Pork and Fennel Sausage Rolls.

With the rugby world cup about to beginning, these are the perfect recipe to entertain a crowd. Pork and fennel are a classic combination, then wrapped in golden puff pastry, who could resist? Easy to prepare in advance and store in the fridge or freezer to be cooked later when the bellies start growling. 

Ingredients (serves 4 - 8): 

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar, or white wine vinegar
• 1 tsp mustard seeds (optional) 
• 1 tsp fennel seeds (use 2 tsp if not using mustard seeds) 
• 1 tbsp salt 
• 1 tsp cracked pepper 
• 2 tbsp worcestershire sauce, or malt vinegar
• 1 cup breadcrumbs 
• 500g free range pork mince 
• 375g puff pastry roll, thawed
• 1 beaten egg
• 1 tbsp fennel seeds

Method:

Heat the oil, on a low heat, in a small frying pan. Add fennel, onion, garlic, mustard and fennel seeds, sauté for 5 - 10 minutes, stirring, till vegetables are soft, add apple cider vinegar. Set aside to cool. 

In a large bowl mix breadcrumbs, mince, salt, pepper, worcestershire (or malt vinegar) and cooled onion fennel mix. 

Roll out thawed pastry and depending on the size sausage rolls you plan to make, cut into two or three even sized pieces. Spread a half, or third of the mince mixture along one side of the pastry, about an inch away from the edge. Press the mince filling so that it is dense, and gently roll the pastry around the mince. 

Place the log on the baking tray with the overlap on the bottom. Repeat with the remaining pastry. Chill sausage roll logs in the fridge for at least 20 minutes before baking. 

To bake: Preheat oven to 200c. Cut into the desired amount of sausage rolls, score the tops and brush with beaten egg. Sprinkle fennel seeds on top. 

Bake 20 - 30 minutes (depending on size of your sausage rolls), till golden brown and cooked through. You may need to cut one open to 'quality assurance' check - it's a thankless job, but someone has to do it, right? 

Allow to chill for a few minutes before serving with a spicy tomato sauce. 

Mouthwatering Mushroom Cheeseburgers - Healthy Style

Who said burgers are bad for you? Well, who ever it was, was wrong, well at least with these burgers. The reason they're healthy(-er): vegetables. 

I love sneaking veggies into things meaty to make them all that much better for you. Plus filled with a pile of creamy (made with just a dash of sour cream) mushrooms and onions, these are saucy, naughty, delicious, but still nutritious. Just be sure to serve with a salad as well.

Ingredients (Serves 6):

• 600grams of beef mince
• 1 large zucchini, grated
• 1 large carrot, grated
• salt and pepper 
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 6 - 8 button mushrooms, sliced
• 3 tbsp worcestershire sauce 
• 3 tbsp of sour cream 
• 6 slices of cheddar cheese (edam, tasty colby etc) 
• gherkins (enough for 6 burgers) 
• mayonnaise 
• bbq (or tomato) sauce*
• 6 good quality buns - I used ciabatta buns, baps or turkish bread pockets would also work well 
• oven roasted potato chips to serve (optional) 
• salad greens to serve

Method: 

Preheat oven to 220c and line a tray with greaseproof paper**. I prefer to cook my burger patties in the oven, it makes it easier, no worry about burning, sticking, or falling apart. Just put them in and leave them be. 

In a large bowl mix grated zucchini, carrot, mince, egg and a generous amount of salt and pepper. Get your hands in there to mix it really well. Form meat into 6 evenly sized patties and place them evenly on the baking tray. Bake for 20 - 30 minutes till cooked through, flipping once. 

Meanwhile, heat oil in a frying pan over a low heat, slowly cook onions and garlic until beginning to soften. Next add the mushrooms and continue cooking for five more minutes, till mushrooms are cooked down. Add worcestershire sauce and sour cream, stir till combined and remove from heat. 

Check the patties and place a slice of cheese on top of each for the last few minutes of cooking. 

Cut buns open and spread bbq sauce on the bottom and a little mayo on the top. Place the meat patty with cheese on top of the bbq sauce, add a dollop of the creamy mushrooms, a couple of gherkins, then put the top on the bun. 

Serve with a side green salad and maybe some oven roasted chips. 

*  If you're feeling creative try my homemade BBQ sauce recipe 

** Greaseproof paper is optional, but it makes clean up so much easier. 

Honest Homemade Barbecue Sauce

Recently I made a feast of BBQ pulled pork (find the recipe here), where one of the main ingredients & condiments is BBQ sauce. 
The BBQ sauce recipes I found however, mostly consisted of the base ingredient ketchup... why would I use a sauce to make another sauce? Doesn't seem to make sense to me, so I made my own one up, using more of the delicious Old Mout Scrumpy Cider that I'd cooked the pork in also.

I made this sauce quite quickly and it has a lovely slightly chunky texture. i think had I cooked the vegetables down longer it would have gotten smoother and would probably keep in the fridge longer. I don't think this will be a problem though. We did a blind taste of this sauce, vs. a shop bought bbq sauce, and thankfully my homemade one won!
My friend however did suggest that my label ought to have two chilli's rather than one. 

