Pork Belly

Coming up.....

Pork belly is a boneless cut of fatty meat^[1] from the belly of a pig. Pork belly is popular in Asian cuisine, and forms a part of many traditional European dishes such as the Alsatian Choucroute garnie, the Swiss Berner Platte, and the German Schlachtplatte. In theUnited States, bacon is most often made from pork bellies.

A 100-gram serving of pork belly typically has about 520 calories. The calorie breakdown is: 92% fat (53 g), 0% (0 g) carbohydrates, and 8% (9 g) protein.^[2]

This cut of meat is enormously popular in Chinese cuisine and Korean cuisine. In Chinese cuisine, it is usually diced, browned then slowly braised with skin on, or sometimes marinated and cooked as a whole slab. Pork belly is used to make Slowly Braised Pork Belly (紅燒肉) or Dongpo pork (東坡肉) in China (Sweet and Sour Pork is made with pork fillet). Koreans cook Samgyeopsal on a grill with garlic, often accompanied by soju. Uncured whole pork belly has more recently become a popular dish in restaurants in the United States as well.

Zucchini, Basil & Parmesan Salad

This is very simple and delicious ..The combination came  from my new cookbook POLPO..a must to have in your kitchen library ..

Juice of 1 lemon
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 heaped tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese
flaky sea salt and black pepper
 zucchini
1 large handful of rocket leaves
1 small handful of basil leaves

Make the dressing by mixing the lemon juice with the olive oil, Parmesan and a little salt and pepper

Finely slice the zucchini on an angle (use a mandolin if you have one). Put them in a bowl and mix the rocket, basil and enough of the dressing to coat.
Serve immediately

Roasted Baby Carrots

These are a great addition to any roast dinner or simply served with a steak..The added benefit of cooking then in a parcel is that it's relatively mess-free...no washing up!
Thank you Katie Quinn Davies

2 bunches baby carrots, trimmed
1/2 cup hazelnuts
5 sprigs thyme
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons dry white wine
juice of 1/2 blood orange
1 tablespoon extra olive oil
2 knobs of butter

I pre heated the oven to 180 degrees.
I placed the hazelnuts on a tray and roasted them for about 15 minutes. I then crushed them with a pestle and mortar until they were lightly crushed.

I placed a large piece of foil on a baking tray (or use baking paper) and I placed the carrots along the middle of the sheet. I scattered the thyme and seasoned them with salt and pepper. I then placed a another piece of foil over the top and folded over the sides to seal.  I left one side slightly open and poured in the wine, orange juice and olive oil and then added the butter. I closed it up and popped it in the oven for about 20 minutes until the parcel had slightly puffed up and the carrots were tender.
I then opened the parcel and placed the carrots into a serving dish and poured over the juices.  I sprinkled the hazelnuts all over and seasoned again with salt and pepper.

Delicious

Until next time.........

Mint Mashed Peas

Back from holidays and back to the kitchen........
I tried this out while Fi's Kitchen travelled up the North Coast of New South Wales...easy and delicious.
Recipe taken from Bill Granger's 'Easy" cookbook.........

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
125ml chicken stock
500g frozen peas
small handful of mint roughly chopped

I let the olive oil heat up in a saucepan over a medium heat.  I added the onion and cooked until it softened.  I then added the garlic and cooked for 2 minutes until it was slightly golden. I poured in the stock and added the peas and cooked gently for about 3 minutes until they were warmed through. I transferred the mixture into a food processor and gave it a quick pulse 3 times until it was slightly broken up. (or you can mash it lightly in the pan). I added the mint and seasoned.

Perfect with lamb chops or a rolled leg of lamb.

Until next time......