many aeons ago, there was a thread on here about making bread .... it died, perhaps because man shall not live by bread alone ..... anyway, there seem to be a fair number of people on this site who enjoy cooking, so i thought to start a thread for recipes and associated topics.

i'm assuredly no expert, but i reckon i cook tolerably well, and i know that any recipe i paste here, genuinely works - even for those who can only shop from supermarkets!

a starter recipe follows ......

Sounds delightful, as I don't have a Mike I shall have to ask my butcher can he get the trotters, I have never seen them in his shop but I am sure he would oblige. Which cheap wine would you use?

any proper butcher will have trotters as they're an integral part of the carcass; normally the butchers just chuck them away.

as for the wine, i just went into my local wine merchant and paid £5/6 for a south african chardonnay - at least that has a bit of body, rather than pinot grigio or some cheap sauvignon ...... i guess you could chuck in some white vermouth instead if you have an old bottle knocking aroung

PORK LOIN – stuffed with prunes and walnuts

I really enjoyed playing around with this recipe – and eating the end result too!
It owes its provenance to Raymond Blanc (Cooking for Friends) but it is varied a little from that, not least that, to me, roast pork just isn’t the real deal if there’s no scrummy crackling.
Though I say it myself, I felt that adding the walnuts to the sauce improved it hugely, not least because of the variance in texture.

Though some forethought is required, for the prunes ideally need soaking overnight, it’s really not difficult and that includes the trussing …… Not my forte I am afraid, and Mike told me off as it did not pass his professional butcher’s standard …… However, he had to admit that it worked, and that was the important bit!

By the way, Mike’s pork is locally produced and for flavour and texture and quality, it knocks the socks off the stuff you’ll buy in the supermarket.

Remember that pork is at its best when served with a very faint blush, and not overcooked in the “traditional” way which results in meat that is dried out or even stringy.



Ingredients – for 4 “greedies”
3-4 Skewers to secure the meat while you truss
Trussing string – ask nicely and Mike will give you some

24 Prunes d’Agen (preferably), but ready-to-eat ones in any case
2 tbsp Cooking brandy

1.5kg Boned-out pork loin with skin well slashed – you also need the bones
1 pkt Walnut halves (Waitrose)
6/10 Sage leaves (fresh)
1 BIG tomato or a couple of smaller ones
4 Cloves garlic – unpeeled
2/3 Sprigs fresh thyme – used dried if you really have to
200ml Marsala or similar – can be omitted, but it would be a shame
300ml Water


Method
Overnight
Put the prunes in a small bowl with the brandy and set aside.
Shake about occasionally to ensure all the prunes get a decent “drink”.

Next day
Heat the oven to 220 degC.

Brown the bones on the hob in the roasting tin for 5 minutes or so with a little oil.

Ensure the skin is completely dry by patting with some kitchen towel.
Open out the loin onto a chopping board, skin side down.
Carefully (it’s easy) cut between the filet and the layer of fat to create a deep pocket.
In the pocket, put a layer of prunes followed by walnut halves and finally 6/10 sage leaves.
Go steady on the sage as if too much, the taste will be overpowering and rather unpleasant.

Gently roll up the pork and secure it with the skewers.
Truss with 3-5 “circles of string” and then take out the skewers.
Rub some salt into the skin.

Put the garlic and thyme among the bones and then place the loin on top.
Prick the tomato(es) and put them in the roasting tin.

After about 20 minutes, reduce the heat to 200 degC and roast for a further 50 minutes.
Check occasionally to ensure the crackling isn’t burning – cover loosely with foil if necessary.
1h20 should be sufficient cooking time, but check the meat temperature, remembering that it will continue to cook while resting.
Remove the meat to a warmed dish and allow to rest for 15 minutes or so in the usual manner.

Making the sauce
Remove the bones and squish the tomato and garlic.
I like my sauces with a bit of body, so I add perhaps a tablespoon of flour at this stage.
Add the marsala and scrape away the caramelized bits from the bottom of the pan.
Let it all bubble away until reduced by about two-thirds.
Add the water and simmer for a further 5 minutes.
Strain the liquid through a sieve and return it to the pan adding the remaining prunes and a handful of coarsely chopped walnuts and allow to warm through for a few minutes.
Adjust the seasoning as necessary.

Carving
Hardly rocket science!
Remove the beautifully crispy crackling before slicing the meat, as it makes it all very much easier.

