Pork is often overlooked as too difficult to cook, but TV cook Justine Schofield has come up with some easy recipes to prove otherwise.
The Everyday Gourmet host is working in partnership with Otway Pork, to create a series of tasty recipes with crowd-pleasing results.
Here are her five favourites.
1. Vietnamese pork cutlet salad
Serves: 4
Prep time: 30 minutes plus marinating time
Ingredients
1 tbs. peanut oil
100g dried glass noodles, rehydrated
1 handful each of Thai basil, mint and coriander
1/2 carrot julienned
1/2 red onion, finely sliced
1 handful of bean sprouts
4 pork cutlets
Marinade:
1 piece of lemongrass, finely minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 x 2cm piece of ginger
1 tbs. kecup manis
Nuoc mam:
2 tbs. fish sauce
Juice of 1 lime
2 tbs. caster sugar
1 small red chilli, finely chopped
Method:
Prepare rice noodles as per packet instructions, then drain.
Prepare the marinade and massage into pork cutlets. Marinade for 30 minutes.
For the nuoc mam dressing combine all ingredients and put to the side.
Heat oil in a pan and cook pork cutlets for 3-4 minutes on each side or until cooked through.
To assemble, portion drained noodles between bowls and top with sliced pork cutlet, carrots, herbs and sliced onion, bean sprouts and then the nuoc mam.
2. Sticky Honey & Soy Pork with Rice Noodles
Serves: 4
Prep: 20 minutes Cooking: 2.5 hours
Ingredients:
1 tbs/ of vegetable oil
1 x 1kg piece of pork belly, cut into rashers
1 bunch of spring onions, white and light green part cut into batons, green top thinly sliced for garnish
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 x 4cm piece of ginger, cut into julienne
2 star anise
125ml (½ cup) Shaoxing wine
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup honey
800g fresh flat rice noodles (or 200g dried)
Sesame seed, to serve
Method:
Preheat oven to 170C.
Heat pan over a medium to high heat and sear pork rashers on both sides for 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Remove.
Add the spring onions, garlic, ginger, star anise and cook for two minutes before returning the pork. Add the Shaoxing and bring to the boil then add the soy, honey and 1 cup of water and mix through.
Place the lid on and cook for 2 hours until the pork is meltingly tender. If the sauce needs thickening once cooked, remove the pork and bring the sauce to a boil for a few minutes.
To prepare the noodles, place them in a large bowl and cover with boiling water (or prepare as per packet instructions). Warm through for 5 minutes.
Portion noodles between bowls and top with the sticky pork and lots of sauce. Garnish with sesame seeds and curled spring onions tops.
3. Pork Fillet Burgers
Ingredients
1 x 400g pork fillet, cut into 100g medallions
3/4 cup of plain flour
2 eggs
200 g panko breadcrumbs
1 small handful of finely grated parmesan
Vegetable oil, for shallow frying
Butter lettuce leaves, to serve
Whole-egg mayonnaise, to serve
Gherkins, sliced to serve
4 soft potato or milk buns
Peri-peri sauce:
4 small red chillies, chopped (remove seed if you milder)
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 x 3cm pieces of ginger chopped
2 tsp. sweet paprika
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tbs. caster sugar
1/2 tbs. white vinegar
80ml olive oil
Salt and pepper
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Method:
To make the peri-peri sauce, place all of the ingredients into a small pot except the lemon. Place on a low heat and gently cook for 15-20 minutes, ensuring it does not boil. Cool to room temperature then pour into a small food processor or blender along with lemon juice and blend until smooth. This can be made up to a week in advance and stored in an airtight container.
Working with one pork medallion at a time, cover with baking paper and with a meat mallet or a rolling pin, pound to flatten into thin schnitzels (about the size of your palm).
Place the flour in a shallow bowl. In another shallow bowl, lightly beat the eggs with a pinch of salt and a splash of water. In a third bowl, combine the breadcrumbs and parmesan. Lightly flour each piece of pork, dip into the egg wash, then coat in the breadcrumb mixture, pressing crumbs into pork so they stick well.
Heat a large frying pan over medium–high heat and add a good splash of vegetable oil. Fry the schnitzels in batches, for 2 minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove and place in a single layer on an oven tray lined with a rack. This will help them stay crisp.
Toast the buns then spread peri-peri on one side and mayonnaise on the other. Add the pickles and pork schnitzels to the base of bun, then the lettuce leaves and bun top. Sandwich together and eat immediately.
4. Pulled Pork Rolls
Serves: 6
Prep: 20 minutes. Cooking: 2.5 hours
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil1 x 2kg pork shoulder, deboned
2 dill pickles, sliced into rounds
6 seeded milk or brioche buns
Sauce:
200g good-quality barbecue sauce
1 tbs tomato paste
2 tbs dijon mustard
2 tbs apple cider vinegar (plus an extra splash for the slaw)
3 tbs brown sugar
2 tbs smoked paprika
3 garlic cloves, minced
Slaw:
1/4 small white cabbage (about 250g), shredded
1 carrot, julienned
1/2 small red onion, finely sliced
1/2 granny smith apple, julienned
2 tbs mayonnaise
Salt and pepper
Method:
Remove the pork from the fridge 1 hour before cooking. Preheat the oven to 150C.
Combine the sauce ingredients in a jug, then mix in 500ml (2 cups) of hot water. Heat the oil in a flameproof casserole pan over high heat. Sear the pork all over for 8–10 minutes until browned. Pour over the sauce and turn to coat the pork. Place a piece of baking paper cut to fit the pan on top, then cover with the lid. Transfer to the oven and cook for 2–2 1/2 hours, turning halfway through until the meat is meltingly tender.
Remove the pork from oven and shred with two forks while also folding through sauce.
To make the slaw, mix the cabbage, carrot, onion and apple in a bowl. Mix the mayonnaise and an extra splash of apple cider vinegar with a pinch of salt and pepper. At the last minute, so it stays crunchy, toss the slaw with the dressing.
Serve the saucy pulled pork with the slaw and pickles in the buns.
5. French pot roasted pork
Serves: 4-6
Cook: 1 hour
Ingredients:
1 tbs. olive oil
1.2kg pork neck (scotch fillet), skin removed
3 medium onions, sliced
150ml chicken stock
1 cup port
Salt & Pepper
Method:
Bring the pork scotch out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking.
Add oil to a heavy based casserole pot over a medium-high heat. Season the meat generously with salt and pepper.
Sear the meat all over until golden brown (approx. 10 minutes).
This stage is important, as it will help flavour and colour the sauce. Remove pork and add the sliced onions and cook for a further 4-5 minutes or until the onions have softened and also have some good colour.
Return pork and add the port and boil for a minute, then add a splash of stock.
Place the lid on the pot and cook on medium to low heat for 45 minutes – 1 hour, turning the meat once during the cooking process.
When cooked, remove the meat from the pot and slice into thick pieces. Reduce the sauce for a further 2-3 minutes then pour over pork and serve.
