Pickle Me Pork!

Pickled Pork Belly With Wagiu Beef Salad.


Sorry to all readers for so long no blog.... Will try to make it up.

I've got a couple of friends who really know good pork. (G-day Steff, Seb). I love to cook pork, what i really wanted to do was prepare a pork dish of my own for them to try. The whole thing has been put off because I didn't think I would make the grade. Untill now that is.

Pork belly is succulant and tender when cooked propperly. As the pictured cut was pickled, one must take care not to over cook, or the end result will be very dry, and far to salty.

'Wagiu Beef'. Refers to the method used to raise the beast. Originating in Japan. Beef raised in the Wagiu manner is renowned for it's rich marbleing, perfect texture, and well rounded flavor. However at around $85-100 a Kilogram, not everyone will be stuffing it down there throats every night. Well not like I do! As such this dish is possible without the beef. But if you can, lash out. Wagiu is wicked...

In addition. Sorry about the cheese Steff. I'll never do that to you again...

Sooo. How'd I cook the bugger? The meat not the cheese.

Method:

Place a few spriggs of rosemarry along the center of the belly, (Flesh side). Now fold in half skin side out and tie with butchers twine. Seal all sides well on a hot plate, then move to the warming tray and bake for a further 30 minutes. (This is for a 1100g belly).

As for the beef. Crack some pepper over it, sprinkle some salt flakes on top of that. Press it all in with your hands, finnish by drizzleing olive oil all over. To cook seal on a smokeing hot plate. Move to the warming rack for about 10 minutes. (150g filet) Rest boath peices of meat befor serving.....

Oyster Sweet Corn Stir Fry.

Tonight it's a 'Hot wox' stir fry special. The other day I had a top notch German inspired lunch. (Thanks heaps Steff. Bloody beautiful). Once again the cabbage was amongst the finest I've ever tryed. So in an effort to reciprecate, 'Wombok', or Asian cabbage is featured in this dish.

Wombok cooks in a flash. Think of a cross between lettuce and cold climate cabbage. A mild delicate cabbage flavor with a texture more like lettuce.

The main flavor combination of this stir fry is created by combineing the sweetness of corn with the saltyness of oyster sauce. The wombok is acting like noodles or rice as a filler.

I will list ingredents as I cooked it. This will be enough to feed 4 hungry buggers.

Ingredents:

500g of chicken thy fillet. Sliced into strips.

300g of sliced wombok.

Corn kernals from to small cobs.

1 cup of sliced spring onions.

6 cloves of finley choped garlic.

3&1/2 Table spoons of oyster sauce.

1 brown onion. Roughly sliced.

Several good cracks of peper.

Sesame oil.

Method:

Marinate the chicken in a splash of sesame oil, 1/2 a table spoon of oyster sauce and, and one of the cloves of finley choped garlic. In a smokeing hot wok, Quickly fry off the chicken in batches untill done, set aside. Now with a splash more sesame oil add the brown onions and corn. At this stage your wok should be ultra hot. What you want to do is kinda pop the corn. If your wok is hot enough after about 20 seconds of tossing the corn will start to crackle and give the odd bang. This is the juice escapeing from the corn, it will in turn provide the sweet half of your flavor. So after about 40 seconds of frying, add the garlic and return the chicken, give it a quick toss. Finally add the wombok, spring onions, and oyster sauce. Toss through for about 10 seconds, just enough to mix it all together and wilt the spring onions/ wombok. Serve straight away.....

Ginger Chilli Ribs With Mango Salad.

Ok enough of the greek Thing. I think I got it out of my system. Back to all the other stuff.

From the garden I got:
Cucumber, mint, chilli, garlic, ginger. All the rest I had to buy. Listed ingredents are for two.

Ingredents: Ribs.
4 Large or six small pork ribs steaks. (Free range).
4 Tai chillis. (Finley choped).
4 Cloves of garlic. (Finley choped).
4x2 cm Peice of ginger. (Finley choped).
5 table spoons of soy sauce.
Large crack, (Ha) of peper.


Ingredence: Salad.
1 Large cucumber. (Sliced).
1 Mango diced. (The greener the beter.)
1/2 a cup of spring onions. (Sliced).
1/2 a cup of mint. (Whole leaf).
1/4 Cup of parsley. (Whole leaf).
White vinagrett.
Crack of peper.

Method: Ribs.
Marinate the ribs in all listed ingredents. Give it about 20 minutes, don't let it go for to long or the marinade will be to over powering. Cook on a medium heat hot plate untill done. (Use the finger method to test for doneness). Remember: Ribs will dry out easily. It's better to under cook and rest the meat than over cook and dry out the flesh.

