Recipies

Italian Sausage with "Vin Santo" Cherry Tomato and Grapes

Serves 4-6

  • ¼ cup (3 Tbs) extra virgin olive oil
  • 8 Italian sausages, roughly chopped
  • ½ cup (125ml) ‘Vin Santo’ wine, or any sweet wine
  • ½ cup (125ml) chicken stock
  • 1 cup (160g) seedless red grapes
  • 1 punnet cherry tomatoes, halved
  • ½ bunch flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped

Heat oil in large frying pan, add sausages, cooking on medium heat for about ten minutes or until cooked. Remove sausages from pan, add wine and stock, and bring to boil, simmer for about 5 minutes. Add grapes and tomatoes simmer further 5 minutes. Return sausages to pan, stir gently until sausages are heated through. Just before serving add parsley.

Serve with any short pasta shape and shaved parmesan cheese.

Here is an easy way of preparing your own cured meat.

Poached Pork Loin with Mustard and Balsamic Dressing 

Serves 6-8

  • 1kg pork loin, skin on
  • 1 bunch flat leaf parsley, leaves only
  • 2 Tbs Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
  • 2 bay leaves
  • water
  • 200g freshly shaved Romano pecorino
  • 750g Kipler potatoes
  • Dressing
  • 1 cup (250ml) extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ cup (125ml) white balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • sea salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

Using a sharp knife, make numerous small cuts in the meat. Stuff the cuts with parsley, pushing it deep into each crevice. Spread the mustard over the meat and sprinkle with pepper. Lay out a large sheet of plastic wrap on your work surface, put the seasoned pork on it and lay the bay leaves on top. Wrap the meat tightly in the plastic, then wrap in foil and tie securely with string. Put the pork into a deep, heavy-based pot and cover with water. Bring to the boil, and then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 1 hour. Turn off the heat and allow the meat to cool in the water. Remove from the water and refrigerate overnight.

To make the dressing, combine all ingredients in a screw top jar and mix well.

Untie the string and unwrap the pork. Slice the meat thinly and serve with steamed kipfler potatoes and shavings of pecorino. Drizzle with the dressing and scattered with extra parsley leaves if desired.

Braised Bacon with Dried Cranberries

Serves 6-8

  • 1.2kg piece bacon, rind on
  • 1 cup (250ml) dry sherry
  • ½ cup (125ml) sherry vinegar
  • Juice of one orange
  • 80ml olive oil
  • 1/3 cup (80g) brown sugar
  • 100g fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
  • 6 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 6 eschalots, peeled and halved
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 180gm dried cranberries
  • 500ml chicken stock
  • Roast potatoes and parsnips, to serve

Combine all ingredients (except potatoes and parsnips) in a large bowl. Place in the fridge, covered, 6 hrs or overnight, turning occasionally.

Preheat oven to 220c (or 200c fan-forced). Place bacon in a roasting dish, cover with foil and cook for 1 hour 15 minutes or until bacon is cooked, basting every 15 minutes. Remove bacon from baking dish, place remaining marinade in baking dish, place on stovetop over high heat and reduce sauce by half.

Slice bacon into thick slices with rind on and serve with roasted potatoes and parsnips with sauce spooned over.