Crab Linguine with Pinot Gris & Macadamia and prune stuffed pork with Pinot Noir

Do you ever wish you knew what wine to match with a special meal you were cooking?

I do!

I was so pleased when I was offered wine (from Wine Selectors) that I could match with a specific recipe.

They currently have a Chef Series where every bottle is matched by a chef with a recipe you can cook up and impress your friends and family.

So I invited some friends over for feast.

We started with a molten brie topped with garlic and port plum jam

For entree I chose Ben O'Donoghue's Pinot Gris to match with Crab and Rocket Linguine.

A simple and easy recipe where you cook some garlic with basil stalks, add in your tomatoes (I roasted some) and then your crab meat. Wilt in some rocket (and I added some basil leaves).

Remove the stalks and stir in the pasta (I made some fresh spelt linguine), season and serve with a beautiful glass of Pinot Gris. 

It was a beautiful light dish with good flavour, the wine was thoroughly enjoyed along side.

For main I chose Ian Parmenter's Pinot Noir to match with Roast Pork with Prune and Macadamia Stuffing.

Again it is not a difficult recipe, the stuffing consists of bacon and onion (of which I firstly browned in a pan), fresh bread crumbs, macadamias, pitted prunes, fresh thyme, lemon rind, mixed spice, brandy, and egg.

Spread it onto your pork loin, roll up, tie and bake.

My crackling wasn't perfect so I cut off the top and watched it closely under the grill to get some serious crunchiness.

It was so delicious served with some baked pumpkin and parsnip, and sauteed broccoli.

And the Pinot Noir was sensational, an absolutely gorgeous wine that accompanied the food perfectly.

Overall it was a really enjoyable meal, delicious food, stunning wine, a warm lounge room and good friends.

I am very thankful to Wine Selectors for the gift of the wine. 

Mexican Pulled Pork

Earlier this year I was fortunate enough to be seated near Detective Chow from Food Scene Investigation at a bloggers dinner. An amazing opportunity arose where he could share some free range pig raised with love on the south coast. It feels so good to eat meat from an animal you know has lived in a natural environment, the way that it should be.

I was delighted with this beautiful piece of pork for braising, and what better dish to create then a slow cooked melt in your mouth one.

 I used Sammy and Bella's recipe for Mexican Pulled Pork.

The meat is seasoned and seared.

The onions, garlic, cumin and oregano (can you already smell the aroma of mexico?!) are cooked until translucent.

How beautiful are these spices, paprika and chipotle.

Into the pot they go along with tomatoes,vinegar and coriander (roots and stems).

Then the pork and enough water to cover. 

The pork is covered and baked in a slow oven for four hours turning every hour.

After resting for ten minutes it is gently pulled apart with two forks.

The sauce is reduced down until thick.

And combined with the pork.

Done, easy. 

Then you can serve however you wish, so many options with this tasty dish.

The first night I served it in some crunchy tortilla bowls.

It was very much enjoyed. 

Not to forget the next night when we served it with corn chips, yum!

Sweet and Sour Rhubarb Pork with Noodles

I have not actually cooked many of Jamie's recipes, not sure why.

We do have one of his books, Jamie at Home, and after including it in a pile of books to flatten something I decided to have a peruse. 

Well this Jamie Oliver recipe sounded fantastic and so I gave it a go!

And it was so simple. 

The marinade of rhubarb, honey, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, chilli and five spice is pureed.

The marinade is then put in a roasting pan with some chunks of pork belly (rind removed), covered with foil and baked for an hour and a half.

The pork is finished off in a hot pan until its nice and caramelised. 

I reduced the majority of the sauce down separately.

Serve your cooked egg noodles with the thick sauce and top with the tender tasty pork.

Serve with coriander, chilli and spring onions.

It was so delicious, the sour sauce clung perfectly to the noodles, it reminded me of satay.

The pork was tender and delicious. I love that the recipe used rhubarb.

