Moroccan Style Pork Fillet

I frequently make this fish tagine, which was pretty much lifted from a Rick Stein recipe. In my opinion it can be made with both chicken and lamb too as the flavours are very robust and can handle meaty goodness as well as fishy goodness. Tonight however I lack many of the ingredients for the Chermoula, including a key one, coriander. So……I make a moroccan style pork concoction that smells absolutely amazing and has a real kick to it.  I said if it tasted good I’d blog it so here we go.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large red onion chopped
• 2 sticks celery chopped
• 2 small carrots chopped
• 500g pork fillet sliced
• 3 cloves garlic finely chopped
• good slug of strong flavoured olive oil
• tbsp ground cinnamon
• tbsp hot smoked paprika
• good pinch of saffron
• juice of 1 lemon
• good pinch sea salt
• 1 chicken Oxo cube
• Water

Optionals

• Black olives sliced
• Courgette chopped
• Chick Peas, tinned, drained

Method

1. Marinate the pork in the olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, cinnamon, parika, saffron, and salt, for around 40mins.
2. Heat the other oil in a frying pan and add the onion, celery and carrot and cook for approx 10 mins.
3. Add to the pan the marinated pork and brown lightly.
4. When browned add the chicken oxo cube and cover the meat completely with water.
5. Simmer till meat is tender.
6. If you are adding any of the optionals put them in about 15 mins before serving to ensure heated right through.

 

Now the hot smoked parika really does provide some heat so you can use sweet smoke paprika if you don’t like a bit of spice in your life. Marinating the meat ensures that it’s both tender and full of flavour so it’s well worth taking the extra time to do this step. Serve with couscous that is flavoured with olive oil, fresh tomato, lemon juice, a touch of salt, and lots of parsley and mint for freshness.

 

 

Pork Cheek Ragu

Ingredients

• tablespoon of olive oil
• 3 rashers of good  bacon
• 8 pork cheeks
• 1 fennel
• 1 onion
• 1 large carrot
• 3 cloves garlic
• 150ml milk
• 200ml white wine
• 1 tin chopped tomatoes
• 2 Oxo cubes
• 1 pint water
• dried oregano
• dried marjoram
• salt and black pepper

 

Method

1. Heat up olive oil in a frying pan, fry off the bacon till quite well done, remove from pan and put to one side.
2. To the same pan add the pork cheeks and cook on a high heat till they are browned, remove from pan and put to one side.
3. In a different pan add little more olive oil then add the chopped onion, chopped fennel and chopped carrot and cook down
4. Meanwhile  deglaze the mean pan with the wine and allow to reduce by half.  Turn the heat off.
5. Back to the carrot/onion/fennel mix, pour in the milk and reduce down by 2/3rds.  Add into that the bacon and the pork cheeks, the herbs, seasoning, and then the wine reduction.
6. Stir well then add the Oxo cubes and the tomatoes and the water and simmer for at least 2hrs adding more water when needed. The meat should be easily pulled apart with a fork when cooked.

Makes about 4-5 portions.

Great with homemade pasta

Pasta = 600g “OO” Grade flour and 6 eggs or 12 yolks.  Knead and stretch till it feels silky.  Cover with cling film and refrigerate for 20mins.  Roll out using rolling pin or pasta making machine.

 

Cook in boiling salted water for 2 mins maximum.

 

 

 

 

Pinchos Morunos – Tapas

Ingredients

• 1 piece of pork tenderloin weighing about 400g
• 2 tbsp hot smoked paprika
• 1 and half tsp ground cumin
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp oregano
• salt and pepper
• olive oil

Directions

1. Cut the tenderloin into small cubes and marinate in paprika, lemon juice, ground cumin, cayenne, and olive oil for at least 6 hours.
2. Preheat a baking tray in the oven to 180 deg C.
3. Spread the cubes on the tray evenly and cook for about 13 mins in the oven.

You can stick them on a skewer and grill or bbq these if you like but leaving them in marinade makes them lovely and tender whichever way you cook them.

Cantonese Salt and Pepper Ribs

• Pork Ribs (2 sheets is enough for 4 as a starter or accompaniment)
• 3 tbsps good sea salt, like Maldon or Cerebas
• 2 heaped tsp szechuan peppercorns
• 1 large onion roughly chopped
• 1 red pepper chopped to about 1.5cm x 2 cm
• 1 green pepper chopped as above
• 2 or 3 cloves of garlic sliced thinly
• 1 chilli (optional)
• 3 tbsp sesame oil
• ground nut oil for frying the ribs

Directions

1. Cut the sheets of ribs into individual ribs and deep fry until cooked in the groundnut oil. It’s best to do them in batches and keep the cooked ones warm until they’re all done.
2. Put the salt and peppercorns in a dry non-stick pan and gently heat through. Then grind them roughly in a mortar and pestle. You won’t need all this mixture for this recipe but if you store it in a jar in a cool dry place you will have plenty for next time.
3. In a large wok heat the sesame oil and add the onions and peppers and fry for a couple of minutes, add the ribs (again do this in batches if they won’t all fit into the wok), and two table spoons of the salt mixture, keep tossing them so they don;t stick and then add the garlic. Adding the garlic last means that it doesn’t catch and burn and keeps the flavour better. If you like it more salty then add more of the salt/pepper mixture.