Scallops, Pork Belly, Cauliflower

A delicious combination of seared scallops, five spiced pork belly, cauliflower purée, apple and burnt lime.

Great as a starter, any left over pork belly makes the prefect sandwich the following day!

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Scallops, Pork Belly, Cauliflower
Serves 2

Ingredients:

For the Scallops, Lime and Apple: 6 Scallops, Sea Salt, Rapeseed Oil, 1 Lime (Segmented), 1 Green Apple (Cut into Batons), 2tsp Icing Sugar

For the Cauliflower: 1 Cauliflower (Cut into Segments, Stalk Removed), 1tbsp Unsalted Butter, 300ml Milk, 2tbsp Olive Oil, Sea Salt, Nutmeg, Ground White Pepper

For the Pork Belly: 4 Slices Pork Belly (Boneless), 4tsp Five Spice Powder, Sea Salt, Black Pepper

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Method:

1) First cook the pork belly. Coat the slices in a liberal amount of five spice powder, a little sea salt and a good grind of black pepper. Place on a baking tray and cover with foil. Roast in an oven at 180c for around 1 1/2 hours or until tender. The belly can be cooked in advance and reheated in a hot oven before serving.

2) Next prepare the cauliflower purée. Sauté the cauliflower in the butter and olive oil in a large pan over a medium to high heat until slightly golden. Add the milk and cover. Simmer the cauliflower until tender (around 10 minutes). Strain the cauliflower (retaining the milk) into a blender. Blend to a smooth purée – adding enough milk until the desired consistency is achieved. Season to taste with sea salt, white pepper and grated nutmeg.

3) Coat the lime segments in a little icing sugar and quickly toast in a very hot non-stick frying pan to char the outside and remove. Add a little olive oil to the pan, season the scallops and sear over a high heat for around 2 minutes each side or until just cooked through.

4) Serve the scallops with the cauliflower purée, some slices of the pork belly, apple slices, and charred lime segments.

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Enjoy!

Pork with Pineapple, Lime and Chilli Sauce

Forget Chinese takeaway – this is real sweet and sour pork! The usual glutinous and sickly sweet sauce is replaced by one which is spicy and vibrant with a big kick of fresh lime.

Pork fillet is rolled in a blend of crushed peanuts and Chinese five spice before being roasted in the oven. The nuts offer great texture whilst the anise note of the five spice works perfectly with the sweet and sour sauce.

This dish is great paired with egg fried rice and steamed pak choi.

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Pork with Pineapple, Lime and Chilli Sauce
Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the Pork: 2 Pork Fillets (Fully Trimmed), 75g Plain Peanuts, 3tsp Chinese Five Spice, 1tsp Sea Salt, 2tbsp Groundnut Oil

For the Sauce: 260g Tinned Pineapple (And Juice), 75ml Fresh Pineapple Juice, 2tbsp Dry Sherry, 1tbsp Soy Sauce, 3 Limes (Juice and Zest), 1/2tsp White Pepper, 1 Red Chilli (Sliced), 2tsp Cornflour (Mixed with Water)

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Method:

1) Pre heat the oven to 200C. Crush the peanuts together with the five spice and salt in a food processor to a fine crumb. Roll the pork fillets in the crumb – ensuring they are well covered.

2) Place a large frying pan over a high heat. Fry the pork fillets in the groundnut oil for 2-3 minutes each side until sealed (ensure the nuts do not burn). Transfer the pork to the oven and cook for around 25 minutes or until cooked to your liking.

3) Meanwhile make the sauce. Place all of the ingredients except the chilli and cornflour in a blender and blend until smooth. Pass through a sieve into a saucepan and place over a medium heat. Allow the mixture to boil for 5 minutes before adding the sliced chilli. Slowly thicken with cornflour whilst over a low heat until the sauce reaches the desired consistency. Check the seasoning (white pepper and soy sauce) and keep warm.

4) When the pork is cooked, remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Slice the pork and serve with a generous amount of sauce.

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Enjoy!