my’bitchin’kitchen

i absolutely love roast pork belly … the combination of the crispy skin and the soft, rich layers of meat that melt in your mouth (when it’s done right) is delicious! but i am a little bit afraid of most pork cuts that depart from the usual suspects; ham / bacon / prosciutto, so i have been hesitant to try this myself. that and for this recipe you need to make yourself reasonably available for around 4 hours on and off.  i probably didn’t leave this cooking for long enough (i followed the recipe, however the crackling could have been…well…more crackly!) so just a word of advice, don’t be afraid to keep roasting it for longer than the recipe says to, it is pretty hard to mess up - the longer you roast it, the more tender it will become.

seeing as it is so rich, i can only ever really stomach an entree size portion of pork so it is a good idea to supplement it with something subtle and hearty to serve as a main, like root vegies or as i have done here, root vegetable puree. the relish in this recipe is delicious and cuts the rich flavour of the pork and adds another flavour dimension. the watercress is a nice garnish and adds something fresh and untouched to the plate.

the recipes for the roast pork belly and the cranberry and elderflower relish are based on recipes by ottolenghi’s creators; yotam ottolenghi and sami tamimi.  both born in jerusalem, their food has a strong middle eastern influence and is very much about colour, texture, presentation, of course flavour and the freshest of fresh ingredients.  they don’t over complicate the cooking or preparation process and their food is not wanky. their successful stores are located in london and are very hard to label one thing or another - they themselves sum it up with the words ‘food shop, patisserie, deli, restaurant, bakery’ and yet this still doesn’t do it justice … and to think i have never actually set foot in one of their stores! (although i have seriously considered forking out the $3000 + for a plane ticket just to do so). thank the lord for their recently released cook book ‘ottolenghi, the cookbook’. yotam and sami’s passion, nay, obsession or food is so evident in every dish… something which i hope is true of my own creations.

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this is the perfect drink for a stinking hot day.  all of the flavours in this cocktail scream summer to me - mint, berries and fresh lime are a recipe for refreshing, fruity & delicious goodness.  we had these on christmas afternoon while sitting in the spa, and couldn’t get enough of them. (these are also extremely easy to drink, so be warned!).  you don’t need to have all (or any) of the cocktail equipment to make this either - just a trusty old rolling pin will do the trick!

ingredients - to make 1

handful of frozen raspberries + extra to garnish
3 slices of lime
5 fresh mint leaves
150ml ginger beer
60ml white rum or vodka
crushed ice

method

cup your hand and place 4 mint leaves in it. cup your other hand and bring it down over the other, so that it makes a clapping noise (be careful not to squash the mint, you want to release the aroma and flavour without bruising it - also a good trick when using mint in salads) your hand.  place a handful of raspberries and 2 slices of lime in a highball tumbler.  using your rolling pin (or muddler if you want to get all professional on me), muddle the contents. add 4 of the mint leaves and top with crushed ice. pour spirit and ginger beer over the ice and stir. garnish with extra mint leaf and raspberries.

i look forward to making this delicious breakfast at the beginning of every summer, when my favourite stone fruit arrives - nectarine. i used turkish bread because that is what i had on hand, but i much prefer making this with sourdough or brioche. Continue reading

mum’s hams are the best and we usually can’t wait til christmas to make them, any excuse will do!

juicy on the inside and caramelised and crunchy on the outside - what more could you ask?

(see that one pale little square of missing fat? i just couldn’t wait!) Continue reading