Pork – Page 6 – The Food Wife

Chorizo and Butterbean Stew with Sweet Potato and Red…

28th March 20198th April 2019
by thefoodwife

Serves 4

Sometimes you just want a bowl of warmth that you can eat with a spoon, and this is just that.

No oil is needed as the chorizo will release its own, adding extra flavour. However if you were making this a vegetarian or vegan meal, then omit the chorizo and heat a tablespoon of oil before adding the onion. You may also want to add a little more paprika, but do this at the end when you check the seasoning.

Made in just one pot it is ready in about half an hour, and can be eaten on its own; but you could also try it with some white fish, a serving of green vegetables or a chunk of crusty bread.

Ingredients:
200g chorizo ring, peeled and sliced into slices 3-4mm thick
1 onion, medium dice
1 fat clove of garlic, peeled and minced
1 heaped tsp hot paprika
1 heaped tsp smoked paprika
1 red pepper, deseeded, medium dice
1 tin butterbeans, drained
350g sweet potato, peeled and cut into 2cm cubes
150g red lentils
500g passata
700ml vegetable stock
Salt and pepper

Step 1: In a heavy bottomed sauce pan, over a medium heat, add the chorizo and let its oil come out. After a couple of minutes add the onion and stir, cooking for another five minutes.

Step 2: Add the garlic, red pepper and paprikas and stir, and cook for a minute.

Step 3: Add the beans, lentils and sweet potato, stir well and then add the passata and stock. Season with a big pinch of salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Put a lid on the saucepan, lower the heat (it should still be simmering) and cook for about 20 minutes until the potatoes are cooked and the lentils are soft.

Step 4: Check the seasoning and serve.

Pork RagÃ¹

8th February 20198th February 2019
by thefoodwife

Serves 8

This recipe uses leftover roast pork, transforming one meal into another, with minimal effort. This ragÃ¹ is similar to the ox cheek recipe I posted before, and I know it went down well, so here is a little twist for the next time you have some leftovers after your Sunday dinner!

Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
2 sticks of celery, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 heaped tsp fennel seeds
500g leftover roast pork, shredded or diced
500g passata
350ml red wine
Salt and pepper

Step 1: Heat the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat and add the celery, cook for five minutes, stirring every now and again.

Step 2: Add the garlic and fennel seeds and cook (and stir) for a further couple of minutes before adding the pork, passata and wine. Bring to a simmer, lower the heat, put a lid on the pan and cook for 45 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve 3 table spoons of sauce stirred through pasta. Portion up any leftovers and freeze for a quick and easy meal.

(Instant Pot) Sausage and Pasta Casserole

28th January 201928th January 2019
by thefoodwife

Serves 2 (+)

A perfect weeknight family meal, this sausage casserole is a one pot, Instant Pot, quick and easy satisfying meal that can be easily scaled up. The only things you scale up here are the sausages (2 per person), the carrot (1 per person), the pasta (75-100g per person) and the cups of water (1 per person). It requires about five or so minutes of work, and the Instant Pot does the rest. Itâ€™ll be on the table in no time.

N.b. If you do not have an Instant Pot, guidelines of how to cook this on the hob are included at the end.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp oil
1 red onion, large dice
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
1 pepper, deseeded, large dice
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1cm thick slices
4 sausages, cut in half (vegetarian/gluten-free if required)
150g-200g dried pasta (gluten-free if required)
500g passata
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce (vegetarian/gluten-free if required, or simply leave out)
Pinch of sugar
Ground black pepper
Pinch of salt
2 (Instant Pot) cups of water (320ml)

Step 1: Using sautÃ© mode, add the oil and onion to the Instant Pot and sautÃ© for a couple of minutes.

Step 2: Add the garlic and pepper and stir, followed by the carrots and sausages.

Step 3: Lightly brown the sausages for a couple more minutes, stirring occasionally.

Step 4: Add the wet ingredients, salt, pepper, sugar and pasta. Stir.

Step 5: Close the lid and set the valve to sealing. Manually set the Instant Pot to high pressure for half the cooking time detailed on the pasta packet. It should be around four or five minutes.

Step 6: Once the Instant Pot has finished, carefully, using a tea towel and handle of a wooden spoon, turn the valve to venting to do quick release. Check seasoning and serve!

