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Asian Inspired Porchetta

Wednesday, December 15, 2021

Porchetta is an Italian classic but I turned it Asian by giving it a twist replacing fennel rosemary with a mixture of Sichuan peppercorns, cilantro/coriander, star anise, garlic, cumin, chilli and cinnamon and serving it with some roasted vegetables flavoured with the drippings, and if desired, some sambal sauce. It's rich, fatty, juicy, herby, aromatic with crunchy pork cracklings that I can't get enough. (imagine an audible crackling sound when you bite into it!!! Just heavenly). I would have added lemongrass to the spice paste if I had it. Again I didn't use pork loin for the stuffing. Instead of just rolling up some belly, which works great, I scored the skin then butterfly it (using a very sharp knife to separating the meaty side from the skin and opening it like a book) and roll it up. This technique gives you more flavour and much easier to shape the porchetta.
This recipe is good for 4 persons with some leftover, that make the most delicious sandwiches.

	Spice Herb Paste
2-2.2 kg Pork belly, butterflied into a single rectangular piece 2 tsp Sea salt Cherry tomatoes on the vine Belgian endive, halved Sambal oelek, to serve	1 tsp Star anise powder 1/2 tsp Cinnamon powder 2 tsp Sichuan peppercorns, ground into powder 1 tsp Cumin powder 1 tsp Coriander powder 1 tsp Chilli pepper flakes 2 tsp Sea salt 4 Garlic cloves, minced 40 g Cilantro, chopped

Pat the pork belly dry with paper towel. Use a sharp knife to score the skin in a crosshatch checkerboard pattern, cutting just into the fat layer at 1cm intervals. Generously season pork rind with salt, rubbing salt into score marks.
Place the pork belly on a cutting board with scored skin side down. Hold a really sharp knife parallel to the cutting board and place the blade halfway up the belly. Draw the blade along the edge carefully and gently start splitting the belly in half making it half as thick, leaving one end attached. So now you have one single rectangular piece.
To make the spice-herb paste, combine all the ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.
Spread the paste evenly over the pork belly. Gently roll up the pork into a log and tie it firmly with kitchen string at 3cm intervals to secure. Transfer to a large roasting pan and place in the fridge, uncovered, overnight to dry out the skin. You can also place the pork on a wire rack set on a baking tray if you don't have a roasting pan.
Remove the pork from the fridge about two hours before cooking to allow it to come to room temperature. Preheat oven to 210C/410F fan forced.
Pat the pork skin dry with paper towel. Roast for 30 minutes or until the skin starts to crackle. Reduce oven to 150C/300F fan forced. Roast for a further 1 hour 30 minutes until cooked through. Add tomatoes and endive halves next to the pork at the last 15 minutes and brush with the drippings. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 20 minutes before slicing.

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Quick Gingerbread Loaf with Hazelnuts

Sunday, December 12, 2021

A nutty version of the classic gingerbread that's wonderfully moist and full of flavour. It's spiced with ground ginger and allspice and sweetened with raw sugar and molasses. The earthy toasted hazelnuts complement this tender, robustly flavoured gingerbread perfectly. The use of molasses adds real depth of flavour and creates a slightly sticky exterior that's just irresistible. Enjoy on its own or with custard or a dollop of sweetened whipped cream. You can also take this holiday cake up a notch with this 6-Week Long Maturing Spelt Gingerbread Loaf if you could plan ahead and so you're not trying to do it all at the last minute!

175 g Unsalted butter
100 g Raw brown sugar
100 g Molasses (or golden syrup/honey)
250 ml Wholemilk
210 g All purpose flour
50 g Ground hazelnut, toasted
1 tbsp Ground ginger
1 tsp Allspice, ground
1 tsp Baking soda
100 g Hazelnuts, roasted

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Grease and flour a 20x10cm loaf pan or line the pan with parchment paper.
In a small saucepan, combine the butter, raw sugar, molasses, and milk. Bring to the boil, then remove from heat and set aside.
Sieve the flour, ground hazelnuts, ginger, allspice and baking soda into a large bowl. Stir in the boiled mixture until just blended. Fold the roasted hazelnuts into the batter and pour into the prepared pan.
Turn down the oven to 160C/320F and bake for about 70 minutes or until the top of the loaf springs back when lightly touched and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack.

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Orange Kalamata Olive Salad

Thursday, December 09, 2021

This healthy and fruity orange olive salad brings colour and joy to any dinner table. It makes an awesome accompaniment for just about any meat dish.
If blood oranges aren't available, ruby red grapefruit is an excellent substitute. Or just use more naval oranges or a mix of oranges and tangerines. Kalamata olives are harvested when they are fully mature and have a distinctive, rich, fruity taste. Use black olives instead if you wish.

2 Naval oranges, peeled and sliced
5 Blood oranges, peeled and sliced
50 g Blanched almond sticks, dry toasted
80 g Kalamata olives, rinsed
Salt and pepper, to taste
3 tbsp Raspberry balsamic glaze
1 tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil
Fresh herbs of your choice (I use spring onions, basil leaves, flat pasley leaves and arugula)

Using a sharp knife, peel naval and blood oranges thickly, removing all the bitter white pith. Thinly slice the peeled oranges crosswise, removing any pits.
Stir blanched almond sticks in a small frying pan over medium heat until toasted lightly.
Arrange orange slices on a large serving platter. Top with toasted nuts, olives and fresh herbs of your choice. Season with salt and pepper. Then drizzle with balsamic glaze and olive oil just before serving.

