Slow Roast Belly Pork with Cipollini Onions & Crushed Potatoes

August 27, 2011 by Leave a Comment

I love belly pork – when Mum cooked it, it fell off the bone. Absolutely gorgeous. We always had it with mashed potato and cabbage – I loved it with a little piccalilli on the side. On those days when I am down like today, it comforts me to eat something that Mum would have liked- takes me back to my youth – in many ways, much happier times before the trials and tribulations of adult life spoil it all. My daughter does a slow roast belly pork dish with is absolutely fabulous – so tender and tasty. Nowadays we cut out the potato, have it with cabbage and – of course - piccalilli!

Alternately – serve with buttery mashed potatoes and fresh seasonal vegetables.

1 piece of belly pork – about 1½ kg
Sea salt flakes
Olive oil
Cipollini Onions
30 grams unsalted butter
450 grams Cipollini onions – peeled
60 ml dry white wine
15 ml balsamic vinegar
240 ml chicken stock
Sea salt and freshly ground white pepper
Crushed Potatoes
450 grams red skinned new potatoes
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt flakes
2 whole unpeeled garlic cloves
Juice and zest of half a lime or lemon

Cipollini Onions

  1. Put the butter into a large frying pan over a medium heat
  2. Add the onions and gently fry for about 10 minutes, stirring often, until they start to turn a light golden colour
  3. Add the white wine and balsamic vinegar
  4. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is reduced to a glaze
  5. Add the chicken broth, season to taste
  6. Reduce heat to medium-low
  7. Simmer for between 10 to 20 minutes, or until the liquid has nearly evaporated and onions are tender and a rich golden brown

Belly Pork

  1. Scatter some sea salt flakes over a tray
  2. Score the skin at 5 mm intervals with a very sharp knife, lay skin side down on the tray, refrigerate overnight.
  3. Preheat oven to 130ºC, 265ºF or gas mark 1/2.
  4. Place – skin side up onto a large roasting tin, drizzle with a little olive oil
  5. Roast in the preheated oven for about 3 to 4 hours

Crushed Potatoes

  1. Place the potatoes and garlic into a saucepan, cover with stock and cook for about 15 minutes or until tender, drain well.
  2. Remove and garlic, take off the skin and pound using a pestle and mortar until a purée, mix in the olive oil.
  3. Lightly crush the potatoes with a fork, mix in the zest and juice of a lime, then drizzle over a little garlic olive oil to moisten and sprinkle with sea salt
Filed Under: Fingerling, New season, Pork, Yukon Gold Tagged With: ,

Lamb Shank and Cipollini Onions with Mustard Mash

March 13, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Lamb shank is a lovely tasty meat when cooked properly. I went to a wonderful Spanish restaurant last year, ordered what was supposed to be slow roasted lamb shank marinated in red wine, it was so badly cooked eating it proved difficult – tough and tasteless. How they managed that goodness only knows. On previous visits, the food had always been tasty and good.

Cipollini Onions are small flat white onions with a thin skin which varies in colour from yellow(ish) to brown(ish). They have a mild semi sweet flavour and are actually the bulb of the grape hyacinth, originate from Italy, also called “wild onion” – if you cannot find them substitute with pearl onions or small shallots.

2 lamb shanks
4 banana shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
200 grams prepared carrots, peeled and diced
2 celery sticks, peeled and thinly sliced
200 ml light ale – try this brewery´s ale
200 ml home made (if possible) chicken or vegetable stock
1 sprig each – thyme and rosemary and 1 bay leaf (put into a muslin bag)
Butter, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Roast cippolini onions
6 Cipollini Onions, skin removed
2 tbsp good quality olive oil
1 tbsp freshly chopped thyme leaves
Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Mustard mash
200 grams prepared potatoes – peel and quarter
30 grams unsalted butter
40 ml single cream
Sea salt and freshly ground white pepper
1/2 tsp French Dijon mustard, or amount to taste

  1. Preheat oven to 150ºC, 302ºF, gas mark 2.
  2. Season the shanks, put some oil into a large deep casserole, when hot add the lamb, brown, put to one side. Add the shallots, carrots and celery, fry until softened and just beginning to change colour, return lamb to the casserole, pour in the stock and ale, bring to a simmer, tuck in the herbs, cover and cook – in the preheated oven – for 2 hours or until tender. Remove from the oven, carefully take out the lamb shanks and put to one side, keeping warm.
  3. Strain the cooking liquor into a clean saucepan, discard the contents of the sieve, return to the boil then continue cooking to reduce to taste, finally whisk in a little butter, taste and season if necessary.
  4. Cipollini onions – peel, put into an ovenproof dish, add the thyme and olive oil, toss to coat. Sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper. Roast for approx. 30 to 35 minutes with the lamb (towards the end of cooking), toss every ten minutes so they are evenly browned. Remove from oven when the onions are tender and a light golden colour.
  5. Mash – put potatoes into a saucepan, cover with cold water, bring to the boil, add salt and cook until soft. Meanwhile, gently warm the butter, cream and mustard. Drain then mash or pass through a ricer, add the warmed cream/butter/mustard, season lightly then whisk until creamy and smooth.
  6. Serve the lamb shanks with the mustard mash (olive oil mash is a good substitute) and roast Cipollini onions, pour a little sauce over the meat, put the remainder into a gravy boat and serve at the table.
Filed Under: Easter, Lamb, mutton, hogget, Main crop, Valentine´s Day Tagged With: ,