-3 hours or until ribs are tender and falling away from the bone.

Remove the ribs from the dish and place in an oven  pre heated to 180 degrees C, keeping the cooking liquid.

Reduce the cooking liquid over a steady heat until sticky.
Brush the ribs with the reduced cooking liquid, adding more Asian Marinade as desired.

Cook until tender and sticky.

Order Maison Therese Asian Marinade Here

Rolled Pork Belly with Lemon, Garlic and Fennel

Italian Bean, Spinach and Sausage Stew

500g Pork Sausages
200g Holly Bacon chopped
1 large chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 x 400g can white beans
1 x 400g can Italian tomatoes
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 red capsicum diced
1 pack fresh spinach chopped (including the stalks)

 

In a shallow frypan, in a small amount of oil, brown the sausages, then add bacon and cook until crispy.
Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onions are soft.
Add tomatoes, capsicum,white beans, spinach and chilli powder.
Cook over a medium heat for 15-20 minutes until the sausages are cooked and the sauce has thickened.
Serve over rice.

Honey Soy Chicken Thighs Recipe

  • 4  chicken thighs
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon chopped ginger
  • 5 tablespoons honey
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 4 cloves of garlic, minced
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • fresh parsley, chopped for garnish

Instructions

  • In a mixing bowl combine olive oil, ginger, honey, soy sauce, garlic, salt and pepper.
  • Rinse and trim off all of the fat and skin from the chicken, then place it in the bowl with the marinade.
  • Preheat the oven to 400F.
  • Marinade chicken for at least 1 hour. Place chicken thighs and marinade in cast iron or baking dish and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until chicken is cooked thru, make sure to flip the chicken few times, that way the chicken will be juicy & tender without drying on top. After flipping the chicken on the other side and cook on high for 5 minutes or until a beautiful roasted colour.
  • Garnish with chopped parsley, serve with rice or mashed potato, and make sure to pour the sauce over the chicken when serving.

 

 

Pork and Mushroom Bolognese

  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 onions, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 sticks celery, finely chopped
  • 2 medium carrots, finely chopped
  • 250g portabello mushrooms, chopped
  • half a cup chopped parsley
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 3 tablespoons tomato paste
  • half a cup red wine, optional
  • 250mls stock
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • to serve, spaghetti, fresh basil and parmesan cheese

Method

  1. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a heavy based saucepan, over a medium/low heat. Add the pork mince and cook until it starts to crisp. Remove the pork to a dish.
  2. In the saucepan add the onions and salt and cook, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes. Add the celery and carrots and cook another 20 minutes.
  3. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the onions along with the mushrooms, parsley and the garlic and cook for 10 minutes.
  4. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring for 3 minutes. Add the wine if using, bring to the boil, boil for 2 minutes the add the tomatoes, previously cooked pork mince and stock.
  5. Bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  6. Serve with cooked spaghetti, basil and parmesan.

Citrus and Herb Pork Belly Slices

By Hannah Miller

500g NZ pork belly, boneless and sliced into thin strips
Zest and juice of 1 orange
Zest of 1 lemon
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
20g fennel fronds
20g Italian parsley
20g mint leaves
1 tsp flaky sea salt
1 tsp cracked black pepper

Lay the pork strips into a deep dish and rub with salt and pepper.

Peel the rind of the lemon and orange and thinly slice the rind pieces into strips. Thinly slice the herbs. Sprinkle the herbs and zest over the pork.

Combine the olive oil with the freshly squeezed orange juice, then pour over the pork strips. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate at room temperature for 1 hour.

While the pork is marinating, preheat the BBQ to 190°C.

Sear the pork strips on the BBQ for 7 minutes either side, then move them to the rack to continue cooking with the lid closed for another 20 minutes.

Serve as whole pieces with fennel slaw.

Hummus with Crispy Beef Mince

Ingredients

Mince

  • 250 g Beef mince
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 red onion, finely diced
  • 1 teaspoon crushed chilli

Hummus

  • 400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • juice 2 lemons
  • 1–2 cloves garlic (optional)
  • 3 tablespoons tahini
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 tablespoons water

Topping

  • bunch fresh coriander, roughly chopped
  • ½ red capsicum, deseeded and sliced
  • ½ cup roasted pistachio nuts
  • lemon zest
  • balsamic syrup glaze (or pomegranate molasses)

Method

In a food processor, combine chickpeas, whero peas (if using), lemon juice, garlic (if using) and tahini. Pulse until smooth. With the machine running, slowly add olive oil and water and blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set hummus aside.

Heat oil in a non-stick frying-pan over a moderate heat. Fry onion slowly until softened, and add beef mince. Cook the mixture until mince is crispy and well browned, then add chilli and season with salt and pepper.

To assemble, place hummus onto a serving plate and, using the back of a spoon, spread it around the edge, making a well in the centre. Spoon crispy beef over hummus and sprinkle coriander, capsicum, pistachios and lemon zest over the plate. Drizzle with balsamic syrup and serve at room temperature with lightly fried or baked pita bread.

Copyright Notice
An extract from Minced with photography by Alan Gillard. Published by Penguin Group NZ. Copyright © Sue Hamilton and Dana Alexander, 2010. RRP $35.00. Available at all good booksellers nationwide.