Pork Belly Confit and a Pork Masterclass at Restaurant Atelier

I went to a Pork Masterclass at Restaurant Atelier in Glebe and was so inspired. 

It was the first time I had been in a professional kitchen and the chef Darren is an incredible bloke, he instantly made us feel welcome and at home.

One of the dishes he demonstrated for us was pork belly confit. I have never cooked confit before but Darren made it seem so achievable, and so with Mothers Day approaching I had a reason to cook something special.

The pork belly is placed in a roasting dish with fat, covered with foil and then cooked on low in the oven for 5 hours.

It is brought to room temperature then wrapped in cling film and left in the fridge overnight with weight on top.

The belly is then cut into neat slices and the skin crisped up in a pan.

It was perfect.

The skin was beautifully crisp, and the meat melt in your mouth.

I am still astonished that I was able to create such a dish.

What else did the class show me? Well we ate loads of porky samples!

And how to cook a crispy pork belly.

We got to see every stage of the pork belly confit process.

And of course taste its deliciousness.

You would not believe the pork 'bubble', achieved by drying out the skin and deep frying.

In case all that (plus more) wasn't enough, you then sit down and enjoy an amazing meal together.

The pork shoulder was roasted for 12 hours, the meat falling apart and the skin perfectly crackled.

It was served with a gorgeous sauce (Darren also showed us how to create) and wonderful sides of freshly smoked pine mushrooms, fresh salad and chickpea ragout.

Want to join a #porkfest masterclass too? Well on the last sunday of each month you can.

Just contact the lovely Karen (via twitter - if you are not a twitterer I'm happy to contact Karen for you) but be quick because I am positive places are snapped up!

Tea Country Pork Curry with Pol Rotti and Coconut Sambol - My Sri Lanka SBS

This is another of Peter Kuruvita's recipes from his new television show My Sri Lanka.

If you click here not only will you get the detailed recipe but will also be able to watch him cooking in Sri Lankan tea country complete with a waterfall in the background and the mist coming and going. It is an amazing show to watch as Peter really shares himself and his love for the country and of course its food.

If you missed my previous post on My Sri Lanka I have also cooked prawns and a cashew nut curry.

I am going to share this recipe as I cooked it.

So firstly the pork was marinated with cardamon, roasted fenugreek seeds, cracked cardamon pods, chilli  powder, curry powder, salt, pepper, cinnamon and goroka. 

I must confess I skimped alot on the chilli as my children are not so keen on the heat.

Next you prepare the Pol Rotti with atta flour, finely chopped onion and green chilli, salt, ghee and freshly shredded coconut (I used frozen). 

Curry leaves are also meant to be added but my local shops were all out today.

Enough water is added to knead a smooth dough which is then rolled into balls and allowed to rest.

As you can see my daughter helped me prepare this meal, one her many additions was rolling out 'cute' rotti balls.

Meanwhile you start the curry by heating ghee (I used oil and butter) in a pot. 

I went all out and bought a gorgeous clay pot at one of our local spice shops.

First add pandan and curry leaves (I used dry and I was unable to get fresh today).

Followed by onion, green chilli, garlic and ginger.

Then in goes the marinated pork, covering with water, and cook until it thickens up.

My pot is so huge I could have cooked 10x as much!

Once the curry is on you move on to the carrot sambol which is simply grated carrot, finely chopped onion, garlic and green chilli, fresh coconut, salt and pepper, lime juice and crushed maldive fish.

I bought this down at the spice shop, another interesting ingredient to add to my pantry!

You use your hands to flatten out the pol rotti and cook both sides over high heat with a little oil in a flat pan.

It is served with more fresh coconut on top.

Alongside the carrot sambol. 

You can see I used a beautiful golden carrot bought at the markets on the weekend.

And of course the pork curry.

It was really incredible, every component of the meal complimented the next. 

The whole family really enjoyed it. 

The sambol added the zing and freshness to the tasty pork and incredibly moreish rotti. 

Can't wait until the next episode, need some more recipes for my new pot, and maldive fish, and goroka.....