Crock Pot Pork Cheeks with Celeriac Purée

Pork cheeks has to be one of our favourite cuts of meat and they lend themselves perfectly to a slow cooker. You will have to ask a butcher for them and probably order in advance but I totally recommend you do, you wont regret it. I usually serve one cheek as a starter but today we had 2 each as a main with a bigger portion of purée and a side of vegetable sauteed in garlic butter.

Ingredients:

10x Pig cheeks
2x Onions, diced
2x Carrots, peeled and diced
2x Leeks, sliced
1x Parsnip, peeled and sliced
3tbsp Caraway seeds
1tbsp Black peppercorns
1tsp Dried thyme
2x Garlic cloves, crushed
280g Tomato purée
1x Bottle of red wine
2x Bay leaves
1x Pint of beef stock

For the Purée:
1x Celeriac
2x Large potatoes
Double cream
Butter


Method:

1. Dust the cheeks in flour, season then brown in a frying pan before placing in the slow cooker.
2. Cook all the veg, herbs and seeds in the frying pan for about 20 minutes until beginning to caramelise.
3. Add the tomato purée, stir through and cook for a further 5 minutes then pour in the bottle of wine and bring to a simmer for 5 minutes, followed by the beef stock for another 5 minutes.
4.  Pour the whole lot into the slow cooker and leave on low all day.
5. Peel and chop into chunks the celeriac and potatoes. Bring to a boil in a pan then simmer until soft. Drain the water, return to the heat and pour in a substantial amount of cream then mash with a fork until smooth. Add a big blob of butter and season to taste.
6. Remove the cheeks and set aside. Sieve the cooking liquor to make a rich sauce then plate up! Serve with some nice veg, I sauteed some runner beans, broad beans and courgettes in garlic and butter.

Black and White Pudding Stovies

After spending the day in Scotland we wanted to end with a traditional Scottish meal but the obvious haggis didn't appeal to Mrs Larry. Enter stovies! Stovies is my type of meal and is basically left overs bunged into a pan on the stove with some potatoes and onion. There are hundreds of stovies recipes out there but as we had just purchased some Ramsay black pudding and white pudding from Gretna Green my stovies had to include that.

Ingredients:

220g White pudding, diced
320g Black pudding, diced
750g Meat mince, we used pork
1kg Charlotte potatoes (or any waxy spud), sliced
2x Onions, sliced
2x Garlic cloves, crushed
2x Smoked bacon rashers, diced
2x Spring onions, sliced for garnish.
1x Stock cube
1tsp Dried mixed herbs
1tbsp Soy sauce
1tbsp Cornflour, mixed with water to make a slurry

Method:

1. Brown the mince and bacon in a big frying pan or wok. Set aside in a casserole dish but retain the fat in the pan.
2. Cook the onions in the fat until translucent then add the potatoes and garlic, continue cooking and stirring for 5 minutes then transfer the dish with the pork.
3. Deglaze the pan with about 500ml of water then add the stock cube, soy sauce, herbs and cornflour. Pour into the casserole dish.
4. Add the white pudding to the casserole and mix well then put the lid on.
5. Turn the oven on to gas mark 4 and pop the casserole dish in there for about 2 hours.
6. When the stovies is done quickly fry up the black pudding cubes until they are just crispy.
7. Plate up with some nice green veg and top your stovies with the black pudding and spring onions.

Longleat Slow Cooker Pork and Bacon

After spending a chilly winters day in Longleat Safari Park and Festival of Light, the thought of returning to the cosy van with a slow cooker stew waiting to be dished up was simply divine. No cooking needed to be done as this stew has enough veggies, proteins and carbs in it so it was just a case of fill up a bowl and tuck in.

Ingredients:

750g Stewing pork
4x Rashers smoked back bacon, chopped
150g Baby button mushrooms
1x Onion, diced
1x Red pepper, chopped
1x green pepper, chopped
1x garlic clove, crushed
6x Shallots, peeled
300g Mini carrots, peeled
600g Potatoes, peeled and chopped into equal sizes
1x Parsnip, peeled and chopped
1/2 Celeriac, peeled and chopped
300g Broth mix (pearl barley, lentils, etc)
1tsp Dried mixed herbs
1tsp Caraway seeds
1tsp Smoked paprika
1x Bay leaf
2L Stock, hot
2x Slices of bread


Method:

1. Season the meat with salt and pepper then brown in batches in a frying pan and add to the slow cooker.
2. Add all the remaining ingredients and cover with the hot stock (you might not need it all). Top with the slices of bread and cook on low for 10 hours.
3. Stir well and dish up!

