Category: Pork

Chinese pork lettuce cups

July 17, 2015



I thought I’d share with you another recipe from my column that I did a couple of months back. This dish has been in my life for a long time and I always make these for many different occasions.  I even make them for just a snack, they are that moorish!

  So, I think the earliest memory of me having a version of this dish, must have been when I was only about 4 years old. But back then, they would wrap it all up in a large lettuce leaf. It is quite a retro dish for these days but I have come up with a version that I feel never dates or fails.

  The sauce is something I have been having for years with these, noodle soups and Chinese dumplings so I thought I’d share that with you too. When you drizzle that sauce on top, it will give it a real kick.
  I love serving these little cups when entertaining, they always look great served up on trays for people and they always seem to get an “ooh” when they come round. You can also use this recipe for a starter one night, a light Lunch or even on a Chinese banquet as my “Chinese nights” always seem to end up as! 
  They are very quick to prepare and they don’t break the bank to buy the ingredients either. 
  Lately I’ve being seeing a lot of Pork mince reduced so if you aren’t sure what to do with it, buy it and fear no longer.



Chinese pork lettuce cups:







Ingredients:
–   1 tbsp of Rapeseed oil or you can use, sunflower or groundnut oil
  • Pork mince 35og will make about 12 cups
  • Half a green chilli chopped finely
  • 4 Spring onions, half of pork mix, half for garnishing
  • 1 tsp Chinese five spice blend ( I use Spice Kitchen )
  • 1 tbsp of Light soy sauce ( Mine is from Wang Fung Hong in Leicester )
  • 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
  • small grating of fresh Ginger (about a small thumbnail amount)
  • 2 Little Gem lettuces
  • For the garnish: Thinly sliced cucumber 
                                      Thinly sliced Spring onion
                                      Thinly sliced carrot (julienned)
                                     Handful of fresh chopped coriander
                                      Red chilli chopped finely

                                                                           

Hot Sauce:
  • 2 tbsp of Sriracha sauce ( Mine is from Wang Fung Hong)
  • 1 tbsp of malt vinegar
  • 1 tbsp Tomato ketchup
  •  1 tbsp light soy sauce 
  • sprinkle of chilli flakes ( put more if you want it hotter )
  • sprinkle of caster sugar
N.B If you find the sauce is too tangy, sometimes I add 1/2 tbsp Oyster sauce to this also.




Method:
  • In a wok or a frying pan start to fry off the spring onion, garlic, chilli and ginger for only a minute.
  • Add your pork mince and stir for a couple of minutes breaking up all clumps of the meat.
  • As your pork mince is starting to turn brown, add in your Chinese five spice and again, stir for a couple of minutes
  • Add in your soy sauce, stir and when your Pork is cooked, turn your heat down just to keep warm.
*  Assemble your Pork mince into the lettuce cups, garnish and serve with your sauce.







Roast Pork leftover dish No2…Retro Style!

February 5, 2014

This recipe is the 2nd leftover dish from the Roast Pork Shoulder I did.  Technically, the 3rd Pork dish of that week.


  By this point, I was starting to suffer! I felt the Pork smell sweating out of me! But I was determined to cook that final dish, So I felt it had to be something I hadn’t cooked for a long while…A very long while even! 

  I had some double cream to use up and also fancied something with rice that evening. I didn’t want something too creamy mind you.  Then it came to me…A lovely Retro Classic, Normally done with Beef but I  feel this worked actually better.