Chicken and Chorizo Jambalaya

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion diced
    1 red pepper, thinly sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 75g chorizo sliced
  • 250g long grain rice
  • 400g can plum tomato
  • 350ml chicken stock
  1. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan with a lid and brown 2 chopped chicken breasts for 5-8 mins until golden.
  2. Remove and set aside. Tip in the 1 diced onion and cook for 3-4 mins until soft.
  3. Add 1 thinly sliced red pepper, 2 crushed garlic cloves, 75g sliced chorizo and 1 tbsp Cajun seasoning, and cook for 5 mins more.
  4. Stir the chicken back in with 250g long grain rice, add the 400g can of tomatoes and 350ml chicken stock. Cover and simmer for 20-25 mins until the rice is tender.
Recipe from Good Food magazine, April 2011

Sweet and Sour Pork Sausages

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 tbs sesame oil
  • 500g pork sausages,cooked and thickly sliced
  • 3 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 2cm piece fresh ginger, peeled, finely grated
  • 1 red onion, cut into thin wedges
  • 1 red capsicum, roughly chopped
  • 1 green capsicum, roughly chopped
  • 440g can pineapple pieces in juice, drained
  • Sliced spring onions *to serve
  • Toasted sesame seeds *to serve
  • Steamed jasmine rice *to serve

Sweet and sour sauce

  • 1/3 cup tomato sauce
  • 3 tsp caster sugar
  • 3 tsp rice wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp soy sauce
  • 1/2 tsp dark soy sauce
  • 1 tsp cornflour

Method

  1. To make the sweet and sour sauce, place all ingredients and 1/2 cup water in a small bowl. Stir until sugar has dissolved.
  2. Heat a wok over High heat. Add 1 tbs oil. Swirl to coat. Add sausage. Stir-fry for 4 minutes or until sausage is browned. Using a slotted spoon, transfer sausage to a plate.
  3. Add remaining oil to wok. Swirl to coat. Add garlic, ginger and red onion. Stir-fry for 2 minutes or until onion starts to soften. Add capsicum and pineapple. Stir-fry for 1 minute or until heated through. Return sausage to wok. Add sweet and sour sauce. Bring to the boil. Stir-fry for 3 minutes or until sausage is cooked through and sauce has thickened slightly.

Moroccan Lamb Tagine

Moroccan Lamb Tagine

Photo from Deliciousmagazine.co.uk

  • Olive oil
  • 2 red onions, sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 tbsp ground ginger
  • 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tbsp ground cumin
  • 1 tbsp sweet paprika
  • 1 tbsp ground turmeric
  • 1/2 lamb shoulder, diced into 2cm cubes
  • 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
  • 100g stoned prunes, roughly chopped
  • 500ml chicken stock
  • 1 piece preserved lemon thinly sliced
  • 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • Juice ½ lemon

To serve 

  • Large bunch fresh parsley
  • Large bunch fresh coriander
  • 80g slivered almonds, toasted in a dry pan
  • 100g pomegranate seeds
  • Couscous or flatbreads
  1. Heat a large glug of oil in a deep, flameproof casserole over a medium heat. Add the onions and fry for 4-5 minutes until beginning to colour. Add the garlic and all the ground spices and fry for 2 minutes more, stirring with a wooden spoon.
  2. Season the lamb, then add it to the pot and cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly. Add the chopped tomatoes, prunes, preserved lemon, stock and sugar and bring to a good simmer, then reduce the heat to low. Add 100ml water and simmer gently for 3 hours. Stir the tagine every so often so it doesn’t stick and burn on the bottom. If it reduces and thickens too quickly, add a splash more water to loosen it. You want a rich sauce that’s still fairly liquid.
  3. For the last 30 minutes of the cooking time, stir in the chickpeas and lemon juice. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve scattered with parsley, coriander, almonds and pomegranate seeds, with couscous or flat breads  as an accompaniment.

Sprinkle the tagine with the garnish just before serving.

Pork Sausages with Green Puy Lentils

Image from Delia Online

 

500g Holly pork sausages
1 small onion finely chopped
1 carrot finely chopped
2 sticks celery Finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 can chopped tomatoes

salt and freshly ground black pepper.
A sprig of fresh thyme
1/2 litre beef or chicken stock
100g puy lentils

Brown the sausages in a  frypan with a little oil.
In the same frypan add 1 tablespoon oil and cook the onion until soft.
Add the chopped carrot and celery and saute for 5 minutes.
Add the cumin, salt and pepper.
Transfer these ingredients to an ovenproof casserole dish, add the sausages, tomatoes and thyme and cover with stock.
Cook in a moderate oven for about an hour until the lentils are soft.
Lift the lid from the dish and place it on the oven top. Reduce the liquid.
Serve over mashed potatoes.

Asian Pork Balls in Noodle Broth

Pork balls

500g pork mince
1 Tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 clove garlic minced/grated
1-2 spring onions chopped
1 Tbsp say sauce

Mix these ingredients together to make small balls.

Broth

1 litre chicken stock
or 1 litre water and 2 chicken stock cubes
2cm piece fresh ginger sliced
1 clove garlic squashed
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
several drops sesame oil
1 Tablespoon lime juice
Drops of siracha sauce if you like it hot

2-3 broccoli florets
1 carrot cut into sticks
2 bundles dried egg noodles
Sliced spring onions

Boil together the broth ingredients.
Remove the garlic and sliced ginger, add the pork balls and boil gently  until the pork balls are cooked.
Remove the pork balls and keep warm.
Add the noodles to the broth together with the broccoli and carrot.

Cook until the noodles are cooked, re add the pork balls and heat through.

