This week I have shared three quick and easy recipes that will hopefully inspire your weekly meal plan – something I would encourage everyone to do, especially if you lead a busy lifestyle.
Like most people, things can get really busy in our home during the week with school, swimming, sports, work, and everything else in between so, we plan out our weekly dinners to keep us organised and ensure that no food is going to waste. We tend to do this on a Sunday when spending time as a family as the kids love to pitch in with their ideas too.
One of my favourite meats to incorporate in our weekly dinners is pork, therefore the first of this week’s recipes is a pork ragu – a hearty dish bursting with flavour. To accompany, I have shared a creamy polenta recipe which perfectly complements the flavours of the pork. For those who don’t know, polenta is a northern Italian dish is made from corn which has a distinct yellow colour and a sweet flavour - a great alternative to rice or potatoes.
Finally, we have a salsa verde recipe to complete this dish. A simple and quick recipe that is versatile and can be used on anything really, it’s a great sauce to have in your recipe book as you will always use it.
If you want to explore your culinary passion even further, have a look at our cookery classes at Waterman House Cookery School which is a great way to learn new culinary skills or to spend an enjoyable night out with friends: www.waterman.house/pages/cookery-school-calendar-view.
PORK RAGU
(Serves 6)
Ingredients
Olive oil for frying
25g of butter
1kg of pork rump
50g of plain flour
1 large onion, finely diced
1 celery stick, finely diced
1 carrot, finely diced
2 sprigs of thyme
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 bay leaves
3 juniper berries
250ml of red wine
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
250ml of chicken stock
Method
Start by heating the oven to 150°C. Next, in a heavy-bottomed pot, add the olive oil and butter and place on a medium heat on the hob. Season the pork with salt and pepper and then coat in the flour and place in the pot, cooking until golden on all sides. You may need to do this in batches, but, once the pork is browned, remove it from the pot.
With the oil in the bottom of the pot, fry off the onion, celery, and carrot for 10 minutes until soft. Continue to stir as you don’t want the veg to stick to the bottom. Once cooked, add in the thyme garlic and cook for a couple of minutes.
Next, add the meat to the pot and cover with red wine and simmer for five minutes. Add the tomatoes and stock, season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and place a lid on the pot, place the pot in the oven and cook for two hours until the meat can be shredded with a fork.
Remove from the oven and serve with polenta and salsa verde.
CREAMY POLENTA
(Serves 6)
1 litre of full-fat milk
350g polenta flour
50g unsalted butter
75g grated parmesan
Sea salt
Pepper
Olive oil
Method
Start by placing the milk into a pot and bring it to a boil.
Next, whisk in the polenta until dissolved and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook on a low heat for 30 minutes and taste.
Once cooked, add in the butter and parmesan and whisk until all is combined.
Finally, season to taste and serve with a glug of olive oil on top.
SALSA VERDE
Bunch of flat-leaf parsley
Zest and juice of 2 lemons
3 cloves of garlic, grated
1 tbsp horseradish
1 tbsp capers
Extra virgin olive oil
Method
Blitz the parsley, lemon zest, garlic, horseradish, and capers in a food processor until fine. Next add the lemon juice and enough olive oil to form a sauce consistency. Season with sea salt and pepper to taste.