                                             
 Retro style Roast Pork Stroganoff :

Ingredients:

(Approximately for 2 people)

–  Leftover Roast pork shoulder 
–  2 Garlic cloves chopped finely
–  1/2 an onion sliced
–  About a 1/4 of a leek, finely sliced width ways
–  A very small Sprig of Chopped fresh Rosemary, Thyme, Sage and I used Lemon Thyme, but if you don’t have that you could add a little lemon zest.
–  A Small knob of Butter 
–  Rapeseed oil or olive, whichever you always use.
–  150ml of the leftover gravy from The roast pork shoulder dish (Contact me If you don’t have this, We can think of alternatives)
–  1 Tsp of Smoked Paprika
–  1 Tsp of Chilli Powder
–  1 Tbsp of Dijon mustard.
–  100 ml of Double cream, may need to add a touch more, depending on how creamy you like it.
–  Seasoning if it needs it. I only added a touch of cracked Black Pepper.

Add a touch of oil and start to fry the Onion, Leek and Garlic. If a little dry, add the Butter but not too much as the Leftover pork will still contain Fat.

To the Onion and Leek mixture,  add your leftover Roast Pork and your Herbs.

By this point, you can add all of the rest of your ingredients, but add a little at a time if you don’t want it to be say, Spicy, salty or creamy.

I served mine with White long Grain Rice.  There were also meant to be some steamed Broccoli on there too, but I was so pleased with the taste of this dish…I forgot!  Found them in the Pan when I went back for seconds! Whoops!

This Dish I will definitely do again. It was lovely and comforting, cheap as a leftover meal and quick for when you have a busy midweek time doing household chores, picking children up from activities etc…

Just try not to forget the steamed greens like I did!







 

Roast leftover Dish No 1 and the start of… Chinese New Year!

January 30, 2014

One thing I must mention regarding my Challenge Roast Pork dishes this week, is that I wasn’t going to buy anymore ingredients for any dishes.  Purely because it is even greater of a Challenge that way and to top it off… it’s the end of the month!  Such a tough month after Christmas, so even more the better to make your meals go further.  I was to purely use Only what was in my fridge and cupboards and of course the Pork! . Which, when you start to look, you have more than you think, well I did. That being in my fridge and of the leftover Pork! I started to wonder then, how I was going to eat this all! 

 I had many ideas buzzing around in my head that I could do, but one dish that I really fancied that night was a Stir fry with Noodles, great! So be it! 
  Now I cook ALOT of Chinese Food, believe me! But what is even better this week is that I can also combine this dish as an Add on or should I say, a “starter” for Chinese New year! Which kicks off tomorrow, January 31st (or tonight in some homes)!

 So this was the first leftover meal from my Roast Pork Shoulder. A quick, Cheap and tasty dish to eat anytime of the week. With an added ingredient that you may think is rather strange but worked perfectly. Which is the Pink Grapefruit.  I had some leftover and  I had previously used Orange with Duck, Lime with chicken, Lemon with prawns etc…So I had a go and I was thoroughly Impressed! I only used a little so not to overpower the flavours too much.
 I used to say I was one of those people that didn’t  like to mix fruit with savoury, just because I didn’t like pineapple on a Pizza! Now look at me! 


Roast Pork and Vegetable Stir Fry with Grapefruit:

Ingredients:
(Serves 2 approximately)

– 150 g Noodles (Dry)
– 3 cloves of Garlic finely chopped
– half an inch cube of Fresh Ginger finely chopped
– tbsp Light Soy *
– tbsp Chilli bean sauce ( slightly spicy, I used Lee Kum Kee) *
– tbsp Hoisin Sauce (Lee Kum Kee) *
– tbsp Oyster Sauce *
– tbsp Honey *
– tbsp Rapeseed oil or you could use Groundnut/Sunflower oil *
– tsp Dark soy ( for colour )
– Leftover roast pork
– Broccoli into small florets (pre-soak in a bowl with boiled water over for 5 mins)
– 1/2 a Carrot sliced thinly 

– Small handful of Snow Peas 
– 1/2 Onion sliced 
– 5-6 segments of pink grapefruit.



Mix the ingredients marked * in a bowl, as you would a marinade. Then add half of your Garlic and Ginger to it.