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Double Chocolate Rye Muffins with Coconut Cream and Date Syrup

Sunday, December 05, 2021

The moist, tender chocolate muffins are best enjoyed still warm from the oven, but they will keep for a week in an airtight container and they freeze well. Serve them with some pomegranate seeds if desired. Besides date syrup, you can use honey or maple syrup instead. For a healthier and less sweet version, replace some of it with a ripe banana or applesauce.

Dry Ingredients	Wet Ingredients
200 g Dark rye flour 80 g White spelt flour 40 g Dutch-processed cocoa powder 2 tsp Baking powder 1 tsp Baking soda 1/2 tsp Coarse sea salt, plus a pinch to sprinkle on top 100 g 50%-70% Cacao dark chocolate, coarsely chopped	3 Medium eggs, at room-temperature 250 ml Full-fat coconut milk 150 ml Date syrup 150 ml Cold-pressed olive oil

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper cases or grease a jumbo 6-cup muffin tin with olive oil and dust with a bit of flour.
Sift together the dry ingredients except the salt and chocolate in a large mixing bowl. Add half the sea salt and reserve the remainder for topping. Add half the chocolate and set the rest aside.
Beat the eggs in a separate bowl for about a minute. Then add the coconut milk, date syrup and olive oil while constantly whisking. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and use a spatula to carefully fold everything until combined.
Divide the batter among the muffin cases and top with the remaining dark chocolate. Bake for about 18 minutes for smaller muffins and 22-25 minutes for the jumbo ones until well risen and spongey and the chocolate has melted. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the remaining sea salt.

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Easy Almond Coconut Florentine

Thursday, December 02, 2021

Chewy, nutty and buttery...these classic Florentine cookies are filled with almonds, desiccated coconut flakes, dried cranberries and a caramel. They are baked until golden and crisp with a slightly chewy center. Enjoy yourself or give as a homemade gift.

100 g Butter
70 g Sugar
50 g Honey
2 tbsp White spelt flour
50 g Desiccated coconut flakes
50 g Blanched almond sticks
50 g Dried cranberries, chopped
125 g Dark chocolate couverture

Melt the butter, sugar and honey in a small saucepan over a low heat, stirring frequently.
Remove from the heat and whisk in the flour then add the coconut flakes, almond sticks and chopped cranberries.
Heat oven to 190C/ 375F. Divide the mixture into 16 silicon muffin cups. Bake for 10 minutes until golden. Leave to cool for a few minutes until firm. Cool completely.
Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a simmering saucepan of water. Turn the florentines over on the wire rack. Dip the bases of the cookies in the chocolate, then sit them upside down on a tray until set. If you like, use a fork to draw wavy lines across the chocolate when the chocolate is firm enough to hold its shape. Leave to set and then store in an airtight container.

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Baked Stuffed Onions with Ras El Hanout Chicken

Monday, November 29, 2021

Ras el hanout is a spice blend from North Africa, where it is used heavily in Moroccan cooking. This Moroccan spice blend is full of warm spices (like paprika, cumin, ginger, nutmeg, coriander, turmeric, cardamom, cayenne and mace, etc.) that gives the dish a unique aroma and exotic, robust, but slightly sweet flavour. If you don't have ras el hanout, garam masala or curry would work too. Or just use your favourite seasonings.

6 Yellow onions
250 g Carrots
1 tbsp Olive oil (plus more for drizzling)
150 ml Chicken stock
1 tbsp Parsley, chopped (plus more for garnishing)
250 g Chicken mince
1 Clove Garlic, minced
1 tsp Fresh ginger root, peeled and grated
1 tsp Ras el hanout
Salt and pepper to taste

Cut 1/2-inch slice from top of each onion and trim small amount from bottom end so onion stands upright. Peel away the outer skin. Using a melon baller or teaspoon, scoop out the insides of the onions, leaving two layers intact. Don't worry if you make a hole in the bottom.
Set aside the hollowed out onions, and coarsely chop the scooped out pieces. Peel and slice the carrots. Heat the olive oil and chopped onions in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook onions, stirring occasionally, until they are soft and have a glossy look. Remove half of them and place in a bowl. Set aside to cool briefly.
Add the sliced carrots to the skillet with the remaining onions. Cook for a few more minutes. Pour in chicken stock and bring it to a boil. Cover and cook for 15 minutes over medium heat until carrots are soft. Puree the carrot-onion-mixture until smooth. Stir in chopped parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the sauce into a casserole dish. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 190C/375F. Add chicken mince into the bowl with onions. Stir in the garlic, ginger and ras el hanout. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Divide the filling between 6 hollowed onions and place them on the top of the carrot sauce. Drizzle the onions with a little of olive oil. Bake in the middle of hot oven for 40-45 minutes, or until onions are soft and cooked, and the stuffing has turned golden brown on top.