Tip:
Adding slices of bread to the top of a casserole works as a thickening agent. the bread slowly melts into the stew and thickens it. I learned about this tip from the Belgium recipe of Stoofvlees.

Homemade Pork Pie

Football fans the world over will be rejoicing today when Leicester City Football Club are presented with the Premier League trophy and are crowned champions of England. With odds of 5000-1 at the start of the season it has truly been an epic and historical journey, today is great day for English football. Coincidentally we are staying on a small CS site in Leicestershire so in celebration I have made a Pork Pie. The world-famous pork pie has it's home in Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire so I cannot think of a more apt celebration of Leicestershire's greatness.

I cannot take the credit for this recipe as it is taken from The River Cottage Meat Book by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. Every year at Christmas my great mate Pete would make a batch of these pies and we would always look forward to sampling his creations on Pork Pie Day. Pete used to be a chef in the RAF and a lot of my inspirations to cook came from our long chats over a beer or two. Sadly Pete is no longer with us but I like to think he would be proud of my attempt at the humble Pork Pie, maybe I'll make one at Christmas.

Ingredients:

1kg Pork shoulder, hand cut into small cubes
250g Sausage meat
250g Bacon, diced
12x Sage leaves, finely chopped
1tsp Thyme leaves, finely chopped
1tsp Salt
1tsp Black pepper
1tsp White pepper
1/2tsp Cayenne pepper
1/2tsp Mace powder
250ml Stock
Gelatine
2x Bottles of beer

For the pastry:
100g Lard
100g Butter
200ml Water
550g Plain flour
1tsp salt
3x Eggs, 2 for the pastry and 1 to glaze


Method:

1. In a saucepan warm the water, butter, lard and salt until it has all melted then take off the heat.
2. Put the flour and 2 beaten eggs into a mixing bowl and stir until combined.
3. Pour in the melted fatty water and mix then knead to make a warm soft dough. Cover in cling film and pop it in the fridge for an hour.
4. Sit down, put your feet up, enjoy drinking a bottle of beer.
5. In your mixing bowl add all the meat, herbs and seasonings and combine well.
6. Cut off 1/4 of your pastry and leave it in the fridge then with the remaining 3/4 line a cake tin (I used a 21cm tin). Simply work the pastry with your fingers, flattening it and poking into the edges until the tin is evenly lined.
7. Its not hard this bit, put the meat into the pie.
8. Brush the edges of the pastry with a bit of egg then roll out the remaining 1/4 of pastry and lay it on top of the pie. Crimp the edges with your fingertips and cut off any excess, also cut a small hole in the centre of the lid.
9. Bake in the oven on gas mark 4 for 30 minutes then turn down to gas mark 3 for a further 75 minutes.
10. Sit down again and have another beer.
11. Remove from the oven and remove the pie from the tin. Brush the beaten egg over the top and sides and pop it back in the oven for a further 15 minutes so the glaze sets.
12. Remove the pie from the oven and allow to cool slightly.
13. Warm your stock and gelatine in a saucepan then pour it into the small hole in the centre of the lid. Use a small funnel, turkey baster or flavour injector and slowly fill until the pie is full to the brim.
14. When cool put the pie in the fridge. Serve it cold with English mustard, it cannot be beat.

Pork Chops with Scallops and Bacon in Somerset Cider Sauce

One of our favourite cuts of meat is a thick juicy pork chop, it really takes some beating with cider sauce and as we are in Somerset it's a no brainer. We are on a bit of a low carb diet at the moment so out goes the usual mashed potato in favour of a few scallops. It's really easy this dish, using one pan and one oven tray, but is so tasty I'm sure you will want to cook it again and again.