Cashew Chicken Curry

From Food.com

  • 1⁄4 cup unsalted butter
    2 medium onions, finely chopped (2 cups)
  • 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
  • 3 tablespoons curry powder
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon cayenne
  • 2-4 chicken thighs,
  • 1 medium can diced tomatoes
  • 1⁄4 cup chopped fresh coriander
  • 3⁄4 cup cashews, roasted
  • 3⁄4 cup plain yogurt
  • Heat butter in a 5- to 6-quart wide heavy pot over moderately low heat until foam subsides, then cook onions, garlic, and ginger, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add curry powder, salt, cumin, and cayenne and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add chicken and cook, stirring to coat, 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, including juice, and coriander and bring to a simmer, then cover and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through, about 40 minutes.
  • Just before serving: pulse cashews in a food processor or electric coffee/spice grinder until very finely ground, then add to curry along with yogurt and simmer gently, uncovered, stirring, until sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes.

 

Delicious Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients

  • 1 kg diced beef
  • 1 onion, cut into thin wedges
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 200g portabello or button mushrooms, thickly sliced
  • 2 Tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 cup beef stock
  • 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 Tbsp flour
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • Pasta or rice to serve
  • Fresh parsley, chopped (optional)

Method

Season the diced beef with salt and pepper. Brown in batches in a dash of hot oil in a frying pan, transferring each batch to a slow cooker when browned.

Pan fry the onions and garlic in a little more oil until softened. Scatter over the beef with the mushrooms.

Mix together the tomato paste, beef stock, mustard and flour and pour over the beef. Cover with the lid.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours. Stir in the sour cream and serve over pasta or rice. Garnish with parsley.

Oven cooking instructions:

Prepare the casserole as above, adding an extra 1 cup of beef stock. Cook in a lidded ovenproof dish at 180ºC for 40 minutes. Stir in the sour cream and serve.

Jamie Oliver Chicken and Chorizo Paella

  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1 onion
  • 1 carrot
  • ½ a bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley , (15g)
  • 70 g Holly chorizo
  • 2 f chicken thighs , skin off, bone out
  • olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
  • 1 red pepper
  • 1 tablespoon tomato purée
  • 1 organic chicken stock cube
  • 300 g paella or arborio rice
  • 100 g frozen peas
    200 g frozen peeled cooked prawns , optional

Method

  1. Peel and finely slice the garlic, peel and roughly chop the onion and carrot. Finely chop the parsley stalks, then roughly chop the chorizo and chicken thighs.
  2. Put a lug of oil into a large lidded shallow casserole or paella pan on a medium heat, add the garlic, onion, carrot, parsley stalks, chorizo, chicken and paprika, and fry for around 5 minutes, stirring regularly.
  3. Deseed and chop the pepper, then add to the pan for a further 5 minutes.
  4. Stir through the tomato purée and crumble in the stock cube, then add the rice and stir for a couple of minutes so it starts to suck up all that lovely flavour.
  5. Pour in 750ml of boiling water and add a pinch of sea salt and black pepper. Pop the lid on and bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes, stirring regularly from the outside in and from the inside out, and adding a splash of water if needed.
  6. Stir in the peas and prawns, replace the lid, and cook for a further 5 minutes, or until hot through.
  7. Season to perfection, then chop the parsley leaves, scatter them over the paella, and serve with lemon wedges on the side for squeezing over.

Nana’s Easy Meat Loaf

500g Beef mince
500g Holly sausage meat (or skin 6-7 Holly English Pork Sausages)
150g Holly Bacon rind removed and chopped
1 egg
100g Fresh breadcrumbs
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp curry powder

Heat the over to 180 degrees C.

Mix all ingredients in a bowl, best method is to wash your hands thoroughly and after rinsing while hands still wet, get in and mix by hand. Very satisfying!
Place meat loaf mix into a loaf dish and bake in the oven 40-45 minutes until the juice runs clear.
Serve with a sauce made with fried onions, chopped tomatoes, salt, 1tsp sugar and oreganum.
Reduce until thick and serve over slices of the meat loaf.

Holly Cassoulet

Cassoulet is a warming winter dish with it’s origins in Toulouse, but is enjoyed the world over for its rich satisfying ‘comfort food’ effect. This recipe has been adapted to suit our available produce, and to celebrate Holly products.

‘The cassoulet should just murmur, not simmer or boil, so that the beans will absorb the flavours more fully and the meat dries less. Pureeing some of the beans and adding them back makes for a wonderfully creamy result which contrasts perfectly with the crisp topping’.

I find these dishes improve the longer they take to cook, and the longer they are left before eating.

For 6

1 large Holly bacon shank
400g dried white haricot beans, soaked
1 large onion peeled and diced
4 garlic cloves, peeled and diced
1 tin Italian tomatoes in juice
2tbsp tomato concentrate
100g spicy Italian salami or chorizo
200g piece Holly bacon in a piece (optional)
2-3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1 cup red wine (optional, but nice)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
100g coarse breadcrumbs

Preheat the oven to 140 degrees celcius.

Heat a little olive oil in a heavy frypan. Add the drained beans, diced onion and garlic and sweat these for about five minutes until soft but not browned. Add the tomatoes and tomato concentrate and boil furiously, stirring well until the tomato just begins to caramelise. Add the bacon shank, salami or chorizo, bacon and wine. Cover with water and add herbs. Bring to the boil, cover and cook in the preheated oven for about 3 hours, making sure the liquid does not boil, until the beans are soft but not breaking up, and the meat is falling from the bone. Take the shank from the dish, remove the meat from the skin and bone, (you can add the skin back if you wish) and add this back to the beans. Take out around a quarter of the beans and blend them with some of the liquid. Add this back to the rest and stir in gently but well along with some seasoning. Sprinkle the top with breadcrumbs and chopped parsley, and crisp the topping before serving straight from the dish.

