The Curious Farmer

Last week we talked you through braising the pork leg for this recipe. This week it's all about the veg!

The Celeriac Mash Recipe

The celeriac is a scary looking vegetable and I have to confess although not the first time I have eaten it, it was the first time I had cooked with it. The experience was far less daunting than I had anticipated and was a delicious alternative to potatoes.

Ingredients (serves 4)

1 celeriac

1 large garlic clove

300ml whole milk

pinch of ground ginger

small knob of butter

1. Start by chopping the roots off the celeriac and then take the outer layer off the celeriac - chop into chunks.

2. Crush your garlic and add the celeriac to a pan along with just enough milk to cover it.

3. Heat the milk to boiling point and then simmer for 20 mins, be sure to stir occasionally.

4. Once tender take off the heat and drain any remaining liquid (keep this, you might need it later).

5. We decided to use a handheld blender for the next part but if you don't have one a masher will do the same job and add to the texture. Blend the celeriac, adding enough of the remaining liquid to give the puree a smooth consistency.

6. Finally, add the ginger and butter and mix and that's it.

Creamy celeriac mash is complete.

The Cabbage Recipe

The cabbage can be done at the same time as your celeriac. Whilst the celeriac is nearing the end of it's 20 minute simmer you can start preparing your cabbage.

Ingredients (serves 4)

1 Savoy cabbage (chopped)

50g butter

200g diced bacon

1 sliced onion

150ml boiling water

1. Prep your cabbage and bacon

2. Fry the onion in the butter for 2 minutes, then add the bacon.

3. Once the bacon is a golden colour stir in the cabbage and the water.

4. Cook for 2 minutes until the cabbage starts to wilt. Then cover the pan, turn down the heat and cook for a further 5 minutes. When 5 minutes are up stir the cabbage (it should be a good colour) and season to taste.

Both the Celeriac Mash and the Cabbage with Bacon pack a lot of flavour and were very simple to make. Prep time is less than ten minutes for both and they added so much to the overall flavour! A really simple and affordable dish.

We have so much going on in this dish I decided to divide it over two parts so that you don't doze off half way through reading it.

First up is the meat part, a variation of a Marcella Hazan creation, substituting pork loin for the leg. The reason for this substitution is pretty simple - I turned the loins from my pigs into chops so short of sticking them back together, I had little choice! It was the butcher who convinced me to save the leg from sausage meat (I love sausages) and as he put effort into saving them I thought they should be treated with some respect.

I often find the leg quite tricky to cook as it is a lean chunk of meat and quite capable of drying out. Braising it at a lazy simmer over a few hours helps avoid this unwanted outcome. A temperature probe is also a useful addition to make sure you don't cook it longer than needed. The introduction of milk to the pot optimises the texture and tenderness of the pork leg and leaves us with a delicious by-product in the form of a nut-brown sauce.

The Pork Leg Recipe

Ingredients

15g butter

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1.2kg pork leg

salt

freshly ground pepper

550ml full fat milk

1. Heat the butter and oil over a medium-high heat in a heavy-bottomed casserole dish or saucepan in which the pork fits snugly.

2. When the butter foam subsides add the pork (fat side down) and brown on all sides. Lower the heat if the butter starts to burn.

3. Season the pork with salt and freshly ground pepper

4. Slowly add the milk to the pot.

5. When the milk comes to a boil reduce the heat to medium-low or even low to keep the milk at a low simmer.

6. Cover the pot with the lid a bit askew. Turn and baste the leg occasionally and if needed add more milk.

7. Cook the pork slowly until the meat is fork-tender, about 1½ to 2 hours. If you have a temperature probe the meat is ready at 70 °C.

8. By this time the milk should have coagulated into small nut-brown clusters on the bottom of the pan. If not remove the leg, turn up the heat and continue to cook the milk briskly until it starts to darken.

9. Remove the leg and let it rest for a few minutes before cutting it into slices about 1cm thick.

10. Skim all the fat from the pot. Add a few tablespoons of water to the pan and scrape up all the residue on the bottom of the pot as the water evaporates.

11. Plate the sauce with the pork and serve immediately.

I had read quite a few good reviews of this recipe before trying it myself and I have to say I wasn't disappointed.