Ingredients:

Pork chops, thick cut and bone in, from the local butchers if possible
Scallops
Cabbage, shredded
1x Onion, halved and sliced
Garlic cloves, as many as you like, I used a whole head
Bacon, diced
Cider


Method:

1. Turn the oven on to gas mark 7.
2. In a frying pan add a glug of oil and your garlic bulbs with the skin on. Gently fry for a minute then remove.
3. Season the chops then get the pan nice and hot and sear both sides for about a minute each. Set the chops aside in your oven tray and put the garlic cloves on top of them.
4. Pour in the cider and bring to a boil, reduce by half then pour over the chops.
5. Put the chops in the oven for 20 minutes.
6. Wipe the frying pan out, add a glug of oil and gentle sweat off the onion for 5 minutes.
7. Add the diced bacon and cook for another 5 minutes.
8. In goes the cabbage for another 5 minutes. Keep stirring so it doesn't burn.
9. Season the cabbage to taste then plate up.
10. In the frying pan add another glug of oil and fry the scallops on one side for 2 minutes.
11. While the scallops are cooking top the cabbage with the pork chops and garlic cloves.
12. Turn the scallops over and cook the other side for 1 minute.
13. Plate up! I like lots of black pepper with this dish so fill your boots and give it a good dusting.


Tips:

1. If you like crispy pork fat like us hold the chops with tongues skin side down in the pan for a minute or two during searing.
2. If you like your sauce a little thicker add a cornflower and water mix during the reduction phase.

Pork and Mushroom Stroganoff with Fries and Baby Kale

We have got quite a bit of pork leftover from the roast on Sunday and as it is our last night away this trip we are eating up. Traditionally stroganoff is made with beef but there are so many variations why not try it with pork. It is usually made with paprika but as we have some paprika packed chorizo to eat up I'm using that instead. You can serve it with rice or pasta but in Russia the side is always matchstick thin potato chips. Now there is no chance I'm going to risk a Clarkson-esque disaster deep frying in the van so frozen oven ready french fries it is!

Ingredients:

Cooked pork cut into strips
Mushrooms, quartered
Red onion, peeled halved and sliced
Garlic clove, peeled and diced
Soured cream
Chorizo, about half a ring, peeled and chopped
Baby kale leaves
Oven ready french fries
Parsley
Bread and butter


Method:

1. Put the chips in the oven as per packet instructions. A tip is to make sure the tin is red hot before pouring the chips in, by doing this they shouldn't stick.
2. Get a saucepan full of water boiling in order to blanch the kale later.
3. In a frying pan cook the chorizo until it starts to release its fat then add the onion slices and cook until translucent.
4. Bung in the mushrooms and stir until cooked.
5. In goes the cooked pork and garlic, stir for a minute then pour in the soured cream.
6. Blanch the kale for 3 minutes.
7. Season the strog and plate up! Top with chopped parsley and serve with some nice crusty buttered bread.

Slow Roast Pork Shoulder with Wild Garlic Porridge

As we are in Gloucestershire we just had to treat ourselves to some Gloucester Old Spot pork and a slow roast shoulder joint was just perfect for a lazy day hanging around the caravan site. I love roasting pork in the caravan, the hot temperatures at the top of the oven make perfect crackling whilst the meat stays juicy and moist.

As part of the #PerfectPorridge campaign Flahavans sent me a lovely porridge parcel to use during this trip and savoury wild garlic porridge with those big meaty oats worked a treat with the pork. We foraged the wild garlic from the local lanes too, which made it all the more appealing.

Ingredients:

Pork shoulder, 2kg
Porridge oats
Carrots
Chia seeds
Potatoes
Wild garlic, half a carrier bag full
1x Garlic clove, peeled and diced
1x Banana shallot
3x Chestnut mushrooms, diced
Sugar
Butter
Chicken stock cube
Parmesan cheese
White Wine
White wine vinegar
1x Sage leaf
Cornflour


Method:

1. The pork takes about 6 hours so start early with this one and make sure the butcher has scored the skin, if he hasn't use a stanley knife to cut regular incisions about 1cm apart. Massage a little oil into the skin and then rub salt into all the incisions. Place in the oven on gas mark 7 for about 20 minutes then turn down to gas 3 for the remaining time. Baste with the juices regularly.
2. Peel and chop the potatoes and get them soaking in water. Change the water every hour or so when you baste the pork. This will help remove some of the starch.
3. Bring a pan of water to the boil and bung in the washed wild garlic leaves. Blanch for 3 minutes then drain and rinse under a cold tap. Reserve the cooking water.
4. In a mini food processor or using a hand blender whiz up the leaves with a bit of the cooking water. When you have a lovely green sauce push it through a fine meshed sieve and dispose of the leaf pulp. Keep the green sauce for the oats.
5. Drain the potatoes and fill up with salted water this time. Boil for about 10-15 minutes then drain and allow to cool.
6. When the pork is done remove from the oven, loosely cover with foil and set aside to rest. Separate the fat from the meat juices.
7. Turn the oven up to gas 7 and put the meat fat in a roasting tin and on the top oven shelf. When the fat is nice and hot gently pour the potatoes in and give them a mix, making sure they are totally covered in fat. Season with salt and get back in the oven.
8. In a saucepan sweat off the shallot for a few minutes then add the mushrooms and garlic clove and continue cooking for a couple of minutes.
9. Add the oats to the shallots and stir for a minute before adding the cooking water from the wild garlic. Crumble in half the stock cube and a splash of white wine vinegar.
10. When the oats are almost done grate in a chunk of Parmesan and add the wild garlic green sauce. Mix well, season if needed. Tip: If you make too much wild garlic sauce freeze the leftovers in ice cube trays so you can simply pop in a cube of green garlic goodness into any future recipe.
11. Peel and slice the carrots and place in a frying pan with a teaspoon of sugar, knob of butter and half a cup of water. Cook over a medium heat until the liquid has gone and the carrots are all shiny. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle on some chia seeds if you have them.
12. For the gravy heat the meat juices with a glass of white wine and enough extra water if needed. Add a sage leaf and the other half of the stock cube. Reduce down a little, taste and add more stock if needed. Thicken with a bit of cornflour mixed with water.
13. All that's left to do is plate up and enjoy with a glass of the remaining white wine!

Feijoada - Brazilian Black Bean and Sausage Stew

My son Max is studying Brazil at school and his homework is to research the national cuisine and cook an authentic dish at home, well in our case in the caravan. After a bit of googling we found this national dish called feijoada, which is basically a bean and sausage stew. We have taken a few sacrilegious shortcuts as we are in the van, and Max is only 7 so it needs to be easy to cook. Traditionally only dried black beans should be used where we have used tinned, and instead af raw ham hock we used a cooked one from Asda's rotisserie. Thank you to Elise and Hank for the recipe.

 

Ingredients:

1x tin of black beans (or any beans if you cant get black)
1x tray of diced pork
1x tin of corned beef, chopped into cubes
 Half of a chorizo ring, skinned and chopped up
1x cooked ham hock
1x packet of sausages (we used precooked cocktail)
1x onion diced
2x carrots, peeled and sliced
2x cloves of garlic
2x bay leaves
1x tin of tomatoes
Lemon juice


Method:

Its not rocket science this, basically just bung it all in a pan.

1. In a big pan heat some oil and sweat off the onions.
2. Add the diced pork to the pan and brown.
3. Add the garlic and chorizo, letting it release all that lovely paprika goodness.
4. Add the tin of tomatoes and half a tin of water.
5. Add the corned beef, carrots and bay leaves.
6. Add the beans.
6. Add the cooked sausages and stuff the hock into the centre of the pan.
7. Simmer gently for about 30 minutes then season with salt and pepper and a squirt of lemon juice.

Serve with rice and any greens, we used broccoli, French beans and basil leaves.

Crispy Skin Pork Belly on Celeriac Mash

I think pork belly is one of the best things you can cook in a caravan oven. The traditional gas oven gets so hot at the top that it produces the crispiest skin on the juiciest meat. It is easy and so delicious!

 

Ingredients:

Pork belly - get the butcher to cut it into individual portions
Celeriac, peeled and chopped into chunks
Potatoes, peeled and chopped into chunks
Butter
Carrots, peeled and sliced lengthways, a bit like chips.
Baby sweetcorns
Asparagus
Shallots
Cider - I prefer dry and vintage if possible

Method:

1. Turn the oven on to gas 6.
2. Chop shallots and carrot and place in the bottom of a baking tray, cover the veg with water.
3. Place the pork on top of the veg and then massage into the skin some oil and salt.
4. Shove it in the oven on the top shelf for about an hour but keep checking it. When its done pour the juices into a pan then put the pork back in the oven, place on bottom shelf then turn the oven off.
5. Now boil the celeriac and potatoes together.
6. Pour a bottle of cider, less a swig for chef, into the pork juice pan and get boiling to reduce.
7. In a shallow pan put a knob of butter, a glass of water, a pinch of salt and a sprinkling of sugar. Gently simmer the carrots for 5 minutes then add the sweetcorn for another 5 minutes, finally adding the asparagus for the last 5 minutes. All the liquid should disappear and you're left with juicy, shiny and sweet veggies.
8. When the sauce has reduced down take off the heat and add a knob of butter, whisk through.
9. Mash the celeriac and spuds together with more butter and salt and pepper.
10. Serve. Yum!

