Majorcan roast pork 'Porcella'

The famous 'Porcella' is traditionally made in a wood oven, slowly roasting a whole pig for 4-5 hours.
A very good home alternative is to use a pork shoulder or a large piece of pork belly,

Ingredients:

• 1 pork joint, with the skin on
• Salt, pepper, 
• 3 bay leaves,
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 lemon
• 1 glass of sherry or white wine

Method:
Heat the oven to 180 degrees celsius.
Pat the skin dry with a kitchen towel. The skin must be very dry to make a crackling.
Score the skin with a sharp knife, to make strips of crackling.

Rub some salt and pepper on the skin, and season the meat with more salt, pepper.
Sit the joint in a roasting tin, over the bay leaves, garlic, lemon juice and sherry, being careful not to make the skin wet.

Place the joint in the oven and cook for 50 minutes per kilo.
At the end of the cooking time, bring the oven temperature up to 200 degrees and cook for a further 20-30 minutes, to produce the crackling.

To serve:
Roast potatoes, String beans and Green Salad.

Milanesa a la Napolitana

Neopolitan Style Schnitzel

serves 4

• 4 milanesa-style pork loin steaks (slices about 1/3 inch thick)
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 2 tablespoons dried parsley
• salt, to taste
• pepper, to taste
• oil for frying
• 8-10 slices ham
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 2 cups Mozzarella, sliced 

Lightly pound the meat with a mallet to tenderize it.  Beat the eggs in a medium sized bowl, and beat in the parsley, salt and pepper.  Place the breadcrumbs in a shallow dish.  Dip the steaks, one at a time, into the egg and spice mixture, and then place in the breadcrumbs.  Press gently on each side to ensure that the cutlets are evenly coated all over.

At this point you can place the breaded cutlets on a plate and place in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight. They can also be fried immediately. 

Heat a half-inch oil in a skillet over medium-high heat until very hot.  Place the cutlets in the oil, two at a time, and cook until browned on one side, 3 to 5 minutes.  Turn the steaks and fry on the other side until browned, about 3 minutes.  Remove to a plate and repeat with the two remaining steaks.

Place the steaks in an oven proof dish or cast-iron skillet.  Layer the  ham over steaks--you can use one or two slices, depending on your taste.  Spread 1/4 cup of tomato sauce on each steak.  Place the slices of Mozzerella on top of the tomato sauce in an even layer. 

Heat the grill in the oven to 180ªC, and put the dish under the grill until the cheese is brown and bubbling and the meat has heated through but not dried out, about 5-9 minutes.  Serve with a sharp knife, and a glass of dry white wine.  (Also pairs well with a light beer)

Pork Pie

450g pork mince

55g pork fat, finely minced

55g Bacon, minced

 

For the pastry

450g Flour

225g lard

90 ml water,

beaten egg yolks, or milk to glaze

For the jelly

300 ml water,

1/2 envelope powdered gelatine, (about 6g)

Method

1. To make the pastry: put the flour in a mixing bowl and crumble in the lard. Work until beginning to come together. Add a pinch of salt and start adding the water gradually, working until the dough forms. Let it rest for 1 hour.

2. Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 5.

3. Roll the dough on a floured surface to about 5mm thick. Reserve enough pastry to make a lid. Use the larger piece of dough to line the base and sides of a 20cm plain flan ring or springform tin.

4. To make the filling: mix the pork mince, pork fat and bacon and season with salt and pepper and herbs such as sage or parsley. Place this mixture in the pie case.

5. Brush the edges of the dough with water and place the lid on top. Make sure this is sealed well by pressing with a fork.

6. Brush the top with egg yolk or milk. Cook in the oven for about 1 hour 30 minutes until golden brown.

Remove from the oven and unmold immediately. Leave the pie to cool overnight.

7. The following day, make up the gelatine with the water according to the packet instructions. Make a hole in the top of the pie and pour the gelatine in until the pie is completely filled (the meat will have shrunk so there will be plenty of space). Let the pie set in the fridge overnight (or for at least 12 hours for the best results).

Serves: Makes 1 pie. Cook: 1 hr 30 min

Cabbage and Pork Dumplings

Cabbage leaves are perfect to prepare with a delicious stuffing. This recipe is inspired in a eastern European recipe.

Ingredients for 4 people

• 8-12 cabbage leaves
• 500 gm. minced pork
• 100 gm. rice, uncooked
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
  
• salt, pepper, paprika, nutmeg, to taste

• 1 small onion
• 2 tomatoes, peeled and diced
• small glass of white wine

Wash and drain the cabbage leaves. Blanch them in a little water for 4 minutes until just tender. Remove the central stem with a knife. Put the leaves aside.

Mix the mince with the onion, salt, pepper, paprika and nutmeg to taste. Add the uncooked rice and mix it in well. The rice will cook with the meat and will absorb all of the flavour.
Take a ball of meat about the size of a golf ball of a little larger. Wrap the dumpling in a cabbage leave. Continue the same process until you finish the meat and cabbage. Put aside.

Fry the onion in a little oil for 5 minutes, add the tomatoes, salt, pepper and the wine. When it comes up to the boil pack the cabbage parcels over the sauce. Cover the pan and cook for 35-40 minutes.

Serve hot, with mashed potatoes.

Pork Patties

Sausage roll

To make these patties or frikadelle you will need a good electric mincer.

Ingredients for 4:

• 350 gr pork mince or pork belly
• 1 slice of stale bread
• 1 spring onion, chopped
• salt, pepper to taste
• Grated nutmeg, to taste

Grind the meat, mixed with the rest of ingredients in an electric grinder, you might need to do this in two or three batches.
Grind the meat until it forms a ball in the grinder. You will need to stop the grinder from time to time and push the meat down.
Once you have a homogeneous ball of pounded meat, your mix is ready to form patties or sausage rolls.
To prepare you can shape the meat into patties or sausages, cook in a pan with a little oil and serve hot, with fries.

Pork Spare Ribs

This can be served as part of a Chinese style meal, or as a main dish served with fried rice or chips.
The meat needs to macerate in a sweet and sour marinade for a few hours to get the maximum flavour and the juiciest ribs.

Ingredients for 4
12 pork spare ribs

Marinade:
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp tomato ketchup
3 tbsp vinegar
1 tbsp marmalade or homey
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 x 1cm ginger, grated
1 chili, chopped

Place the ribs in an ovenproof dish and pour all of the marinade ingredients over them. Mix well with two forks. Cover the dish with cling film and refrigerate until required.
Bake the ribs at 180ºC for 90 minutes, turning once during the cooking.