Rick Stein’s Crispy Pork Belly

1 x Pork Belly, approx 1.3- 1.5kg
1 tbsp Sichuan peppercorns and/or 1 tbsp ground white pepper
1 – 2 tsp black peppercorns
2 tbsp Maldon sea salt
2 tsp five spice powder
2 tsp caster sugar
Pak Choi in oyster sauce, to serve
Steamed rice, to serve

Score the pork skin with a sharp knife at 1cm intervals. A clean Stanley knife is the best tool for this job or you can poke holes all over the skin with the tip of a sharp knife. Boil a kettle of water and pour it over the skin of the pork. Leave to drain.
Dry-toast the ground peppercorns ( not the white pepper) in a large pan until they smell aromatic. Add these to a spice grinder and grind to a powder before mixing with the salt, white pepper, sugar & five spice.
Dry the pork off completely with some kitchen paper. Flip it over so it’s flesh side-up. Rub the aromatic spice rub all over the meat, but not the skin. Make sure to rub it on the sides too.
It’s best to let it sit for a few hours, to allow the flavours to permeate. When you’re ready to roast the pork, preheat the oven to 230 degrees. Roast the pork for 30 minutes at the high temperature. This is the pork after the half hour blast.

Reduce the heat to 160 degrees and roast the pork for 30 minutes for every 500g of meat. This is the finished product. The crackling is amazing. You won’t be able to resist picking at it.
The meat itself shouldn’t be overly fatty as the majority of the fat should have melted during cooking. You should be left with fork-tender shreds of juicy pork. Serve with some simple pak choi dressed in oyster sauce and some steamed rice. Enjoy!

Easy Carbonarra

by Jamie Oliver

“This easy pasta sauce will cook in about the same time it takes to cook some dried pasta in boiling salted water – we’re talking about quick and easy options here. These amounts serve 2 but are easy to scale up or down. Remember you want about 75g of dried pasta per person – use whatever shape you’ve got.”

Ingredients

  • 150g spaghetti or fettucine pasta cooked al dente
  • 2-3 rashers of Holly bacon
  • olive oil
  • 2 free-range eggs
  • 30 g Parmesan cheese , plus extra for grating

Method

  1. Cook the pasta according to the directions, drain and cover to keep warm, saving some of the pasta water to make the sauce.
  2. Slice the bacon and place in a non-stick frying pan on a medium heat with half a tablespoon of olive oil and a really good pinch of black pepper. Leave it to get super-golden and crispy, tossing occasionally, then turn off the heat.
  3. Meanwhile, beat the eggs in a bowl, then finely grate in the Parmesan and mix well.
  4. Use tongs to transfer your pasta straight into the pan and toss with the bacon.
  5. Pour the Parmesan eggs into the pan, and keep everything moving, loosening with splashes of the pasta cooking water until you have a silky sauce. Make sure the pan isn’t too hot otherwise the eggs will scramble.
  6. Plate up the pasta, and finish with an extra grating of Parmesan.

Spicy Asian Pork Cabbage Rolls

Based on the recipe From a Chefs Kitchen

Spicy Asian Pork Cabbage Rolls overhead shot of entire pan on blue board with white metal spoon

SAUCE

  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1 small can  tomato paste
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon Sriracha hot sauce (or to taste)
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoons minced ginger
  • 2 tablespoons corn flourCABBAGE AND FILLING
  • Oil or non-stick cooking spray
  • Salt
  • 1 large head green cabbage
    1 1/2 cups shredded cabbage
  • 1 carrot grated
  • 500g pork mince pork
  • 1 cup cooked brown rice or 1pack Uncle Bens Brown rice
  • 1 bunch of spring onions sliced
  • 4 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon minced ginger
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 tablespoons black sesame seeds

Instructions

  1. SAUCE: Whisk all the sauce ingredients together in a small saucepan until the corn flour dissolves. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 3 to 4 minutes or until thickened.
  2. Transfer 1/4 cup of the sauce to a bowl large enough to accommodate the filling you will be mixing up. Set remaining sauce aside to cool.
  3. ROLLS: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Oil or spray a 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Set aside.
  4. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Remove 12 outer leaves from the head of cabbage, being careful not to tear or break the leaves.
  5. Place three leaves at a time in the boiling water and cook 1-2 minutes or until pliable. Transfer to a clean kitchen towel or paper towels to drain and cool. Repeat with the remaining leaves.
  6. Keep the water boiling and add the shredded cabbage and grated carrot. Drain immediately in a colander and cool under cold tap water. (You just want it softened slightly so it’s easier to roll into the cabbage leaves.)
  7. Combine the shredded cabbage, carrot, pork, brown rice, all but 2 tablespoons of the spring onions, garlic, ginger, soy sauce and egg in the bowl with the reserved sauce and mix well.
  8. Cut the thick vein out of each leaf of cabbage in an upside-down V-shape. Place 1/12th of the filling in the center of each cabbage leaf.
  9. Pull the bottom “flaps” up and over the filling, overlapping them slightly. Fold in the sides and roll up.
  10. Place in the prepared baking dish. Pour the remaining sauce over the rolls.
  11. Cover with aluminum foil and bake 45 to 50 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into the center of each roll registers 165 degrees. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.

What do I do with Pickled Pork?

You may not know what to do with Pickled pork, but try these:
Firstly cut your piece into a 1/3 piece and a 2/3 piece.
Use the smaller piece in the recipe for New Orleans Red Beans and Rice

Cook the rest of your Pickled Pork in a slow cooker with a teaspoon of black peppercorns, half a lemon and a tablespoon of golden syrup.

