Craig Cooks

everyday experiments with food

Navigation
  • Baking
    • Bread
  • Cuisine
    • Asian
      • Chinese
      • Malaysian
    • Mexican
    • Middle Eastern
  • BBQ
  • Fruit
  • Meat
    • Lamb
    • Pork
  • Pasta
  • Pizza
  • Poultry
  • Seafood
  • Vegetarian
    • Salads
  • Dairy
    • Cheese
  • Dessert
    • Ice Cream
  • Soups
You are here: Home / Archives for Meat / Pork

Pork with Apple Parsnip Puree

June 19, 2021 by admin Leave a Comment

We made panko-crumbed pork loin with crispy parsnip skins. baked fennel, an apple-parsnip puree and poached leek with a mustard vinagrette. It was pretty good and I’m posting a couple of elements here so as not to lose them.

The puree recipe came from  F00d52 with slight amendment. It’s a great site, so please go and check it out. You’ll see that the recipe has optional whisky and pecans.

With only two us, I halved the recipe. Here’s what I did.

Apple and Parsnip Puree

2 large or 4 medium parsnips – about 450 gms.
Peel the parsnips. Cut into quarters and core them. Cut into 2 cm lengths and cubes.

1/2 large or 1 small onion cut into 2cm cubes.

1 to 1.5 granny smith apples, peeled cored and cut into 2cm cubes (I used one and thought it needed more apple).

Place the parsnip, onion and apple on baking paper in a baking tray and mix with 1 tbsp olive oil and a little sea salt and black pepper.

Bake at 190C for 15 mins, then use a spatula to turn the food in the pan. Cook for another 10 – 15 mins until it is browning.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, warm 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 cup cream with 1 tsp butter and 1 tbsp honey.

When the fruit and veg are cooked, place in a food processor. Add 1/2 of the milk mixture and process, then gradually add more until the mixture is creamy.

Our puree tasted quite nutty, but I wanted to taste more apple.

Leeks with Mustard Vinaigrette

The leek was simmered in water for 20 mins and then cut in half. I forgot to leave the base on the leek so the halves fell apart.

The vinaigrette is simple:

1 tbsp white vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 cup olive oil – the better quality oil, the better
a pinch of sugar

Whisk the above and then stir in 1 eschalot, finely minced (I used a bit of red onion instead)

Leek recipe from goodfood.com.au

Filed Under: Meat, Pork, Vegetarian

Steamed Pork Buns

June 13, 2021 by admin Leave a Comment

I have a goal of becoming a bun gun. That’s right, a dumpling king. It’s going to take years of practice so I might as well get started. Neil Perry’s Spice Temple is my guide. It has a great array of different kinds of dumplings with recipes for dough and filling. The other night I made these northern-style buns.

The filling is made from pork belly braised in a kind of master stock and then shredded and mixed with reduced cooking sauced, thickened with potato starch. The recipe said to simmer for 20 mins but mine took closer to 90 mins to become soft.

But this post is all about the bun itself. The recipe requires Hong Kong flour. I had no idea what this was, and after some research, found out that it is low in protein, lower even that 00 flour, but that would be a good substitute. However in the baking section of your supermarket, you will hopefully find this Lighthouse brand flour for Cake, Sponge and Steamed Bun! Yes! I’m sure that there is actual Hong Kong flour is Asian supermarkets, but this will do for now. You’ll note that it is self-raising flour.

Making the buns
The recipe is as follows and supposedly makes enough for 30 buns. I made half the quantity as there are only two of us.

500g or 3 1/2 cups of flour
1 tsp caster sugar
1 tsp dried yeast
300ml warm water

Sift flour and sugar into a bowl.

Dissolve yeast in water. Stir into the flour and mix together. Knead on the bench for 10 minutes (or put it into the bread machine as I did.)

Wrap in cling film and rest for 10 minutes.

Punch down the dough and knead for another five minutes.

The recipe says to divide into golf-sized balls. I made 16 that were smaller than golf balls. How big is a golf ball these days anyway?

Roll out each ball to 10cm diameter. The recipe said to fill with 2 tablespoons of filling, but my amount was more like 2 heaped teaspoons.

