Last week was my birthday. I don't always like a big fuss on my birthday but this year I wanted a nice family dinner at a local Tepanyaki restaurant, however a a mix up with the restaurant and Mr BC's work meant that my birthday dinner would not involve either my husband, or catching any eggs in a bowl. Disappointment! Luckily Murray Valley Pork had gifted me with a SIX kilo leg of pork, so I got busy with my favourite thing to do - cook.
First up - cooking perfect pork. This leg of pork was absolutely EPIC, and I didn't want to ruin it's glory by fussing with it too much. I decided roasting would be the most respectful thing to do.
Perfect Roast Pork
- Check the scoring, and if neccesary, use a very sharp knife to add some more. Murray Valley Pork is always scored expertly, so I didn't have to worry about this at all.
- Rub with salt and a drizzle of oil. Don't be gentle, you want to get right in there.
- Place in a roasting pan, and blast on 250c for about 30 - 45 minutes, to get the crackling going.
- Reduce to 180c, and for each kilo of pork, cook 1 hour. This leg of pork was about 6 kilos, so after the initial high heat it was in the oven for 6 hours. That seems like a really long time, and I was worried it was going to be overcooked and dried out so I kept checking it. I needn't have worried, it turned out beautifully! Perfectly moist and tender. It was so soft, it was a (lovely, drool worthy) challenge to slice.
- When finished, take it out of the oven to rest, and remove the crackling. Place crackling in an new oven proof tray and return to the oven, to crisp up even more. Just before serving, use kitchen scissors to cut the crackling into smaller pieces.
- Cover the pork loosely with foil, then a tea towel to keep warm while you make the gravy.
Delicious Sides for your Perfect Pork Roast
Gravy
- Take the baking tray that the pork has cooked in, and drain most of the fat out. I like to leave a little bit for taste.
- Add approx 2 tablespoons of butter and melt on the stove top. (Did I mention this was NOT a low fat recipe?) Stir the whole time, using a spatula or wooden spoon, to loosen up the baked on bits in the pan.
- Add approx 2 tablespoons of flour, and stir into the butter and oil to make a roux. Stir for a few minutes so that the flour cooks properly and browns a little, and takes on the flavours in the pan. Don't let it burn.
- Slowly add about 3 cups of water, stirring the whole time until the gravy is smooth and lump free.
- Add salt and pepper to taste. After you have sliced the pork feel free to add any lingering pan juices to the gravy.
TIP: I haven't counted this as a side, as I consider it mandatory and as such, part of the roast. Yep, that's how we roll. This is how I make gravy for all roasts, it works very well; especially with chicken if you have cooked a few lemons with the chook and squeeze the juice into the butter at the start. If it gets too lumpy, turn the heat down and stir harder. If you cannot get the lumps out by stirring, either push it through a fine strainer or transfer it to a different container and use a stab blender. I always make extra because the boys love leftover gravy poured over hot chips.
Candied Kumera
This is a not very authentic version of the famous American Candied Yams, or maybe it is, I don't know. The boys loved it.
- Peel some kumera and cut into pieces. Drizzle with a tiny bit of olive oil, and roast in a baking dish in the oven until done, maybe 40 minutes?
- In a microwave proof jug, melt 2 tablespoons of butter, 2 tablespoons of maple syrup, and 1 tablespoon of brown sugar. Stir well, and pour over the cooked kumera.
- Return to the oven for 20 minutes or so to crisp up a little.
Roast Potatoes with Rosemary and Bacon
- Slice some new potatoes into your desired shape (I've made thick slices here, just for a change!) Arrange in an oven safe dish with small slices of bacon, and small sprigs of rosemary. Drizzle with a tiny bit of olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Roast about 1 hour.
Roast Asparagus with Garlic
- Wash the asparagus and the snap ends off, place in an oven proof dish.
- Finely mince or grate some fresh garlic over the asparagus, drizzle with a little olive oil and gently massage through to ensure all asparagus is coated.
- Roast for about 15 minutes in a hot oven. (While you are blasting the crackling is ideal.)
Cheesy Zucchini and Corn Spoon Bread.
Can this technically be called a spoon bread? I think so. I don't know. It is delicious.
- Finely dice a large zucchini, Steam, then drain in a colander with a tin of corn kernels, and about a cup of finely diced and steamed pumpkin.
- Transfer to a bowl and mix in half a cup of coconut flour, 3 chopped green onions, half a cup of sour cream and 1 cup of cottage cheese. Add some white pepper. Mix everything really well before you add the cottage cheese, then stir gently so it doesn't break up too much.
- At this point you could add an egg and turn it into fritters. I did not - I poured it into an oven proof dish and topped it with a sprinkle of panko breadcrumbs.
- Bake in the oven about 30 minutes, until the top is browned.
Apple and Red Cabbage Saute
- Slice one red onion and one red apple (skin on) and saute in a medium size saucepan with half a tablespoon of butter.
- When the apple and onion are softened, add the shredded quarter of a small red cabbage. Stir through, put the lid on, and let it steam for approx 5 - 10 minutes.
Chili Parmesan Cauliflower
- Cut half a cauliflower into florets, steam in the microwave until just tender.
- In a saucepan, saute some chopped garlic and chili in a small amount of olive oil until softened.
- Add the cauliflower and stir. Leave to simmer away on low heat for about 30 minutes. This will give the cauliflower time to steam a bit more and soak up the flavours of the garlic and chili. Stir occasionally so it doesn't stick.
- About 5 minutes before serving, stir in a quarter of a cup of parmesan cheese. Stir well, scraping up all the melted cheese and caramelized chili off the bottom of the pan. Serve.
And for desert?
A Choc chip banana layered cake made by my gorgeous daughter. Giddy Up!
NB: Murray Valley Pork gifted me with this epic leg roast, and I am super happy they did! All words, enthusiasm and recipes are my own.