Tag Archives: pork

Sichuan style Chinese spinach

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Sichuan style Chinese spinach and pork

Sometimes simple is best. And the Chinese, along with the Vietnamese, Japanese and the Italians seem to have a real penchent for making simple dishes sing. A few ingredients, cooked fast, and served straight away. Ideal food for a light post-work dinner.

While eating at Sichuan specialist Chili Cool I’m always blown away by their dry fried beans with pork mince. Similarly, while travelling around Vietnam, simple bowls of stir fried greens were an eye-opener and have left me yearning for them more than any other dish (except maybe those crispy spring rolls). Continue reading →

Chinese style pork belly braised in cider

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Chinese style pork belly braised in cider

If you’ve been to Koya, you’ll know exactly where the inspiration for this dish came from. The end result is nothing like the delicate, tasty and – above all – neat version you’ll find at this delightful Japanese udon specialist. But the key ingredients are there.

I can’t believe I haven’t come across this particular combination more often. Apples, after all, are a natural partner to pork, their tart fluffy flesh an ideal match for fatty rich flesh. And their acidity matches salty umami-rich soy blow for blow too. This a gentle assault on the senses, a slow motion hammer-thwack of a dish. Continue reading →

Brawn

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Brawn

“Why not join us in cooking something interesting” they said, “it’ll be fun, a thrifty bit of meat for a thrifty month.” Sure, I thought, why not? It definitely sounds interesting. Little did I know.

Like Pinnochio’s nose, it just grew and grew every time anybody talked about it. First, we were cooking brawn. Then I found out it was a competition. And it was being judged by butchers. Not just any butchers, but Jamie Oliver’s crew at Barbecoa. Oh.

And so #brawnoff was born. Continue reading →

Sichuan style fish flavoured pork

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Sichuan fish flavoured pork

Let’s get the obvious bit out of the way first shall we. No, there is no fish in fish flavoured pork. It’s called that because it uses a mix of flavours and aromatics that are commonly used in seafood dishes. What it does have is a wonderful, and powerful, combo of intense flavours.

I was put in the mood for  Sichuan (not that it takes much) by this recipe over at Hollowlegs’ blog. It was kind of a last minute affair so had to improvise. After all, where can you find cloud ear mushrooms at 8pm on a cold Monday night in NE London? Continue reading →

3 courses for £12? A grand deal at The Little Bay

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Hello there! It’s me, Catty! While Aaron’s busy honeymooning around Japan (me? jealous? NEVER!), we’ve hi-jacked his blog so that you don’t go hungry, and we’ll continue to post on his behalf, keeping them gastronomous eyes of yours well fed!

I thought I’d share with you all something a little special to Aaron and I. I went to The Little Bay Restaurant back in March this year. I hadn’t even met Aaron at the time and when he saw I’d tweeted that I was going, he responded and said I absolutely had to, HAD TO, have the pig’s cheek. And much to the disgust of my near-vegetarian colleague, I did have the pig’s cheek and boy was it awesome.
Continue reading →

Cha siu

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Cha Siu (Cantonese BBQ Roast Pork)

Hi, I’m Mr Noodles from Eat Noodles Love Noodles and I’ve hijacked The Grubworm. Don’t worry though, Aaron will be back from honeymoon (congratulations!) in September but in the meantime he has entrusted his blog to a team of blogsitters.

I was well chuffed when I was asked to write a guest post on this blog and I immediately set about thinking what to write. After all I didn’t want to post any old crap on here; I can do that on my own blog. So after much deliberation, I decided to blog in the spirit of The Grubworm and do something I don’t do enough of. I was going to cook and post a recipe. Continue reading →

Sichuan style cold pork belly & cucumber in a hot garlicky sauce

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Cold pork belly in a hot garliky sauce

Nothing beats a good steak and there’s something special about the meeting of hot charcoal and lamb. But the meat I keep coming back to again and again, is that of the pig. Maybe it’s familiarity, maybe it’s that I see something of myself in the pig. Maybe I just love the taste of pork.

Whatever the reason, pork is a real comfort blanket of an ingredient. I feel kinda jumpy if i don’t have hanging around. You can do so much with pork, and I just love versatility. Cut some spicy sausage into a prawn jambalya? Magic. Pork shoulder in milk? Pure comfort food. Sizzling bacon sarnie? Hangover cure extraordinaire. Continue reading →

Columbo pork curry

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Columbo pork curry

Forget voodoo, zombies and Baron Samedi, the real magic among the islands and jungles of the Caribbean comes from Creole cooking. A strange and wonderful combination of food was brought here from all corners of the world as Empires and Republics vied for control of the trade routes, harbours and plantations.

Indian spices arrived with indentured labour from the subcontinent and mixed with West African ingredients planted by slaves. Local ingredients such as Mexican chillies and sweet potato where thrown together with court-boullion and spicy sausages from the Mediterranean, and there is the vividly coloured local seafood, fruit and vegetables. Continue reading →

Slow cooked ham hocks and red cabbage

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Smoked ham hock and red cabbage

This is rib sticking food for when you’re in the mood for your meat to be red (well pink) in tooth and claw. When you have finished cooking, the leg bones stick out of a cabbagy nest like the remains of some knight who fell foul of a feathery dragon.

It most definitely isn’t a crowd pleaser, but if you like flavours to be bold, brash and in yer face then my word, you’re in for a treat. Continue reading →

Cold weather calls for grilled pork chops

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Pork chops, roast cherry toms & courgette

Snow has been silently covering the London streets today giving Smithfield market something of a Dickensian feel. The current cold snap has brought on the desire for  something decidedly meaty and where better to get it than Smithfield, home of the city’s main meat market for centuries? A trip to the last butcher still open at midday snagged two free range pork chops and four plump quail.

Dinner was based around the pork – with something that tasty you don’t want to mess around much. Just a squeeze of lemon juice and some black pepper. And then a simple accompaniment of roast cherry tomatoes and lightly fried courgettes with lemon and black pepper. Continue reading →