This can be eaten with mashed potatoes, peas and braised red cabbage.

If there is still some left over, (and some mashed potato left from the above) make this yummy hash.

Pickled Pork Hash

Cooked pickled pork
Cooked drained potatoes, squashed or mashed
Finely sliced green cabbage
Maybe some left over peas?
1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard
1 tablespoon chopped capers
1 tablespoon chopped gherkins

Heat 1-2 tablespoons oil in a heavy frypan.
Add the mashed potatoes, sliced cooked pickled pork and all the other ingredients.
Stir until well combined and cook over a low to medium heat until hot and a crunchy crust starts to form on the bottom.
Turn the potato/pork mixture scraping the crunchy bits off the bottom.

Delicious.
Can be served topped with a poached or fried egg and sliced spring onions.

 

New Orleans Style Pork Red Beans and Rice

Based on a recipe from Goodeats.com

1 Cup dried Red Beans soaked overnight in salted water then drained
1 onion diced
2 sticks celery finely chopped
1 large green capsicum diced into small pieces
1-2 cloves garlic
Black  pepper
1 Tbsp sweet or a mixture of sweet and hot depending on your love of heat
Fresh thyme
1 tsp dried sage
100g smoked chorizo
1 ham hock
1 piece pickled pork
1 Tbsp lime juice or malt vinegar
1/2 teaspoon siracha sauce (optional)
Boiled rice to serve
Chopped spring onions to serve

In a heavy casserole dish fry the onion until it softens, then add the celery and capsicum.
Add the freshly ground black pepper, sage , grated garlic and smoked paprika, and sweat these together over a low heat for around 10-15 minutes with a lid on the pot.
Uncover and stir in the fresh thyme and chopped chorizo. Fry together for 3-5 minutes.
Place the ham hock and piece of pickled pork on top of the vegetables, pour the soaked beans over and add enough water or stock to cover.
Replace the lid and cook in a moderate oven for for 2 hours, checking that there is enough water, topping up if necessary.
When the ham pock is tender, remove the pot from the oven and place on the element.
Remove the meat from the ham hock and add back to the pot, discarding the bones.
Simmer uncovered until the beans are creamy.
Stir in the lime juice or vinegar and siracha.
Taste and adjust seasonings

Serve over boiled rice and top with chopped spring onions

Favourite Blueberry Muffins

Oven: 220 deg Celsius

1 to 1-1/2 cups Frozen Bay Blueberries

Sift:

2 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup sugar

Melt:
100g butter

Add:
1 cup milk
1 large egg

Sift dry ingredients twice

Melt butter add remaining ingredients & mix until smooth.

Add the dry ingredients & 1-1/2 cups of fresh or frozen blueberries to the liquid ingredients and fold together until just dampened.

Divide the mix evenly between 12 greased medium muffin pans.

Bake at 200 degrees C for 12 – 15 minutes. (Frozen berries take about 5 min longer)

Leave to stand for about 3 min before removing and cooling.

Serve warm

Ellie’s Tandoori Chicken

2 Chicken Breasts or Thighs
Tandoori Paste Mix:
1.5 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground chilli
1.5 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp ground turmeric
4 cloves garlic grated or minced
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 Tbsp oil

Use 3 Tbsp of the paste and 3 Tbsp plain yogurt to coat and marinate the chicken for 2-3 hours if possible. Overnight is good if chicken, paste and yoghurt are placed in a plastic bag and turned several times.

Fry the chicken until cooked and the juice runs clear.

Serve with yoghurt dressing:

Diced cucumber, patted dry
Diced red onion
Chopped mint
Chopped fresh coriander
Plain unsweetened yoghurt
Lime or lemon juice

 Creamy Pork Casserole

Published: Mar 3, 2017 · Nicky Corbishley

Slow Cooked Pork Casserole – perfect comfort food!

Ingredients

 2 tbsp vegetable oil
500 g diced pork
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground black pepper
¼ tsp celery salt – optional – I find it adds a nice savoury flavour
1 onion – peeled and chopped
12 button mushrooms – chopped in half
2 carrots – peeled and chopped
250 ml dry cider
420 ml chicken stock (water plus 2 stock cubes is fine)
½ tsp dried thyme
150 g chopped bacon
1 tbsp cornflour mixed with 3 tbsp cold water
60 ml cream
2 tbsp freshly chopped parsley

  • Preheat the oven to 170C/325F.
  • Heat 1 1/2 tbsp of the vegetable oil in a large casserole dish until hot. Add the pork, salt, pepper and celery salt and brown on all sides – it should take around 6-8 minutes.
  • Turn the heat down to medium and add in the onion. Cooked for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onion softens.
  • Add the mushrooms and cook for a further two minutes, then add the carrots, cider, stock and dried thyme. Turn up the heat and bring to the boil. Stir and scrape up any bits than may have stuck to the bottom of the pan. Place a lid on the pan, and place in the oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours*, until the pork flakes apart when you press it with a fork. Check a couple of times during the last hour of cooking and add a splash of water or stock if it’s starting to look a little dry.
  • Just before the casserole comes out of the oven, heat the remaining 1/2 tbsp oil in a frying pan and cook the bacon until crispy. Turn off the heat.
  • Remove the casserole from the oven and stir in the cornflour and water mixture to thicken, then stir in the cream. Taste and season with a little more salt and pepper if needed. Sprinkle on the bacon.
  • Serve with green veg on top of mashed potatoes. Sprinkle on a little chopped parsley before serving.
  • I sometimes make it with apple slices. If you do, just add them for the last 15-20 minutes of cooking so they don’t go mushy.