=================

Serve with mashed potato (perhaps with spring onion or parsley stirred through for a change) and some green vegetable with a metallic hint – e.g. broccoli or savoy cabbage.

An Alsace Gewürztraminer or Riesling goes very well, but failing that, a good Cru Beaujolais is a perfectly adequate alternative.

Interestingly, almost the same recipe in the Larousse cookery book (Roti de Porc farci aux pruneaux), recommends a light fruity red wine to accompany this dish, presumably to complement the prunes. Cotes de Frontonnais, Bergerac & Cotes de Duras are the suggested bottles.

have you tried any of my recipes?

I haven't yet Cynic as there has only been me to feed recently, - had a guest the other week and did a leg of lamb etc. I will try the pork the next time I have friends round.

The point I was trying to make was that the 'old rule' of having white wine with white meat has drifted into history. The new TV chefs (both english & french) are promoting all sorts of different variations, though if I were a cynic, I would suspect that the wine producers might have had a hand in that!
I haven't put any of your recipes to the test yet. My last organised meal was for nine and involved a large range of Tapas dishes. Can be very laborious to prepare, but very quick to cook. My next will be a japanese meal for eight, prepared by a japanese visitor I have staying here atm. Should be interesting! Not Sushi I am informed as the Japanese don't actually regularly eat that. Am now hunting around for suitable wine, though may not be japanese as seems pretty tricky to get hold of!

if you go to a specialist merchant, you will find there are all sorts of varieties of sake, ranging from dry like sauvignon blanc through to sweet tasting of lychees .... however, Umu - a top japanese restaurant in London with a stunning range of sake - would I am sure you give you good guidance if you gave them a ring and asked to speak to the sommelier

if you don't fancy that but want to be a bit different, try a mosel riesling kabinett - that is a "properly" made one, and not one of those nasty modern-style trockens - or perhaps alsace pinot gris for a change

by the way, a fish like halibut is more than capable of standing up to and working well with even a medium-bodied red, obviously depending on how it is cooked ...... red mullet and a light red should also work well

lol :-))

sorry, but the likes of rotmos med fläsk and kroppkakor and kåldolmar don't inspire me much :-)

Lol , sorry just my bad humour. :-))

Thanks Mr C. Will let you know what I find.

Just a matter of interest Mr C, do you ever drink Merlot? Much less tannin & pretty good with pasta. Apparently often used to blend other wines. Certainly one of my favourite grape varieties and both french & chilean are very good. Not tried the californian variety.

of course .... that's why i like pomerol which has a higher % of merlot than say st emilion or pauillac (i think) ...... chilean wines can indeed be good, though i never buy them .... unfortunately chile found a successful grape, made good wine, and then grossly over-planted with an overall fall in quality

also, after a while, i find straight merlot a bit "dull", perhaps because it tends to lack balancing acidity


i'm sure someone who really knows his wines, will now shoot me down in flames!

Don't suppose you have come across any good regional variants of Vinaigrette in your travels Mr C? It seems it can be made a little more interesting than just oil, vinegar & mustard. Sometimes local produce is added to recipes just because it is there (cream in Normandy) but salad dressing seems to have missed out.

for myself, i just keep it simple, merely varying the mustard - then add vinegar first as that way it will all emulsify - and the the vinegar and the oil

if the garlic is really good and juicy, as it is down here at this time of the year, then i may crush a little and add ..... a bit of finey chopped fresh chili can also be interesting

Thanks. I think you can also vary the type of oil & the vinegar, but it seems the french rarely do. I have seen chives, chilli, garlic, parsley, black pepper and capers added, but none of them change the basic taste much.

why would you want to? ...... if the salad ingredients are good, then I want to taste those, any dressing just being an enhancement

sometimes i use part walnut or hazelnut oil, but steady on those or they'll overpower and taste disgusting

olive oils can vary a lot in flavour too, from quite neutral to really quite strong and fruity, or grassy or even peppery

for vinegar, i sometimes use balsamic or sherry or even fresh lemon juice as a change from the norm

"why would you want to? ...... "....because occasionally what comes out of the fridge isn't always either the most interesting or youthful of salad components, so a good vinaigrette can perk it up a little! Lemon juice might be an idea which I haven't thought of, so will give that a try. I agree that any nut oil is advised against as it taints the flavour.
Perhaps a topic of conversation at the table in Provence tonight to pick up some ideas to pass on? !!!

salad stuff here is really good so they don't spoil it with overpowering dressing ..... just a little vinegar and a splash of really good olive oil (local)