Darina Allen: Three delicious pork recipes, and where to find free-range organic pork

A selection of Darina Allen's pork recipes

Do you remember what pork used to taste like, sweet and juicy and delicious, or does that description even resonate? I always loved a nice thick pork chop, on the bone, with the rind still on, a nice covering of juicy fat and a little chunk of kidney underneath. The last time I had one, about 25 years ago, I bought a centre loin pork chop home from Cork, glowing with anticipation… I seasoned it well and cooked it off on a hot grill pan.

Now, I can cook a pork chop as well as most, but when I tasted it, it was not sweet and juicy as I had anticipated but dry and virtually tasteless. If I’d been blindfolded, I wouldn’t have had the least idea what I was eating, so I resolved there and then to source a couple of heirloom pigs and rear them myself.

I brought my first two pigs from a nice man I met while hillwalking on the Knockmealdown mountains. We shook hands on the deal as we crossed a ford in the river and named it the Ford of the Black Pig! He delivered my two heirloom pigs a few days later. They lived a happy life, ranging freely in the meadow, foraging and eating scraps from the kitchen and garden and windfall apples from the orchard. We celebrated their lives on our plates, made sausages, salami, cured some bacon and a couple of hams and enjoyed pork chops and roast pork with crunchy crackling just as I had remembered.

I’ve continued to rear a few pigs ever since, traditional breeds, hardy animals bred to live outdoors in their natural environment. Their tails aren’t docked nor are their teeth cracked to avoid them from biting each other out of boredom and frustration in cramped conditions. Pigs are really friendly and intelligent creatures. I am not a vegetarian, rather, I’m an omnivore but I am not prepared to knowingly eat pork or chicken or any animal, bird or fish that has suffered to provide my food. Having said all that, there’s no question, but it is difficult nowadays to find free-range organic pork. Fortunately, there are an increasing number of small producers rearing a few pigs and doing meat boxes and selling direct to the public.

To mention a few Lúnasa Farm, Clarecastle, Co Clare, lunasafarm.ie

Crawford’s Farm, Cloughjordan, Co Tipperary, crawfordsfarm.ie

Newbard Farm outside Lismore, Co Waterford, newbardfarm.com

Wicklow Organic (Kilmacoo Hill Farm), wickloworganic.com

Regans Organic Farm, Enniscorthy, Co Wexford, pork and also beautiful free range organic chickens. reganorganicfarm.ie

Seek out Noreen and Martin Conroy of Woodside Farm at Midleton and Mahon Point Farmers’ Markets. they are known for their chemical-free pork at woodsidefarm.ie.

There are also a number of organic processors. Google and do your homework carefully. Free-range organic will of necessity be more expensive, the feed is GM-free and almost double the price of conventional feed. It takes a lot longer for the pigs to fatten. Enjoy the delicious juicy fat, remember the Good Lord didn’t put fat on meat to annoy us. It enables us to extract all the nutrients from the remainder of our food, a basic but much misunderstood fact of nutrition.

Here are some of my favourite pork recipes for you.

Pork with Gentle Spices

recipe by:Darina Allen

A gently spiced dish, quick and easy to make - careful not to overcook, also delicious made with chicken, This recipe is also delicious with the addition of sautéed mushrooms.

Servings

4

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 2 organic or chemical-free pork fillets

• 1-2 tsp whole cardamom pods

• 1 tsp whole coriander seeds

• 1 tsp whole cumin seeds

• 25g butter

• 110g onions, chopped

• salt and freshly ground pepper

• 150ml homemade chicken stock

• 150ml cream

• For the garnish

• flat parsley or coriander

Method

1. Press the cardamom pods and extract the seeds, grind to a fine powder with the coriander and cumin seeds in a pestle and mortar or in a spice grinder.

2. Melt the butter in a sauté pan, add the onion and sweat over a gentle heat until soft. Trim the pork fillets of all fat and membrane. Cut into 2cm slices or cubes, season with salt and freshly ground pepper, toss the fillets in the ground spices. Add to the onion and sauté gently for a few minutes. Cover the pan tightly and cook in a preheated oven 150°C/gas mark 2 for 15-20 minutes or until the pork pieces are cooked but still nice and juicy. (It may not be necessary to put the pork in the oven if using fillet).

3. Remove the pork to a serving dish and keep warm. Put the casserole back onto the heat, add the stock and cream and reduce by half. Taste and adjust seasoning, add the pork pieces back into the sauce (add sautéed mushroom if including), allow to bubble for a minute or two.

4. Serve on a hot serving dish garnished with flat parsley or coriander. The dish may be prepared ahead to this point and reheated later in a saucepan over a gentle heat.

5. Serve with orzo (orzo looks like fat grains of rice but is in fact made from semolina. It is sometimes sold under the name of misko.)

Roast Pork with Crackling and Spiced Aubergines in the Pickling Style

recipe by:Darina Allen

We’ve got lots of aubergines at present, so I’ve been enjoying this delicious combination.

Servings

6

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 1 x 2.25kg loin of organic free-range pork with the skin (rind) intact. (You will most certainly need to order the joint ahead to ensure that the rind is still on: no rind - no crackling!)

• 2 tbsp chopped herbs (parsley, thyme, chives, marjoram, savoury, perhaps very little sage or rosemary) (optional)

• salt and freshly ground pepper

• To serve

• Maldon sea salt

• Rocket leaves

• Apple sauce

• for the spiced aubergines

• 500g aubergines

• 250ml approximate extra virgin olive oil

• 2.5cm cube of fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped

• 6 large cloves of garlic, peeled and coarsely crushed

• 50ml water

• 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1 tsp whole fennel seeds

• 2 tsp whole cumin seeds

• 350g very ripe tomatoes, peeled and finely chopped or 1 x 400g tin tomatoes + 1 tsp sugar

• 1 tbsp freshly ground coriander seeds

• ¼ tsp ground turmeric

• ⅓ tsp cayenne pepper (more if you like)

• sea salt

• 25-50g raisins

Method

1. A day before, brine the pork (see recipe at end).

2. Score the skin at 5mm intervals running with the grain - let your butcher do this if possible because the skin, particularly of free-range pork can be quite tough. Carefully pour boiling water over the scored pork and immediately drain off. This is to give you really good crackling and make it easier to carve later.

3. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4.

4. Sprinkle some salt over the rind and roast the joint on a wire rack in a roasting tin. Allow 30-35 minutes per 450g. Baste with the rendered pork fat every now and then. Alternatively, put the pork skin side-down on a chopping board, season with salt and black pepper, sprinkle with freshly chopped herbs if using. One can roll up tightly and tie with cotton string, if desired, but I prefer to roast as it is.

5. *Meanwhile, cook the Spiced Aubergines, see recipe.

6. Just before the end of cooking time, remove the pork to another roasting tin. Return to the oven and increase the temperature to 230°C/Gas Mark 8, to further crisp the crackling. When the joint is cooked, the juices should run clear. Put the pork onto a hot carving dish and allow to rest for 10-15 minutes in a low oven before carving. Serve two slices of pork per person with some Spiced Aubergine, apple sauce and garnish with rocket. Sprinkle a few grains of Maldon sea salt over the pork.

7. Rustic roast potatoes and a good green salad would also be great.

8. For the spiced aubergines

9. Cut the aubergine into 2cm thick slices. Heat 175ml of oil in a deep 25-30cm frying pan. When hot, almost smoking, add a few aubergine slices and cook until golden and tender on both sides. Remove and drain on a wire rack over a baking sheet. Repeat with the remainder of the aubergines, adding more oil if necessary. Alternatively, brush generously with extra virgin olive oil and cook on a hot pan-grill.

10. Put the ginger, garlic and water into a blender. Blend until fairly smooth.

11. Heat 6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in the frying pan. When hot, add the fennel and cumin seeds, (careful not to let them burn). Stir for just a few seconds then put in the chopped tomato, the ginger-garlic mixture, coriander, turmeric, cayenne and salt. Simmer, stirring occasionally until the spice mixture thickens slightly, 5-6 minutes.

12. Add the fried aubergine slices and raisins and coat gently with the spicy sauce. Cover the pan, turn the heat to very low and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Serve warm.

13. Basic Brine

14. Brining greatly enhances the flavour of pork, chicken, duck. We brine whole turkeys (48 hours), loin of pork, chickens, and ducks (12-18 hours), chicken breast (30-40 minutes depending on size).

15. Soak the joint or bird in a brine mixture of salt and water. The electrically charged ions of the salt plump up the muscle fibres, allowing them to absorb water. This changes the structure of the proteins, preventing the water from escaping during cooking. In addition to keeping the meat moist, the salt intensifies flavour.

16. To make a basic brine, mix together 30g salt to 1 litre of water in a suitable size container with a cover (stainless steel, plastic or enamel are ideal). A little sugar may be added to the brine, even a few spices. Stir the salt with a wooden spoon or clean hand in cold tap water to dissolve completely. Add the bird or joint (it should be submerged in the water), cover and chill in a refrigerator or keep in a cool place and brine for chosen time.

Asian Pork Lettuce Cups

recipe by:Darina Allen

An exciting and super delicious way to eat pork mince.

Servings

4

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp sunflower oil

• 250g pork mince (belly is good)

• 2 large garlic cloves, peeled, finely chopped

• 1 red chilli, deseeded, finely chopped

• 1 dsp fish sauce (nam pla)

• 1 dsp soy sauce

• 1 tbsp palm or soft brown sugar

• 5 spring onions, finely sliced at an angle

• a small handful of coriander, roughly torn

• 12 fresh mint leaves, roughly torn

• freshly squeezed juice of 1 lime

• To serve

• 12 leaves of iceberg or baby gem lettuces, separated into leaves

• Thai sweet chilli sauce

Method

1. Heat the sunflower oil in a wide frying pan over a high heat, add the mince and fry for 2-3 minutes or until the pork is tender, breaking the mince up with a spoon to ensure even cooking.

2. Push the mince to the side of the pan. Add the garlic and chilli and fry for a further minute. Add the fish sauce, soy sauce and sugar, stir and fry for another minute until just cooked.

3. Finally, add half the spring onions, coriander, mint and the lime juice and fry for 1-2 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool a little.

4. Scoop 1 tablespoon of the aromatic pork into each lettuce leaf. Top with a drizzle of Thai sweet chilli sauce. Add a sprinkling with the remaining spring onions, coriander and mint.

Seasonal Journal

Food Security

The summer heat waves have added to the growing anxiety about food security caused by geopolitical events. The Ukraine and Middle Eastern wars, the chaos in the straits of Hormuz, disruption to the global distribution system, transport costs. The heat affects animals also, so milk yields are down, early harvests contribute to lower yield of grain and crop failure. Brassicas for winter are greatly affected by the heat. Water shortages have affected abattoirs in some areas; wildfires have decimated countless acres of crops particularly in the UK and Europe.

Seek out How To Grow Food by Huw Richards and Sam Cooper. Huw is a passionate organic vegetable, fruit and herb grower from Wales is also worth checking out with videos and books.

• Instagram: @huwsgarden

Armagh Food and Cider Festival

September 3-6 in the Orchard County. Northern Ireland Food Heartland comes alive with mouthwatering events, farm-to-fork feasts, artisan
experiences, cultural trails and a mesmerising variety of apple juice and cider.

• visitarmagh.com/festivals/food-cider