WHETHER you're simply catering for yourself, the family at home, or five busy restaurant kitchens, the rising cost of food is something that we all have to deal with and factor into our shopping habits and culinary calendar. In addition to making sure we are still able to avail of the best quality produce in the supermarkets or farmers’ markets, it also means we have to be that little bit more inventive in the kitchen when it comes to thinking outside the box and livening up those ingredients that can sometimes test even the most adventurous eater.
Across the restaurants, we always like to use root vegetables to accompany different cuts of meat and this week’s pork recipe not only uses vegetables but also fruit so this can be a good one to use up any apples that may be loitering with intent in the fruit bowl.
Root vegetables are often forgotten about or simply relegated to the 'peel 'em, boil 'em and mash 'em' category of side dishes so we always try to think outside the box and apply different treatments or include them in new, unique or time-proven flavour combinations.
Classical combinations never go out of fashion and this recipe of pork, apple and fennel is easy and incredibly quick to make at home. Slightly out of left field is the beetroot and celeriac remoulade. Both these vegetables are 'so hot right now' and are appearing on fine-dining restaurant menus around the world. Now you have an excuse to give them an outing in your own kitchen at home.
ROAST PORK WITH FENNEL AND APPLE
(For one person)
1 pork T-bone 350g
1 tblsp Italian seasoning (rosemary, thyme, oregano)
Olive oil to cook with
1/2 bulb of fennel, cut lengthways
1/2 apple (leave skin on), chopped into ¼ inch slices
1 clove of garlic, finely diced
Salt and pepper
Preheat your oven to 200C. Heat a pan with a little of the olive oil. Cut the fat to one inch around the T bone and season with salt and pepper and the Italian seasoning. Seal for 2½ minutes on each side. Take off the heat and place in a roasting tray. In the same pan on the hob, add the fennel, apples and garlic and toss until the fruit is coloured. Add these ingredients to the pork and place in the oven for eight minutes. Remove from the oven and serve. You can also garnish with 10g of pine nuts which add a little crunch to the dish. It always adds to the flavour to toast these off on a dry pan and then garnish.
BEETROOT AND CELERIAC REMOULADE
(Serves 4)
1 lemon zested and juiced
5 tblsp mayonnaise
1 tblsp horseradish cream
2 tblsp Dijon mustard
½ celeriac peeled and grated
2 small or 1 large beetroot peeled, cooked and grated
2 apples, peeled and grated
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tblsp fresh dill, chopped
5 walnuts crushed
Salt and pepper
Start by placing the lemon zest and half the juice in a bowl; add in the mayonnaise and mix. Add in the garlic, dill, mustard and horseradish cream to the mayonnaise and season to taste with salt and pepper. Finely grate your celeriac, beetroot and apple; add to the mayonnaise mix and stir through thoroughly. Taste again and garnish with the chopped walnuts.