Braising the meat in milk ensured a lovely tenderness and a richness of flavour that I haven't experienced with pork before. By keeping a careful eye on the temperature of the pork you will manage to avoid drying out the meat or making it too tough. The surprise success for me though was the nut-brown clusters that come as a result of the cooked milk. The sweetness of this sauce elevated the pork to the next level and turned an often forgotten cut into something that could be brought out on special occasions. I definitely recommend giving it a try and maybe even experimenting by adding some herbs in with the milk.

Keep posted to the blog over the next week or so for Sophia's delicious accompaniments to the meat, a celeriac mash and cabbage with fried bacon.

It's Monday 8th February and Chinese New Year so we thought The Curious Farmer should mark the occasion with a simple to follow chinese-style dish. It may be the year of the monkey but as we don’t keep marmosets on the farm we decided to do a delicious pork rib recipe instead.

The ribs came from one of our Saddleback pigs - outdoor reared, slow grown and full of flavour. A whole rack of ribs requires slow cooking at a low temperature to ensure the meat is as tender as possible... you want it falling off the bone! We decided it was time to get the slow cooker out but these instructions can easily be replicated in the oven.

The recipe serves approximately 6 people

The Chinese-Style Pork Ribs Recipe

You will need:

4 tbsp finely grated fresh root ginger
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp chilli flakes (optional)
200 ml hoisin sauce
4 tbsp clear honey (so many great local producers)
50 ml rice wine or mirin
1.5 kg pork spare ribs (approximately 2 racks)

First you will need to switch your slow cooker to high, warming it up ready for the ribs.

While it’s heating you can make the sauce by simply adding the ginger, garlic, chilli, hoisin sauce, honey and rice wine to a bowl and mixing them all together.

Evenly coat your ribs with the sauce and place them in the slow cooker.

Pour the remainder of the sauce over the ribs in the slow cooker and set your timer for 4 hours (if you are using the low setting the cooking time changes to 8 hours).

This should be enough time to cook the ribs but you want them falling off the bone so if this isn’t the case after 4 hours give them a little longer until you are satisfied.

The Kale, Chilli & Garlic Recipe

This is such an easy recipe and a perfect compliment to the pork ribs (thanks to Sophia’s friend Agnes for the tip). Start cooking about 10 minutes before the ribs are ready.

You will need:

1 tbsp olive oil
1 bag of Kale
3 garlic cloves thinly sliced
1 red chilli finely chopped

Heat the oil in a wok over a medium-high heat.. When hot add your kale and a few spoonfuls of water. Cook for approximately 5 minutes before adding the chilli and garlic.

Cook on a high heat for a further 3 minutes and you’re done! Simple as that.

The Egg Fried Rice Recipe

On reflection this dish probably copes quite nicely without the addition of egg fried rice, but we cooked it and it was delicious although perhaps a little heavy along-side the ribs. All the same here’s the recipe for those that want to use it in another dish...

You will need:

1 tbsp sesame oil
300g cooked long grain rice (cooked)
3 eggs, beaten
2 spring onions, chopped

Heat the sesame oil in your wok. Once hot add your cooked rice and heat it all the way through. Meanwhile combine the chopped spring onions with the beaten eggs in a bowl and mix in with the rice. While you are adding the egg mix be sure to stir constantly to avoid creating an omelette! Cook for a further 5 minutes on a medium to high heat.

That’s it! Three very simple elements coming together to create fantastic flavours. All that is left to do is load up your plate and enjoy! Oh yeah, and make sure you are fully stocked with napkins as it gets messy.

This is a really simple, tasty, easy to follow recipe and dare I say inexpensive to replicate. I would encourage you to try it at home and be sure to let us know how you get on.

I wish you all happy and enjoyable Chinese New Year and hope you have an excellent year of the Monkey.

新年快乐 (blame Sophia if that doesn't mean what it is supposed to),

Joel & Sophia

Since going full-time on the farm I have introduced some rare and native breeds of pigs, sheep and cows. These animals are slower growing, thrive in the outdoors on a natural grass-fed diet and produce beautifully marbled meat. As they are slow growing their muscles are harder worked which results in loads of flavour, and that flavour is improved even more by just the right amount of fat covering.

