Pork Belly Sandwich

Pork belly... nuff said.

Ingredients

Pork Belly

Rosemary

Shallots

Honey

Balsamic vinegar

Method

Season the pork belly generously with salt and pepper. Rub in lots of rosemary and olive oil. Fry it in a griddle pan for about 4 minutes, then turn it. Make sure you fry the fatty edge too to get it crisped up.

Meanwhile. slice the shallot and fry them gently in butter. When they start to brown, add some honey and then the balsamico. Turn off the heat.

As always, let the meat rest for a minute before serving. I like to let it lie on a piece of kitchen paper to soak up some of the fat if it is excessively greasy.

Layer one side of thick crusty bread with the shallots and place the belly pork on top of it (you might want to slice the pork, depending on the thickness of the pork).

Cheese on toast a la Smoked Mackerel

A bizarre combo, but it works!

Ingredients

Smoked mackerel

Cheese (parmesan, or even cheddar)

Cream

Horseradish

Chillies

Bread

Method

Remove the skin and bones from the mackerel. Add the grated cheese, cream and grated horseradish. Season with plenty of pepper. Mix it.

Smother the mixture on toast and top with fresh chopped chillies.

Serve with a salad.

Mackerel Ceviche, Beetroot Puree, Simple Salad, Bread

Today's lunch was mackerel. What a beautiful fish! And cheap too.

Ingredients:

Mackerel
Chilli
Dill
Lemon
Salt

Beetroot
Red wine vinegar
Cream
Dill/Parsley

Salad leaves
Olives
Olive oil

Bread

Method:

Fillet the mackerel (see this guide on filleting mackerel) and remove the skin. Chop into small pieces. Chop the chilli and the dill. Mix it all together in a bowl with the lemon juice and season it lightly. Leave to stand for at least 5 minutes. The lemon juice effectively "cooks" the mackerel, but it still has that raw texture.

Mix the beetroot in a blender with the red wine vinegar, a splash of cream and the herbs. It should be sweet, sour, creamy and colourful, but it should still have some rough texture.

Make a simple salad of leaves and olives tossed with olive oil, and well seasoned.

Serve with fresh, warm bread.