Add your leftover Roast Pork to this sauce to coat it.
Cook your Noodles as per packet instructions. Fire up your Wok with a dash of oil that you are using and start to stir fry your Onions and Carrots. Then add your pre soaked Broccoli, stir fry for another minute adding the rest of your Garlic and Ginger. 
You can then add your Pork to the veg, snow peas and then your Cooked Noodles. Finally add your dark soy for colour. If it is a little salty, add a little more honey or sugar to balance. You can always add water if you feel it is a little dry. Never add more oil.

Now you can add your Pink Grapefruit for the end result.



A Quick, Cheap and Tasty dish with your leftovers.











Ragu Tagliatelle and National Butchers Week

March 14, 2013

Between The 4th and 10th of March was National Butchers week.  I am such  a Lover and very Passionate about using our Local shops and keeping that Tradition going in the Uk.  I.E Keep our Butchers, Grocers, Bakers going!! etc etc… 
  Anyway…So What could I produce from my local Butcher, Something I hadn’t ever done before.  My first thought into my mind was a traditional Ragu.  Now I know that doesn’t sound very adventurous but in fact, In the Past I had cooked a ragu sauce before but not a “PROPER” one.  One where if Antonio Carluccio Or Giorgio Locatelli walked into my kitchen, they would be proud! 
 So I thought of these two great Chefs and wondered what their take on a “Ragu” was.  Well I found that They had quite different recipes and of course I couldn’t decide which to use? “Right then”, I said to my Partner.  “I do My own.”  “Actually no, I will do Both theirs and a few of my added touches in with it.”  As Carluccio does more of a tomato based with no herbs and pancetta.  Whereas Locatelli Uses more in depth ingredients such as more Red wine and hardy herbs.  Now at the time, I thought I was doing the right thing, all getting excited but unbeknown to myself, I was doing what I have still always done with the Ragu and complicating it…

  My Partner loved the outcome, but For me I hadn’t achieved my goal.  But as all us Chefs/Cooks will know,  sometimes Recipes take time… Anyway Well here Is the Recipe that I used and the outcome.  

Ragu Tagliatelle ( Thanks to Antonio Carluccio and Giorgio Locatelli) 

Recipe:


250g of Pork mince
250g of Beef mince
100g of Chicken Livers
Olive Oil
1 Carrot finely diced
1 Celery stick finely diced
2 cloves of Garlic finely chopped
very small sprigs of Rosemary , Sage and Thyme tied together,
150 ml of  white wine (pinot grigio)
1/2 a bottle of red wine ( I used a good chianti) 
2 tablespoons of tomato puree/paste
500ml of very good Organic Passata
Very small amount of chicken stock just added when
the sauce was getting dry.
Seasoning if needed.
Parmesan for serving.
Tagliatelle pasta (I used dried this time “shock horror”! next time I will do fresh) !

Method:

Heat up your pan with the Olive oil and Fry off the Onions, Celery, Carrot and Garlic for roughly 10 mins.  Then Add the Meat, not livers yet though, and cook until browned.  Add the white wine so that the alcohol evaporates into the meat. Add 250 ml of Red wine, The tomato paste and passata and simmer for at least 1 1/2 hours. However long you do it for, add the chicken livers half an hour before the finish time and add the stock and rest of red wine if the sauce becomes dry. My Dish took 3 hours but that’s probably due to my sciatica! 
 Before the sauce is almost ready, cook the pasta for no more than 10 minutes, you need it “Al dente” (bit of a bite still to it).  Drain the pasta off add a little olive oil to coat.  Then I just took some of the sauce into another frying pan and added the right amount of pasta to it to coat ( as you can see from the pictures ), as this depends on how many people, how much people like to eat etc… you know how it is people?! 

So My outcome to this dish is that I felt I over complicated it. My Partner loved it, I know it needs working on.  But I have learnt from my mistake and will do Both their versions again and adapt to what I like I feel my taste is. However one thing I do know is that I will never go back to what I did before.  Thank you to, two, Great Italian Chefs.