Although all these elements add up to the very best quality meat none of them appeal to the supermarkets as it means the animals are more expensive to rear! For that reason farmers who keep rare and native breed animals often find their own routes to market.

That is why we am introducing our Curious Farmer Meal Boxes. Teaming up with the best of Northern Ireland's artisan producers we will provide you all the ingredients and instructions you need to make delicious meals based around our native breed meat.

Rare Breed Pulled Pork with Spiced Apple Jelly & Beef Dripping Chips

First up is our Pulled Pork Box complete with Spiced Apple Jelly from the fantastic Passion Preserved and all you need to make unbeatable beef-dripping chips.

Ingredients

Your box will include:

1.5kg Rare-Breed Saddleback Pork Shoulder (suitable for 8 portions)
Homemade Pulled Pork Rub
Passion Preserved Spiced Apple Jelly
Maris Piper Potatoes
Pot of Beef Dripping
Recipe Card

Additional ingredients you need include:

750ml Chicken Stock
Bread Rolls

The Pulled Pork Recipe

1. Open out the pork shoulder so it is of even thickness and cover every nook and cranny with your Homemade Pulled Pork Rub. Aim for a nice even spread and don't feel the need to use all the rub, just enough to cover the meat. Keep some for future use.

2. Once done tightly wrap the seasoned pork shoulder in cling film and leave it in the fridge over night or for up to 24 hours. There is salt in the rub so it will draw out some moisture, don't worry if your meat appears damp in places.

3. Once that time has passed you are ready to start cooking! The first stage is to brown the meat on all sides. The purpose of this is to cook the spices and should be done in a frying pan over a medium heat (not too high, you want to cook the spices not burn them!).

4. Transfer the meat to a casserole dish in which it fits snugly and cover it with the chicken stock. Place the lid on the dish (or cover it with tinfoil) and put it in the oven at 150oC for 3-4 hours or until the meat can be easily shredded by forks.

5. When you are confident the meat is ready, remove the dish from the oven. Pour the juice into a saucepan, skim off the fat and boil to reduce it to a syrupy liquid. While you are doing this use 2 forks to shred the meat. Pour the liquid back in with the now shredded pork and it is ready to dish up.

The Beef Dripping Chips Recipe

You should start prepping your chips 40-50 minutes before the pork is complete.

1. Chop your potatoes into chips about 1cm thick and boil them for approximately 2 minutes. Drain the potatoes and briefly return to the heat, hovering the saucepan over the ring until the potatoes fluff up just a little. This will make them nice and crispy!

2. Pre-heat your oven to 190 C. Spoon all the beef dripping into a large baking tray and place in the oven for 3-4 minutes until melted. This can be done while the chips are boiling. Remove from the oven and quickly tip in the potatoes, tossing them to coat in the fat, leaving plenty of space around them.

3. Season with sea salt and cook in the oven for 30-35 minutes, giving them a quick toss half way through.

And there you have it! Your pulled pork with beef dripping chips. All that is left for you to do is pack it into some fresh bread rolls with a smattering of the delicious Passion Preserved Spiced Apple Jelly. There is a lot of pork so try not to eat it all in one sitting.

(P.S. Don't skimp on the bread rolls, it is worth spending a little extra on quality fresh baps from your local bakery).

Have you ever had surf and turf? Have you ever had Hogget as opposed to Lamb? Do you enjoy garlic enough to ward off Dracula? If you answered yes to any of these questions this recipe is for you. Herdwick Hogget, Anchovies, Garlic and Thyme.

Let me tell you about my love of Herdwicks, it all began about five years ago when my mother gave me a Herdwick money bank, from then on I called it my Herdypig – I have just managed to save enough money in it for a 10p mix! From that day I have always had a fascination with the breed and when Joel decided to buy some I was obviously over the moon.

Herdwicks are usually found in the Lake Districts of Cumbria, they live on the highest mountains in England and are built for it, it is said that Herdwicks are the hardiest of all the domestic sheep breeds and they are happy to graze in fells which are over 3000 feet.

