Paul's cooking .......

Twice cooked pork - Liang ban rou

Here's a different but totally authentic Sichuan preparation of our much loved pork belly!

The long slow cooking followed by stir frying provides a meltingly tender and rich dish - simply delicious with the heat from the hot chili sauce! 

Ingredients

approximately 1 kg pork belly

6 whole spring onions

6 slices peeled fresh ginger

1 tablespoon salt

6 spring onions, chopped

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic

1 tablespoon finely chopped peeled fresh ginger

1.5 tablespoons hot chili bean sauce

1 tablespoon rice wine or dry sherry

1 tablespoon light soy sauce

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

Take a large pan, fill with water and bring to the boil. Immediately add the pork belly, whole spring onions, sliced ginger and 1 tablespoon of salt. Reduce the heat to a simmer and place a tight fitting lid on the pot. Now allow the pork belly to cook at a simmer for 90 minutes. The wonderful flavours of the spring onions and the ginger will permeate the pork as it cooks - it will smell great too!

After 90 minutes, remove the belly pork and set to one side, allowing it to cool thoroughly. Discard the cooking liquid.

When cooled completely, using a very sharp knife, carefully slice the the belly into 6mm (1/4 inch) slices.

Now take a wok or large frying pan and heat quickly. Over a moderately high heat add the vegetable oil and then the pork belly slices and stir fry for around 8 to 10 minutes (depending upon the heat) until the remaining fat starts to crisp up. Now drain off any excess oil and immediately add the finely chopped ginger and garlic and stir fry for no more than 30 seconds, being careful not to allow the garlic to burn or brown!

Add the chopped spring onions and stir fry for a further 3 minutes over a slightly reduced heat, before finally adding the chili bean sauce (available from many supermarkets and all asian food stores), the rice wine or dry sherry, soy sauce, sugar and salt again stir frying and mixing well for another 3 minutes.

Turn off the heat, place into a serving dish and serve immediately with boiled rice and chinese vegetables.

This simple dish combines wonderfully the richness of the pork, the heat of the chili and the wonderful warmth and flavours of the ginger, soy and spring onions - please try this at home, I guarantee you will not be disappointed!

Enjoy!

Roast chicken with anchovies and rosemary

 

Roast chicken is I guess, the ultimate comfort food, and what is more, there are many variations - it need never be boring!

Here's a favourite supper style recipe, simple yet tantalisingly tasty, particularly when using a fine free-range chicken, not one of those awful supermarket birds. 

For me the greatest taste/value combination comes from Label Anglais, however a white rock or cornish red would do just as well!

A word of warning - preparation starts the day before eating!

Ingredients

1 free range chicken - approx 1.8kg

12 anchovies in olive oil

12 garlic cloves

2 branches of rosemary

small bunch of tarragon

3 french shallots

3 tablespoons creme fraiche

olive oil

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 

The chicken is prepared the day before eating, giving the wonderful flavours of anchovy, garlic and rosemary time to penetrate into the meat of the bird. Remove the chicken from the fridge. Using a sharp knife, pierce the chicken at least a dozen times, including the legs. 

Half lengthwise each of the anchovies and garlic cloves, and break the rosemary into little sprigs. Insert the anchovy half, garlic clove half and rosemary sprig into each opening. Cover the chicken with cling film and place back in the fridge overnight.

The following day remove the chicken and it's wrapping and allow the chicken to come back up to room temperature - allow at least 1 hour for this.

Meanwhile, chop the tarragon leaves and the shallots, place in a bowl and mix with the creme fraiche. Stir and mix well. Now stuff the chicken with the mixture. Rub a little olive oil over the chicken, season predominantly with the black pepper, but perhaps just a little salt (remember the anchovies will bring a saltiness to the chicken)

Pre-heat the oven to 230 C. Place the chicken in the oven and cook at the high temperature for 15 minutes, before reducing the temperature to 170 C and cooking for a further hour. After the hour, check the chicken to see if the juices are clear on the thigh, if not put back in for another few minutes.

When cooked thoroughly, remove from the oven and place on a serving plate to rest. The chicken will smell amazing, I promise you!

Whip up a quick sauce with the chicken juices in the bottom of the roasting dish by adding a good splash of wine and/or chicken stock and scraping up all the good bits. Reduce over a high heat, strain and serve separately.

This is the perfect supper dish served with chunky crusty bread or perhaps some steamed vegetables. The tarragon stuffing compliments the rosemary, garlic and anchovy flavours wonderfully.

Enjoy!