This easy recipe using lamb shanks is prepared in one simple, single pot. It’s a great way to showcase the classic Easter meat!
Earlier this year, it seemed like the border crisis had died down — that perhaps border problems would diminish in 2018.
While Christmas dinner has a strong association in Australia with turkey, Easter has far weaker links with a protein unless we are talking about the Australian Greek community where a lamb slowly turning on a spit is the dream Easter lunch. Looking at supermarket sales, however, it seems that pork is making a play to take the role of the meat of the moment and certainly with its delicate blushing meat and golden crackling it hits all the right celebratory notes. The perfect crackling There is much stress about getting your pork crackling right and it is understandable. For me, and all those who stress about crackling, we know that there is no point having pork if there isn’t any crackling. There are a few key steps to sure fire pork crackling: Pick the right pork — shoulder, pork belly, rolled loin or rack are my picks. The first two are best with long slow cooking; the latter two have far less fat and so need quicker treatment. Get your butcher to slash the pork fat or use a craft blade like a Stanley knife. Only cut the fat and avoid cutting into the meat. Those parallel slashes need to be about 1cm apart. It is important to dry the pork skin and fat before roasting. This is ideally started the day before. First dry the skin of the pork with kitchen paper. Then rub salt into the skin and into the slits. Leave it in the fridge overnight. The next day, carefully brush all the damp salt off and dry the skin again with paper. Rub the skin with olive oil, and either vinegar or lemon juice, to help conduct the heat of the oven to the skin. Turn the oven to at least 230C and blast the joint with heat for about 30 minutes or until the skin starts to bubble and brown. Then with pork shoulder and belly continue cooking slow (about 120C) until done. For a shoulder, I like to cook it until the meat falls apart. So that’s between three to eight hours depending on the texture you want from your meat. With the rolled loin or chops use less time but a higher temperature, say 160C to 180C, as there is less fat both to render and to keep the meat moist. Oh, and if all that doesn’t give you perfect crackle just peel it off after cooking and place it skin side up under the grill. Watch it doesn’t burn and remove when the skin has gone all puffy and golden. The alternative is to turn up the heat and finish the pork off at 180C until the skin cracks, but again beware that the crackling doesn’t burn. What to serve with your roast pork You know when we were discussing the directions we could take our Easter roast pork, clarity came best when thinking of those countries where pork is a much loved staple. Good pork roast is rich, a little fatty, a little salty and crunchy. In my book that means it needs to be paired with sour or sweet flavours. In England, fruit is traditional with pork, whether it’s an apple sauce or a pineapple ring on top of a chop. Roast apples or brining your pork in pineapple juice serve on slow-braised baked beans are two more creative ways of bringing those flavours. A burnt orange sauce also sings with pork, especially if you are using a Chinese spice rub on your pork belly. You can pick up the fennel flavours of the five spice with a crisp fennel and orange segment salad — or even some roast fennel. Other winter fruits to play with are roast quinces, perhaps in a chutney, red-wine roasted pears, its sweetness balanced by a little red wine vinegar or served with a witlof, blue cheese, walnuts and pear salad. Cabbage is another classic partner for pork, whether it’s sweet and sour red cabbage cooked with sugar and vinegar and dotted with currants, or a tangy side of either Korean kimchi or German sauerkraut, which, at their best, have that wonderful tang of fermentation. Root veg, including parsnips, celeriac, pumpkin and swedes all have that natural sweetness that goes wonderfully with pork. Try my MasterChef chum, Gary’s trick of serving pork with buttered swedes with loads of black pepper. For me, a more American approach of rubbing the pork with a spice rub of allspice and paprika would work brilliantly with roast sweet potatoes, barbecued corn, and gravy sweetened with maple syrup and maybe a splash of bourbon. Yum! Follow Matt Preston on Twitter: www.twitter.com/mattscravat
Tsoureki (tsoo-RHE-kee) is a very popular traditional type of sweet bread that is baked for Easter in Greece. It is flavoured with different spices according to the traditions of each geographic region within Greece. In Northern Greece, where I am from, we use "Kakoule" which is ground cardamom seeds with "Mahlepi" (a.k.a. as mahlab which is ground seed of wild-cheries). "Kakoule" is also a "secret" way to give great flavour to Greek coffee! Enjoy!
The pan-roasted cabbage with brown harissa, sour cream and turmeric oil from Michal Korkosz’s new cookbook, “Polish’d,” gives the underrated veggie the glow-up it deserves. Read on for the simple vegetarian recipe.
From Polish delicacies such as roasted mutton to staples like kielbasa, you'll find a variety of traditional main dish recipes.
I Love It All | Paper Crafting and Memory Keeping Inspiration Since 2010 Gratitude Journals, Free Downloads + Mini Book Tutorials + Crafts
Here’s why it’s time we need to re-think the way we celebrate Easter, and some tips on reducing your own impact on the planet this long weekend. You can still enjoy Easter and chocolate sustainably, simply by making a few informed choices. Eco-conscious chocoholics rejoice!
Have you made cascarones in your classroom? These confetti-filled Easter eggs are super easy to make! I recommend cleaning out the shells at home so you can use the eggs to make delicious treats…
One of my favorite things about being a parent is introducing my son to books I loved when I was little. He’s only two, so we haven’t climbed very far …
When you or I question a practice that seems to defy logic, the answer is likely to be, “That’s the way we’ve always done it.” The response shifts whatever blame there may be to some unnamed person at some unnamed time in the past. The response also indicates no thinking is going to go into...
Hello everyone….Can you believe that it’s almost Easter!! I know I’m having a hard time wrapping my brain around it. It’s all going too fast for me. Today I will be showing you how to make this adorable card and some cute gift tags. This project has been so fun. I love the colors of the papers from Kimeric Kreations AND…. they …
Fascinating Irish newsreel has been digitized by the Irish Film Institute for its Irish Independence Film Collection.
They're the most famous First Family, and it's the most famous White House public event - so why didn't President John F. Kennedy, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, First Daughter Caroline Kennedy and First Son John Kennedy, Jr. ever make an appearance at the annual White House Easter Egg Roll during their residency in the mansion in
It is traditional to make Bridget’s crosses out of reeds for Imbolc, but we couldn’t find reeds in Ohio. We did, however, find a lot of this plant that looked like it might work: My mom…
When you hear the term “maximum-security location,” what specifics come to mind? Perhaps, you think of military bases, government holdings, or important historical sites. Can you guess the most heavily guarded places on earth? And note, these are not the kind of places that offer free tours on your travels. You can always drive by
Explore colleen_oeris1's 64825 photos on Flickr!
I feel like I'm introducing you to a very beloved member of my family! That's how special Nani's Sautéed Chicken is! My grandmother, Nani, pronounced this dish SAU-TEEEE-D chicken. It is so easy and perfectly
Bank of America said, "A vendor incorrectly loaded $100 bills in place of $10 bills ... Customers will be able to keep the additional money dispensed."
Sweet, salty, tart, and slightly spicy is the way we like our Easter ham! It’s bursting with apricot flavor, and pairs perfectly with any side dish you can throw at it. Be prepared for lavish praise from friends and family, and try not to blush!
Maundy Thursday & Last Supper are a time to remind our kids what was leading up to the resurrection of Christ…our celebration of Easter.
We are not the craftiest of households. With the exception of Christmas, I’m lucky to get the house decorated for ANY other holiday before the week OF said holiday. I’m looking at you Halloween and Easter. My small people don’t seem to mind. It could be that they are conditioned that way. They simply don’t …