Despite all this the Herdwick we used was born and raised in Northern Ireland and despite there not being any fells the Herdwick still had a great life in the fields around Kilnacart Road. They are a slow growing breed which is why they are older by the time they are ready for the table (a hogget is a sheep between 1 and 2 years old). This older meat is better worked resulting in a much richer flavour than the younger lambs!

The Herdwick Hogget Recipe

This recipe is super dooper simple but before you read all about it turn your oven on and up to the highest it will go.

List of ingredients

2.5kg hogget / lamb shoulder (preferably on the bone)

2 tablespoons of butter

2 tablespoons of fresh thyme leaves

1 small jar of anchovies

6-8 cloves of garlic

½ teaspoon of sea salt

2 teaspoons of ground black pepper

250ml/large glass red or white wine

Let’s begin! Make sure your meat is at room temperature and cover it with 2 tbsp of unsalted butter (it has to be unsalted due to the high salt content of anchovies). Once the hogget is covered make around 8 incisions in the fat, measuring around 1.5 inches – make sure you have 2 tbsp of thyme, 8 cloves of garlic (halved) a jar of anchovies at the ready.

Now is when you get your hands dirty, you need to insert the garlic, thyme and anchovies into your incisions. Season but not too much salt, remember the anchovies will provide this.

Place in the oven in a roasting tin adding 250ml of red or white wine, covering with a lid or tin foil and reduce the heat to 170 degrees and cook for 3.5 to 4 hours.

Once the lamb is cooked use the juices to make a gravy, reducing if necessary.

The Side Recipe

We opted for a cauliflower mash on the side, which you can prep while the lamb is cooking.

List of ingredients

2 medium cauliflowers

2 large leeks

1 tablespoon of english mustard

2 tablespoons of butter

Sea salt and pepper to taste

You will need around 15 mins to make this and we added leek mustard to ours too which I will also cover. First of all cut up your cauliflower so you just have the florets, give them a quick blast in the blender. Prepare a large saucepan with 2 tbsp of water and 2 tbsp of butter, place the cauliflower on top and steam for 5 mins or until soft. At the same time cut two leeks into small slices and sweat over some butter, when cooked add 1 tbls of English mustard.

Once both are cooked just add them together. For extra flavour add some mature cheddar and don’t forget to season.

This recipe is bursting with flavour and there was so much of it even I was too stuffed to want seconds (very unusual for me), we accompanied it with some delicious roast potatoes.

I really do think the hogget added to the overall flavour but you can use lamb if you want, don’t forget don’t over season. If you want to go the full hog(get) check out Helmsley & Helmsley where we got this recipe from. They recommend a mint and kale salad with this but our mint hasn't re-appeared in the garden as of yet so we left it out.

Until next time.

Sophia

Over the past few years I have kept various breeds of pigs, sheep and cows with the aim of learning more about producing the best flavour meat. One animal I haven't been able to keep different breeds of is chicken, the reason being we already rear free-range organic chickens and it wouldn't be bio-secure to introduce loads of different types to the farm.

Not to be deterred I decided to contact local breeders to find out how I could get my hands on some rare-breed chicken to cook with. It wasn't easy! There are a significant number of farmers and hobbyists who keep interesting breeds of hens for laying eggs but none I could find that keep them for their meat. It takes a lot of time and effort to get weight on these birds and as there is no demand for them, not in Northern Ireland anyway, farmers aren't going to waste their time.

That being said my experience of farmers who keep rare and native breeds are they're generally up for a challenge and finally I did find a guy who agreed to keep some table birds for me (thanks Andrew). Andrew keeps all his female hens for laying eggs but the male roosters, as I'm sure you can guess, don't lay eggs so a lot of them are discarded (if y'know what I mean) at a young age. Andrew set aside a number of birds for me and agreed to feed them up for me until they were ready to fly the nest and large enough to make a good roast.

That's the story of how I ended up with seven Sussex roosters in my freezer. It took them over 8 months to get up to size (compared to the 2 months our Hubbard hens take) but in my mind the slower the growth the greater the flavour, so I'm pretty excited to taste them!

There'll be more blog posts over the next few months detailing what I do with the chickens so come back to find out how I get on.

Until then…

Joel

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