* You could also transfer to a slow cooker at this point and cook for 6-8 hours on low or 5-6 hours on medium.

Hearty Chorizo and Vegetable Soup

Delicious and warming, use either our Smoked Chorizo or crumble our Chorizo Meatballs to add to this hearty soup.

1 onion chopped
1 Tbsp oil
Black pepper
salt
1 Tbsp sweet smoked paprika
1 teaspoon (or to taste) hot smoked paprika
2 Smoked Chorizo Sausages, skinned and chopped or
4 Chorizo Meatballs crumbled
2 potatoes peeled and chopped into 1/2 cm cubes
1 carrot chopped into 1/2 cm cubes
100g chopped silverbeet of spinach
1 can chopped tomatoes in juice
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1-2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

Fry the onions in the oil until soft.
Add the black pepper, salt, paprikas and chorizo and fry until the chorizo begins to brown.
Add the potato and carrot and cook for a further 5-10 minutes until the vegetables are about half cooked.
Add the spinach  and potatoes and cook until the vegetables are tender.
Add the brown sugar and balsamic vinegar to taste.
Process the mixture in a food processor on pulse to roughly chop up and blend the soup.
Serve hot with crusty bread.

 

Beef Mince with Red Capsicum, Mushrooms, Spinach and Quinoa

500g Beef mince
1 Tbsp oil
Salt and pepper
1-2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 beef stock cube or 1 tsp beef stock powder
1 Cup NZ Quinoa cooked as per direction, drain
2 red capsicum sliced
1 cup portabello or button mushrooms sliced
100g baby spinach
2 Tbsp lemon juice
Fresh chopped coriander to garnish

Fry the beef mince in the oil, add the cumin, salt and pepper. brown until the mince starts to crisp.
Remove the mince mix from the frypan.
Fry the mushrooms and peppers until nearly cooked. Add the stock cube, baby spinach and cooked, drained quinoa.
Toss all together until the spinach is cooked.
Season with added salt, black pepper and lemon juice.
Top with corianderif desired.

Devilled Sausages

@thekiwicountrygirlirl

Ingredients

  • 8-10 sausages
  • 1 onion , sliced
  • 1 apple , cored and cut in cubes
  • 1 cup beef stock
  • 1 x 400 gram tin chopped tomatoes
  • 1/4 cup fruit chutney
  • 2 Tablespoons tomato sauce
  • 1 Tablespoon Worchestershire sauce
  • 1 Tablespoon ground coriander
  • 2 teaspoons allspice
  • Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

Slow cooker (4-8 hours)

  1. Add all ingredients to the slow cooker, stir together well and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours. If desired, stir through 2 cups frozen peas 15 minutes before serving.
  2. Serve with mashed potatoes.

Oven (2 hours)

  1. Add all ingredients to a large casserole dish, stir together well, cover and cook at 180°C for 2 hours. If desired, stir through 2 cups frozen peas 30 minutes before serving.
  2. Serve with mashed potatoes.

Multi cooker/Instant Pot

  1. Optional: Turn on the multi cooker/instant pot and select “brown/saute”. Heat 1 Tablespoon of oil in the bottom and brown the sausages (about 5 minutes)
  2. Add all remaining ingredients to the pot, close the lid, ensure the valve is in the sealed position and select “pressure cook/manual” set time for 30 minutes on high pressure and press start.
  3. Once finished cooking, allow the pressure to naturally release for 10 minutes before releasing the valve and serving with mashed potatoes.

Slow cooker prep bag instructions

  1. Label a large snaplock bag (or large sandwich size bag) with the name, date and cooking instructions. Mix up all sauce ingredients in a jug and add to the snaplock bag along with the sausages if fresh. If you are like us and have frozen homekill sausages, you might be able to pop them out of the packet and put them in the bag still frozen, otherwise just store the sauce bag with instructions for cooking next to your sausages in the freezer, ready to pull out together!

 

Green Chicken Curry

1 medi

um onion chopped
1 Tbsp oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp green curry paste
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 chicken thighs
1 chicken stock cube
1-2 cups water
1 can coconut milk
1 large potato peeled and cut into 1cm cubes
1 med piece pumpkin peeled and cut into 1cm cubes
1 cup chopped vegetables (whatever you have, spinach, broccoli, beans, cauliflower)
1-2 Tablespoons lime juice
Salt to taste
Fresh coriander to garnish

In a heavy casserole dish or saucepan, heat the oil and fry together the onion, black pepper, curry [paste coriander and cumin.
When the onion is soft add the chicken thighs and brown.
Add the stock cube, coconut milk, water, potatoes and pumpkin and enough extra water to just cover. Place a lid on the dish and simmer for about 30-40 minutes until the chicken and vegetables are tender.
Remove the lid and bring the curry to a boil until the liquid starts to thicken.
Add the chopped vegetables, and stir into the mix.
Cook for a further 10-15 minutes until tender.
Stir in the lime juice and season with salt and black pepper.
Serve with cooked rice.

 

 

Meatballs with Spanish Rice

1 pack Holly Beef and Bacon Meatballs
Seasoned Flour
Oil to fry
170g long grain rice
50g butter
1 onion finely chopped
1 small green capsicum chopped
2 sticks celery chopped
1 tin chopped tomatoes
salt and pepper
1 tsp smoked paprika

Roll the meatballs in the flour and fry until cooked.
Boil the rice in plenty of salted water until tender and drain.
In a frypan melt the butter and add the onion, smoked paprika, capsicum and celer, cook gently for about 15 minutes.
Add the tomatoes and seasonings and when hot, stir in the rice and meatballs.
Heat all together, stirring, then arrange onto a hot serving dish.