Method: Salad.
Combine all ingredents. Assemble at the last minute to stop the mango dissintergrating to much. Toss lightly and place gently onto a serving plate.

Have You Ever Done It With A Fish/Chicken.(Greek)

Finaly. it rained. Had to include a pic.

Here is the same Greek salad featured in preveious postings. This time served with Salmon, then ckicken.

Even Greeker

Stuffed Lamb With Figs And Fetta.
Capper And Olive Salad With Artichokes.

This is one of the yummiest things I have ever cooked. To do it though, you can't skimp on the quallity of the ingredents. Everything I've used in this meal is organic, and in season.

Ingredents: Lamb.

10 point rack roast of lamb. (De-boned with as much belly as possible left on).

250g of Sryan figs. (Very ripe).

100g Greek feta.

Peper.

Pinch of brown sugar.

Ingredents: Salad.

150g Spinach leaves.

150g Purple basil leaves.

100g of large cappers. (Stem on).

100g Extra large green olives.

100g Greek feta. (Crumbled).

10 Cherry tomatoes.

1 clove of garlic. (Minced).

Juice of one lime.

Basic vinnagrett.

Pepper.

Salt.

Method: Lamb.

Slice and layer half the figs into the belly fold, do the same with the fetter adding a good pinch of pepper and sugar, tie the lot up with butchers twine. Cook the lamb on all sides useing a very hot plate. Use the finger method to test for doneness.

Method: Salad.

Combine all the ingredents. Half the tomatoes if you want.

Have You Ever Done It Greek Style?

Marinated lamb shoulder with inspired Greek salad.

First up. In response to the comment left on my last post: Comments are much loved, (ta Sebby).
Now that I know how close mushrooms are to your heart. It will be my pleasure to cook them for you all the time.

But for now I must go abit Greek on y'all.

Greek civilization began thousands of years ago. Ever since, and probably well before then the greeks have cooked lamb like gods! Let me take the chance to say this: "To be a greek god you can't go all half assed at it. Ingredents must be fresh from earth and taste like heaven. Skimp on this and be banished to hell."

Ingredents: Lamb.

Shoulder of lamb. (Butterflyed).

Zest and juice of one lemmon.

5 Cloves of garlic. (Crushed).

2 Bay leaves.

Several sprigs of fresh oragano.

Salt & pepper.

Olive oil.

Ingredents: Salad.

Large handful of spinach.

Large handful of purple basil.

10 Large green olives.

6 Cherry tomatoes. (Halved).

150g Greek feta.

1 Clove of garlic. (Very finley minced).

Pepper.

Basic balsamic vinagrett.

Method:

Marinate the butterflyed lamb with all the listed ingredents. Marination time should be overnight at a minimum. Two or even three nights in a cold fridge is best. To cook the lamb, prepair a bed of hot coals in a webber BBQ. Once the BBQ is hot place the lamb over the coals. Try to place the thickest part of the lamb over the hotest part of the fire. Seal on boath sides for 4 minutes a peice. Move off the direct heat, roast untill done. (Use the finger method to test for doneness). As for the salad: Toss all the ingredents together.... Lovely.

Toasted on Mushys

For Seb...


I have this friend, Seb, (Hi). Well, Seb loves mushrooms. So much so that he has practically begged me to post a mushroom only blog. Heres what I got. I only hope it's enough mushrooms for you.
Ingredents: (Serves two).
250g Button mushrooms.
250g Portabello mushrooms.
100g butter.
Juce of 1/2 lime.
1 Tea spoon of white sugar.
Peper.

Method:
In a hot wide pan chuck in the butter. Let it melt, then add the halved mushrooms. Stir around so as to coat all the mushrooms. After about 1 minute reduce the heat, As the heat comes off the mushrooms should start to sweat. After a minute of sweating, bring the heat up again and squeeze in the juce of 1/2 a lime, add the sugar aswell. Reduce the gravey for a further 2 minutes. Serve on hot buttered toast. Have it for breakfast. Wash it down with an espresso.

Herb Crusted Slow Roasted Pork.

Meat roasted in a kettle (Webber) BBQ is cooked evenly whilst retaining moisture and texture. The pictured joint of pork has been infused with sage, parsley , tyme, garlic, salt, and peper. Shit yeah! When roasting meat in a kettle BBQ,as a rough guide I give 1 hour and 15 minutes for each kilogram. Allways be sure to rest roasted meat for 3&1/2 minutes of each kilo.