I’ve not had lessons in how to make these things. I should look on Youtube. Anyway I pull up the edges and then try to crimp/fold around the diameter and then at the end twist the top together. They’re not perfect but they’re OK. Leave them for 5 minutes to rise a bit…. 

Read More »

Filed Under: Asian, Baking, Pork

Grand Final Sausage Rolls

September 26, 2020 by admin Leave a Comment

Today should be the Australian Rules Football Grand Final – it is always the last Saturday in September. Thanks to COVID-19 and a late start to a shortened competition, the Final is going to be a month late.

Nevertheless, why not still make Grand Final Sausage Rolls. Eat some today and freeze some for next month! It’s a Win-win (unlike the actual game)!

Here’s the recipe that I made up today. It’s pretty good.

750g pork mince
2 eshallots (or 1/2 onion) diced finely and sauteed
1 grated carrot
4 tsp garlic
1 tbsp + 1 tsp freshly, coarsely  ground fennel seeds (measure after you grind them)
1 tbsp cracked black pepper
1 tbsp sea salt
1 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 – 1 cup fresh bread crumbled

4 sheets puff pastry
1 egg for brushing
Sesame seeds

 

Filed Under: Baking, Pork

Smoked Tomato Achiote Pork

December 10, 2017 by admin Leave a Comment

Tonight I put a Mexican twist on a Spanish roast pork dish.

The pork leg was studded with slices of 3 cloves of garlic. The pork was put in the following marinade for only a couple of hours and should have been longer.

Marinade
50g tomato paste
1/2 cup red wine
1 tsp hot smoked paprika
1 1/2 tbsp achiote paste
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp lemon juice
A generous pinch of ground cloves (maybe 1/8 tsp?)

The measurements above are approximate.

Achiote paste is from the annatto plant – a peppery spice. I keep a block of it in the fridge. It has an intense red colour but is mild in terms of heat. Great with pork or fish (or chicken…)

The pork was barbecued with sprigs of fresh oregano from our garden and smoked with some hickory. The fresh herb adds a wonderful aroma to the meat.

I use a Thermoworks ChefAlarm probe to check the temperature. It is a fantastic tool. I use it every time I BBQ.

Served up with a warm salad of charred zucchini, baked cherry tomatoes, charred red onion, mango, baked carrot (really! It was OK), smoked corn and coriander. (I forgot the lettuce and other leaves that I had picked from our garden…) Plus a wedge of lime to give the salad some tang. And some home-made BBQ sauce on the side if people needed it.

I cooked the pork crackling separately in the oven.  The roast leg had plenty of time to rest (which I usually fail to allow). The pork was crisp on the outside and moist in the middle. Perfect.

I must say this tasted fantastic. This is a winner recipe that I will tweak and repeat. I will probably add some chilli to the marinade…

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

Filed Under: BBQ, Pork

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • Next Page »
SEARCH FOR RECIPES

THE COOK

I live and cook in the Adelaide Hills in South Australia. The region is similar to the Mediterranean, with temperate climate, fertile hills, nearby ocean, wonderful local vegetables, fruit, wine and meat produced locally. Cooking has been a growing passion for me, about connecting culture, creativity, community and spirit. The small garden in our new home is currently being established with some native bush ‘tucker plants’ and a range of herbs. I’ve just bought a yuzu tree!

Photos taken on iPhone 4, 5 and X and a Canon 5D Mk III.

CONNECT

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest

RECENT COMMENTS

  • admin on Roast Cauliflower & Spiced Honey Carrots with Whipped Hummus
  • Judy Redman on Roast Cauliflower & Spiced Honey Carrots with Whipped Hummus
  • Greg on Smoked Jalapeno Cheese Sausages
  • craig on Pork, Duck & Beetroot Sausages
  • James on Pork, Duck & Beetroot Sausages

COOKBOOKS

Heart and Soul

Made In Italy

Plenty

LINKS

Craig's Recipes and Food Experiments
Nibble Me This
Ottolenghi Recipes
Souvlaki for The Soul
Good Food
Adan Medrano
Plant-based Munchies
What Katie Ate
Herbie's Spices
Smitten Kitchen
David Lebovitz
She Simmers
Chocolate and Zucchini
SBS Food
Pete Evans' Recipes

Copyright © 2025 · Foodie Child Theme by Shay Bocks · Built on the Genesis Framework · Powered by WordPress