Quick Crispy Pork Mince, Vegetables and Rice

1 Tbsp oil
1/2 onion finely chopped
500g Pork Mince
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
3/4 Cup water or stock
1 large carrot peeled and grated
2 Cups finely sliced cabbage
1 Tbsp dark soy sauce
1 Cup long grain rice

Cook the rice in plenty of boiling water until tender. Drain and set aside.
Fry the onion in the oil until soft.
Add the pork mince and break it up until it is separated. Season with salt and pepper, coriander and cumin.
Cook the pork until it starts to crisp.
Add the grated carrot and shredded cabbage and stir into the pork mix.
Add the water or stock and the cooked rice and cook until the vegetables are tender.
Stir in the soy sauce to taste.

Cheese and Herb Sausage Flan

100g short crust pastry
1 onion, chopped
4 rashers Holly Bacon or 1 pack Holly Bacon Pieces
Oil for frying
4 Holly Pork Sausages or Toulouse Sausages, skinned.
1 Tbsp chopped fresh herbs (sage, parsley, thyme are all good)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2-3 eggs whisked
100g grated cheese

Turn the oven on to 200 degrees C
Line a 15cm flan dish with the pastry.
Cut the bacon into smallish pieces.
Fry the onion and bacon in the oil until golden and drain well.
Place pieces of the sausage meat evenly over the pastry base,  spread the onion, bacon and herb mixture over the top and season with salt and pepper. M
Pour the whisked eggs over the pastry base and sprinkle with cheese.
Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until the pastry is set.
Reduce the oven temperature to 180 degrees C and cook for a further 25 minutes until the sausage meat is cooked.
Serve with a green salad.

Kumara Bacon and Orange Salad

500g Kumara (we used red but any are good)
200g Bacon pieces chopped
100g green beans
1-2 oranges, segmented and cut ibnto pieces
1 glove garlic
Juice 1 lemon
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 teaspoon Dijon or seedy mustard
Toasted walnuts (optional)

Wash and cut Kumara into  pieces, cook until soft
Boil beans until tender.

Fry chopped bacon until crispy and toast walnuts.
Mix all ingredients together ans serve warm.

Amazing Meatballs

From Anna @ Just a MumNZ

Ingredients

  • –Meatball Ingredients–
  • 500g lean beef mince
  • 250g sausage meat
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup breadcrumbs (I often blitz stale bread or buns if none on hand)
  • 2 teaspoons curry powder
  • 2 Tablespoons chopped parsley (or coriander)
  • 1 large finely chopped onion (I only use half as not an onion fan)
  • –Sauce–
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup tomato sauce
  • 2 Tablespoons vinegar
  • 3 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 teaspoon sweet chilli sauce (I reduce to 1 if not sure how hot people like it)
  • 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons Fruit Chutney

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 200C
  • In a large bowl place all of the meatball ingredients, I lightly whisk egg before adding.
  • Combine together with a strong wooden spoon or get your hands in there!
  • Form into small balls (tsp size is best for bitesized) by rolling a small amount between your hands
  • Place into a lightly greased roasting dish with a little space between
  • Bake in a moderate oven for 25-30 minutes until becoming golden brown
  • While this is cooking add the sauce ingredients to a medium sized saucepan and set aside.
  • Once meatballs are golden remove from oven and carefully pour off any excess fat and set aside
  • In a medium sized saucepan bring the sauce ingredients to the boil
  • Pour over meatballs and return the roasting dish to the oven for a further 20 minutes.
  • Done!
  • These are delicious served hot or cold.

Halloumi Fries

These are a great do ahead of time snack, as the crumbed halloumi batons can be on baking trays in the refrigerator until ready to cook.

Serves 4

¼ cup cornflour

2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups panko breadcrumbs
500g Origin Earth Halloumi, cut into 1cm thick batons
rice bran oil, to deep-fry

1 Place cornflour, eggs and panko breadcrumbs in three separate bowls.

2 Dip halloumi batons in cornflour to lightly coat, then dip into eggs, and finally roll panko breadcrumbs to coat. Place coated batons on a large baking tray lined with baking paper and chill for at least 20 minutes or until required.

3 Pour about 10cm of oil into a large saucepan, place over medium heat and heat until the oil reaches 180°C. Alternatively, cook in a deep-fryer.

4 Working in batches, cook the halloumi batons for 4 minutes or until golden. Drain on absorbent paper. Repeat with remaining halloumi batons until they are all cooked. Best served immediately with a selection of dipping sauces.

Risotto with Bacon and Seasonal Vegetables

bdroil then the chopped bacon.
Fry until crispy , remove the bacon from the pan and set aside to add later, saving the oil in the pan.Add the chopped onion to the pan and cook until clear, than add the Arborio rice.
Cook the rice for about 5 minutes in the oil stirring until the rice is slightly toasted
Add 2 cups stock or water and simmer the rice and onion for about 10 minutes. The rice will absorb the liquid, top up as necessary to keep the risotto mix moist.
Just before the rice is fully cooked, add the vegetables to the pan and cook for 5-7 minutes, until the vegetables aare firm and the rice is cooked.
Add the lemon juice, cooked bacon and cheese. Stir to mix.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.