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp rice bran oil
• 1 onion diced
• 1/2 red capsicum
• 1 300ml jar tomato puree
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup Old Mout Scrumpy Cider 
• 1/4 c Molasses 
• 1/4 c raw sugar
• 4 tbsp smoked paprika
• 3 tbsp dried oregano 
• 1 tbsp salt 
• 2 tsp cayenne pepper 

Method

In a large pot heat oil on a low heat. Add onion, garlic and capsicum, cook stirring for 5 mins till softened. 

Add paprika, oregano, cayenne and salt. Stir again before adding tomato puree, apple cider vinegar and cider. Next add sugar and molasses. 

On low heat simmer, uncovered for 30 - 40 minutes, stirring occasionally till sauce has thickened and reduced. 

Taste and add more vinegar, sugar, salt or spice if required. 

Allow to cool slightly before pouring into a food processor. 

Blitz till smooth (or desired consistency) 

Bottle in sterilised jars. 

Will keep for 4 - 6 weeks in fridge 

Spark'n Barbeque'n Pulled Pork

Thanks to friends who have a love of hunting, my freezer is full of legs of wild pork. Initially I cooked this as per my friends instruction in an oven bag with a tin of pineapple. It was pretty good, but as always I was keen to try something new this time. It seems the craze in some of the new restaurants around town is BBQ Pulled Pork... so I figured I would give it a go for myself. 

It turns out that the sauce is made and stirred through separately, so the meat itself if much like any other slow cooked meat. I was planning to use a slow cooker, but the leg wouldn't fit, so I did it in an oven bag in a really low oven all day instead.

I wanted to make sure it had the added sweetness that the pineapple gave as pork, particularly wild pork, can be quite rich, so I cooked it with Old Mout Cider, I choose their Scrumpy because it's got a slightly higher alcohol content and  has a strong apple flavour. 

The BBQ sauce recipes I found however mostly consisted of the base ingredient ketchup... why would I use a sauce to make another sauce? Doesn't seem to make sense to me, so I made my own one up, using more of the delicious Scrumpy, See Here for yourself.

Apple Cider Pulled Pork served with Buns, Coriander and Lime Rice, Coleslaw and BBQ sauce. (See below for Rice and Coleslaw recipes)

Ingredients

• 1 leg free range or wild pork 
• Large oven bag or slow cooker - my leg of pork wouldn't fit in the slow cooker
• 1 1/2 c Apple Cider - I used Old Mout's Scrumpy 
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 tbsp smoked paprika 
• 2 tbsp ground cumin - I toast the seeds in a dry pan, then grind in a mortar pestle for the freshest flavour
• 2 tbsp oregano 
• 2 tbsp salt 
• 1 cup of BBQ Sauce

Method

Trim the meat of any large chunks of fat. Mix onion, spices and cider, put in bottom of oven bag. Add pork, spooning some of the mix on top so it's at least been coated. 

Seal oven bag and place in 120 degree oven for 6-7 hours. Meat should fall off the bone. Don't worry you can't really overcook it, so if in doubt, leave it longer. 

If using a slow cooker, just put all ingredients in on low for 7 hours. 

Once cooked, allow to cool slightly then put meat, bones, and cooking liquid into a large tupperware and chill overnight. 

The next day skim any fat from the surface (the liquid should be jelly-like now that it has cooled, this is what you want, just skim the solid orange/white fat from the surface if there is any) remove the meat and bones from the liquid. Put  jelly/liquid into a heavy pot and simmer on a low heat for 30-40 mins until nearly completely reduced, stir occasionally so it doesn't stick. 

Meanwhile, shred the pork meat using two forks. Discard any bones. 

Once the cooing liquid has reduced, allow it to cool, then stir it through the shredded meat. Stir through 1 cup of BBQ sauce. Then set aside. 

To serve, gently reheat meat on the stovetop, on a low heat. 

Serve with more BBQ sauce, Coleslaw, Buns, and the Coriander Lime Rice. 

Coriander and Lime Rice

This rice makes a great side dish full of aromatic mexican flavours. 

Ingredients

• 1 1/4c Brown Rice
• 1/4c of Black Rice 
• Zest and Juice of 1 lime 
• 1 tbsp Coriander Seeds
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp coriander leaves

Method

Rinse rice and soak in a pot with 3 cups of water, lime zest and coriander seeds. Leave covered 2-3 hours.

Remove lid, place on high heat till simmering, stir gently, cover, reduce heat and leave for 20-25 mins, till water has been absorbed. Remove from heat and leave 10 mins. 

Remove lid, fluff with a fork, add lime juice, olive oil, salt and fresh coriander. 

Serve warm or cold. 

Coleslaw

I make coleslaw with a light vinaigrette, you can use mayonnaise if you prefer, or just serve with mayo on the table like I do. For ease, I also make coleslaw in the food processor, a good old knife will do fine if you don't have a processor. 

Ingredients

• 1/4 red cabbage
• 1/4 white cabbage
• 3 carrots peeled 
• 2 tbsp chopped chives
• 3 tbsp olive oil (or vegetable oil of your choice) 
• Juice of 1 lemon or lime
• 1 tsp salt

Method

Peel Carrots. Chop vegetables so they will fit into the hole in the top of the food processor. 

Using the large slicing blade process the cabbages. 

Next use the grater attachment and grate the carrots. 

Place all ingredients into a large serving bowl, toss together with chives, oil, salt and lemon juice.