If you are not making this in the Instant Pot you can make this on the hob; cook the pasta separately, following the packet instructions. Make the sauce (without the water) in a pan on a medium heat, following steps 1-3, then cook for about twenty minutes on a low simmer. Stir through the cooked pasta and serve.

Pork Fried Rice

15th January 201915th January 2019
by thefoodwife

Serves 4

On a visit to Vietnam a few years ago, one evening we grabbed some dinner at a Bia HÆ¡i (literally “fresh beer”, as you can see the Food Husband enjoying in the photo). It was a humble but tasty affair of fried rice with meat and vegetables, cooked on the street and brought to us whilst we sat on the little plastic chairs on the pavement.

This is a nod to that meal, although the flavourings here are more Chinese with the hoisin and shaoxing rice wine.

I normally make a batch of the flavoured pork and then use half and freeze the other half for a quick and convenient meal for two. The rice is also best if completely cold, so if youâ€™re having a rice dish the night before, just cook some extra and pop it in the fridge ready for this the next day. Always be careful with cooked rice though, it must be fully reheated to ensure no bacteria remains.

Ingredients:

For the pork sauce:
1 tbsp oil
1 red onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 inch ginger, peeled and finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
500g lean pork mince
2 tsp Chinese five spice
3 tbsp shaoxing rice wine
3 tbsp dark soy sauce (gluten-free if required)
1 tbsp fish sauce
5 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
Pepper

For the fried rice:
1 tbsp oil
4 handfuls of (frozen) vegetables
240g basmati rice, cooked and fully cooled
2 large free-range eggs

Step 1: Heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok. Add the onion, ginger and garlic and stir fry for a couple of minutes.

Step 2: Add the pork mince and cook until browned and dry. Stir frequently.

Step 3: Add the spice, and cook for thirty seconds before adding the rice wine and sauces. Cook for a couple of minutes before seasoning with the sesame oil and a pinch of ground pepper.

At this stage you could freeze portions, or chill in the fridge until ready to use.

Step 4: To make the stir fried rice, heat the oil in a wok and crack in the two eggs. Stir to break these up to create a dry scrambled egg.

Step 5: Add the (frozen) vegetables and continue to stir fry. Next add the cold rice and turn through the egg and vegetables.

Step 6: Once the rice is hot, introduce the cooked pork in its sauce and stir until everything is piping hot. Serve immediately.

Japanese Pork

13th October 201830th October 2018
by thefoodwife

Serves 2-4

This is ready in 20 minutes and packs a punch with its sauce. Iâ€™ve said this serves 2-4, because it is a very rich sauce so Iâ€™ve decided that weâ€™ll get four portions out of it (Iâ€™m sure the Food Husband would much rather it was just two!) so by all means decide for yourself. But essentially this recipe is just for a meat sauce; the idea is to serve this with white basmati rice or a sushi rice and some green vegetables such as pak choi.

The combination of ingredients in the sauce leaves a wonderfully savoury flavour. With the soy and fish sauce the result is salty though, thus only needing to be seasoned with pepper at the end.

Ingredients:
1 heaped tsp (coconut) oil (or use 1 tbsp of a liquid oil such as rapeseed)
1 white onion, finely diced
2 inches of ginger, peeled and finely diced
3 cloves of garlic, finely diced
1 large red chilli, finely diced
500g lean pork mince
3 tbsp shao xing cooking wine
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp white miso paste
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp sesame oil
200ml vegetable stock
2 heaped tsp cornflour, slackened in a little cold water
Ground white pepper

Step 1: Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for two-three minutes.

Step 2: Add the ginger, garlic and chilli and cook for a further two minutes, stirring frequently.

Step 3: Add the pork mince and increase the heat slightly. Cook until the mince is browned and the pan is dry (about 10-12 minutes).

Step 4: Mix the wine, soy sauce, fish sauce, miso, sesame and sugar together and then stir into the pork. Cook for a couple of minutes and then add the vegetable stock. Add the slackened cornflour and stir until the sauce is thickened. Season to taste with some ground white pepper.

I served this with sushi rice and sprinkled the top with sliced spring onion and red chilli, along with some slices of fried garlic. On the side I stir-fried some pak choi with garlic and a squeeze of lime.