 

+-Annabel Langbein’s Roast Pork Rack with Fennel, Onions and Apple Bacon Scratchings

 

Any dish that can be prepared in advance and left to take care of itself appeals to me. You could use any pork roast for this dish. If using a pork rack, ask your butcher to score the skin, trim or ‘French’ the rack and shorten the bones.

Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: Approx 2 hours
Serves: 6-8

– 1 whole pork rack (approx 2.5kg or 9-10 chops), skin scored finely
– 1 tsp fennel seeds
– salt and ground black pepper
– 2 red onions, peeled and cut into thin wedges
– 2 apples or pears, cored and sliced into thin wedges
– 1 head fennel, thinly sliced (optional)
– 4-5 bay leaves
– 2 cups Verjuice or white wine

Preheat oven to 240ￚC. Pat the pork skin dry with a paper towel. Grind the fennel seeds and rub them into the exposed flesh (not the rind) of the pork. Season with salt and pepper.

Place the onion, apple or pear and fennel, if using, in a large roasting dish and top with the bay leaves. Place the pork on top, skin side up. Pour the Verjuice or wine around the pork, avoiding the skin of the pork as it needs to be dry to create crackling. If desired, wrap the exposed bones with tinfoil to prevent browning.

Roast at 240ￚC for 25 minutes until the pork skin begins to crackle, taking care it does not burn. Reduce the heat to 160ￚC and cook for another 1ﾽ hours. Check occasionally, adding a little water to the dish if it looks like it’s drying out. There should still be quite a lot of liquid at the end so you can spoon the juices over the meat to serve.

Remove the pork from the oven, remove the foil, if using, and stand the rack for about 5 minutes before carving. Slice between the bones to separate into cutlets. Serve on a bed of the cooked onion, apple or pear and fennel from the roasting dish, with the juices spooned over the top.

 

+-Moorish Bacon Scratchings


small bacon scratchings

These absolutely delicious nibbles are made from bacon skin, as opposed to the usual pork skin.
Simply cut the bacon skin into strips, plcae evenly on an oven proof tray and fan bake at 180 degrees C for about an hour and a half until the skin is dry and crisp.

It is a good idea to pour off the bacon fat as it cooks out, this will help them crisp faster.
Don’t waste the bacon fat, it is delicious added to roasting vegetables or browning meat for casseroles

 

+-Smoked Pork Pasta with Harissa

 

1-2 Smoked Pork Fillets
1 small onion chopped
1 small head broccoli cut into small floreyts
Olive oil
1 Tbsp soya sauce
Juice 1 lemon
1 tsp Harissa (Orcona make a beautiful one)
Penne pasta

Place the smoked pork fillets on an oiled tray, and bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes at 180 degrees until cooked.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Cut each fillet in half then use two forks to shred the meat into long threads.
Cook the pasta till al dente, drain and add a little oil to prevent sticking.

In a large frypan, fry the onion till transparent in a little oil then add the broccoli, 2-3 tablespoons of water, the soya sauce and cover to cook until the broccoli in still crunchy and bright green, about 5-7 minutes.

Add the shredded pork, lemon juice and Harissa and mix.

Add the cooked pasta and toss everything together.

Serve in warmed pasts bowls.

 

+-Brunoro Black Figs with Pancetta

These figs are small and firm which makes them ideal for cooking like this.
Pancetta is the cured and dried belly of pork, spiced and peppered which marries well with the sweetness of the figs.

Remove any excess stalk, slice the figs in half then just split the neck of each half with a knife.
Wrap each fig half in Holly pancetta and fix with a toothpick.

Place on an oven tray and in a moderate oven 180 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until the pancetta has turned crisp.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool before serving.

 

+-Holly Ham with Cream Cheese and Walnuts

 

I used hams that were sliced on bacon thickness, which we are able to do. Just phone us the day before you need it and we can arrange this for you. Or you could use two thinner slices on each layer.

400g Origin Earth Cream Cheese
9 thick slices Holly Ham
100g fresh walnuts chopped

Mix the cream cheese with the walnuts. Spread some of this mix over one layer of the ham. Place another layer of ham, repeat spreading the cream cheese, walnut mix, and top with the third layer of ham.

This recipe will make three stacks.

Wrap the stacks in cling film and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
Remove from the refrigerator, and take off the cling film.

Cut each stack into approx. 1cm cubes, insert a toothpick through each one and serve.

 

+-Fig Glazed Holly Ham

 

I used half a ham on the bone, but it is just as easy to glaze a piece of boneless ham, simply remove the skin the same way leaving the fat on the meat.

1 Jar Te Mata Fig award winning fig jam
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp dry mustard powder
Juice 1/2 lemon (to taste)

Mix ingredients together and pat onto the fat of the ham. Place ham in an oven proof dish and warm through, oven at 120 degrees celsius for around an hour.

Carve and serve the ham warm, not hot, you will find it much easier to slice.

 

+-Chilli Bacon Pasta

 

Sauce
300gm Holly bacon rind removed, chopped finely
1 onion chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, optional
1 red chilli sliced finely
1 tin chopped tomatoes in juice
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tsp fresh oregano, chopped
salt (not much required because of the bacon)
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 cup water or red wine (what a choice!!)
Penne pasta to cook

Fry the chopped Holly Bacon until starting to crisp. Remove the bacon from the pan, drain excess fat (if any) leaving around 2 tbsp add the onion and fry to soften. Add garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes.

Place bacon back in the pan together with the rest of the sauce ingredients.

Simmer for 5-10 minutes. Serve over cooked penne pasta and top with parmesan if desired.

Serves 4
Delicious and warming.