Porky Porky Yum Yums

Here is a mini festival to the wonderful pig that was derived from simply using up stuff in the fridge. Mini pork towers comprising of black pudding, a slice of new potato, chorizo and a ball of sausage meat, bacon wrapped asparagus, pork liver paté stuffed mushrooms also wrapped in bacon, roasted garlic and a cider sauce. The mushrooms were based on the success of the Garlicky Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms we did the other night.

Ingredients:

Black pudding cut into 1cm slices
Chorizo, skinned and cut into 1cm slices.
Sausages skinned and rolled into meatballs
Bacon
Pork liver paté
Big mushrooms
Asparagus
Garlic
Cider
Cream
Chives

Method:

1. In a pan get a bottle of cider boiling to reduce.
2. Pull the stalk out of the mushroom (don't throw it away, keep it as you might be making a gravy or sauce later and the stalks are full of flavour).
3. Stuff the 'shroom with the paté.
4. Wrap with the bacon and secure with a wooden cocktail stick. A good tip is to soak the cocktail sticks in water for half an hour beforehand so they don't burn so much.
5. Shove in the oven on top shelf on gas 6.
6. Wrap 4 or 5 asparagus spears with a rasher or 2 of bacon and place in the oven on bottom shelf.
7. In a small oven dish drizzle the garlic cloves with oil and put in the oven on the bottom shelf.
8. Brown the meatballs in a frying pan then place on the bottom shelf of the oven.
9. Sauté the potato slices in the same frying pan then place on top shelf of the oven.
10. Fry the chorizo and black pudding until done.
11. Take the cider sauce off the heat and add a small dollop of cream some chopped chives
12. Everything should be just about done now so make your towers and plate up.

Pork Chop in Cider Sauce with Garlic Mash and Pancetta Cabbage

This is a family favourite from an original recipe by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall called Pan to Oven Pork Chops and featured in his Meat book. First cooked in May 2013 at High Onn then revisited in August 2014 at Stamford Top Lodge.

 

Ingredients:

2x Pork chops, nice and thick ones from the butcher
1x Garlic bulb
1x Cabbage
1x Leek
5x Rashers of pancetta or streaky bacon
1x teaspoon of caraway seeds
1x Bottle of dry cider
Potatoes, enough to make as much mash as you want.


Method:

1. Peel and chop spuds and put in a pan of water. Add 2 peeled cloves of garlic to pan. Set aside for now.
2. Pour the cider into a pan and get boiling to reduce by at least half.
3. Turn oven on to gas 7 (220C) and put roasting pan in.
4. In a big frying pan or wok heat a drop of oil and toss in all the remain cloves of garlic with their skins on. Turn cloves over for 1-2 minutes then remove and set aside.
5. Season the pork chops well on each side and put them in the hot frying pan. Brown both sides. I also like to hold them upright with tongs, skin side down so it gets nice and crispy.
6. In the hot roasting pan arrange the chops so the skin is sticking up. I used the ends of the leeks to prop them up. Pour the cider reduction over the meat but take care not to get any on the skin. Cover the chops with the cloves of garlic then pop the lot into the oven for 20 minutes.
7. Get the spuds boiling to make mash.
8. Chop the leeks and cabbage and take a few minutes for a slurp.
9. Chop the pancetta or bacon into slivers and fry in the frying pan for a couple of minutes. Remove and set aside.
10. Add the leek to the frying pan, sweat off for a few minutes.
11. Add the caraway seeds and chopped cabbage to the pan and keep turning.
12. Add the cooked pancetta to the pan.
13. Take the chops out of the oven and set aside to rest.
14. In the microwave or a small pan heat some milk and butter for the mash.
15. Drain and mash the spuds then fork through the hot milky butter, season to taste.
16. Taste the cider sauce and season if needed. Sometimes I put a pinch of stock in and you can thicken if you like.
17. Plate up!