Mumbles produce market - Roast lamb with root vegetable mash and red wine gravy

I love the atmosphere of produce markets and could happily spend hours pottering about in them. To be honest I don't feel the same way about the supermarket, where I am in and out as quick as I can. I had two quite different experiences doing my food shopping on Saturday. Seren and I were up and off to Mumbles Produce Market early (I was up at 5.30 to watch Wales beat Ireland in the Rugby World Cup) to get the best stuff and to beat the traffic.
We spent a pleasant hour buying food for tea that evening and meat and veg for Sunday lunch. We tried a few samples of olives and tapanade and bought both, I chatted to a few of the stallholders about their produce. I love to hear the passion in their voice when proudly showing off their best lamb or magnificent romanesCO cauliflower. You know that the dedication they put into growing, rearing or making their produce will reward you on the plate, and give you lasting satisfaction.
That feeling of satisfaction lasted until I went to Sainsbury's to do the rest of my shopping. I have, like most people, a negative or at best, nuetral experience when inside these giant food stores. People don't seem to be enjoying themselves, the food is not sold with knowledge or passion, and customers seem accept it as an unpleasant but necessary part of their week. To top it off I had a row with another customer and her husband who brazenly pushed in front of Seren and I at the checkout (I later got my own back by waiting by the crossing for them to stop for us and Seren and I proceded to inch our way across the crossing at a snails pace).
Buying local is important to me, I'm not too interested in whether the food is organic or not, but I like to feel that I contribute to the local economy rather than line the pockets of a huge corporation. I am not anti supermarket and they have a place in our food landscape but they have come to dominate, as big business is wont to do. Small producers cannot compete with them on price or convenience, but are head and shoulders above their bigger, greedier brothers when it comes to personal service, knowledge, quality and choice. I think to buy local at a produce market is logical and to me, a 'no brainer' as they say. You get cracking produce, grown, made or reared with care, it is a sustainable choice, keeps our communities alive with interest and stops our towns and cities from being just another identikit place to live. I have included some of the best producers in the Food shopping section at the top of the page.

Roast lamb with root vegetable mash and red wine gravy

It is quite satisfying to know that all the ingredients I needed for this dish all came from Wales (except the Rioja). Indeed it is the very best produce from this area and deserves a simple approach so that you can taste the love and dedication that has gone into producing this food. I think that food is more than just fuel because you can show your love for your family through it and support your community while your at it. Just a meal huh!

You can use any cut of lamb you prefer, but I chose breast because I am on a budget. The cooking principle will be the same for tougher cuts like breast or shoulder i.e. slow long cooking but you will need a shorter time for a premium cut like leg. The root veg mash works with any veg you fancy. I used a little potato, swede and parsnip but could have chosen celeriac, carrots or butternut squash - whatever you fancy really but I'd keep it to 3 maximum or the flavours will be lost. By the way if you just use the white or pale veg you can fool your kids into thinking it is just mashed potato.

1 roasting Lamb joint (breast, shoulder or leg)
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 carrot, roughly chopped
1 stick of celery, roughly chopped
5 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
2 sprigs of rosemary
125 ml red wine
100 ml stock (I used veg)
25 ml oil
3 - 4lb vegetables of your choice for the mash

1) Set your oven low to moderate. Pour the oil into your roasting tin and heat on the hob. Season your meat and brown all over. Pop the veg in and give them a little colour too. Add the red wine and stock. Cover and cook in the oven for about 4 hours.


2) While the meat is resting make your gravy by straining the juices from the tin and reducing a little. Thicken with a little cornflour if you prefer. I don't.


3) For the root veg mash - peel and chop about 3kg of the veg of your choice and boil until cooked. Drain, mash and season with a little butter, cream if you wish, salt and pepper. Do this about half an hour before the end of the lamb cooking time so they are ready roughly the same time.

Pot roast shoulder of pork with fennel, shallots and potatoes

While I wholeheartedly approve of any homecooked family meal, I have always been a little baffled by the idea of a Sunday roast with all the trimmings. Great if your services are not required in the kitchen but consider the poor old family cook, who is still often the woman of the house, slaving as she does over meat and eight veg, while the other family members watch the Eastenders omnibus or Formula 1. Lets be honest its a real palaver and it can seem as though every single pot, pan, dish and plate has been used in the name of this most British of institutions. I think we place so much emphasis on this tradition each week that it leaves us reluctant to cook more often at other times during a busy week. If the cook in each house simplified their approach to Sunday lunch and also to other meals then I believe we can eat better and cheaper more often.

If you read my blog then you will notice that I have created a few easy Sunday 'roasts' that require very little input, save a few choice ingredients and plenty of time. Dishes that are ideal for leaving in the oven or slow cooker while you read the Suday papers or take a long walk to work up an appitite. No-one need know of your little secret as what you present at the table will blow your diner's socks off.

Pot roast shoulder of pork with fennel, shallots and potatoes

This particular cut is cheap but one of the best. It is really difficult to mess it up as it requires long slow cooking. I love these cuts of meat as they are so much more flavoursome than their flashier and more expensive butcher's slab brothers. Fennel, tarragon and cream have a wonderful affinity with pork and this makes for a fantastic plate of food. It is cheap too and comes in at around £2.50 per portion.

Serves 4

2 kg piece of pork shoulder
3 shallots or 1 onion, quatered
1 large or 2 small fennel bulbs, quatered
8 new potatoes, scrubbed and halved
100 ml dry cider (Aspall's organic is lovely)
100 ml double cream
a couple of sprigs of tarragon, finely chopped

1) Preheat your oven to hot. Place a little oil in a casserole or roasting tin and pop in the oven to heat up.




2) Season your pork and sit in the centre of the dish. Arrange the vegetables around, making sure there is a snug fit or they will burn. Pop in the oven for 20 minutes so the pork skin has a chance to crackle and the veg takes on a little colour.





3) Pour in the cider, cover with a lid and turn the oven down low, say about 120 degrees and leave to cook for about 4 hours, just watch the cider doesn't evaporate, it shouldn't as the shoulder of pork will release its juices, creating a lovely sauce.





4) Remove the meat and veg to a plate and keep warm, strain the cooking liquid into a sauce pan, reduce by boiling until you have about a quater of a pint, add the cream, bring to the boil and allow to thicken slightly. Stir in the tarragon and put on to simmer while you carve the pork and serve up.

Vietnamese style pork

Last week I made slow cooked breast of lamb with pearl barley and really enjoyed it. At the end of that post I asked if anyone could come up with a slow cooked pork dish and I have been inundated with responses (okay I'm fibbing - just the one, who wins a pot of red Thai curry paste). An absoloute gem of a dish has been given to me by Adam Benney and although I have adapted it slightly it is a bright, aromatic dish that fills the house with the smells of south east Asia.

Again I am using my slow cooker but a casserole or large pan will do on the hob or in the oven. The secret is to use an economical cut such as shoulder, which I bought on my early morning trip to Swansea market yesterday at Hugh Phillips butchers, and to cook it for hours in an aromatic bath.

I am deeply attached to European winter staples such as cawl, carbonnade of beef or a French daube but sometimes you want a dish that is bright, stimulating and lively but one that is just as easy to make. Honestly, this dish requires such little effort so it is perfect for a Sunday lunch, where you wait for its magic to happen while you read the papers.


I have been slightly more economical by making two dishes from one. The first is a very slight adaptation of Adam's original and the second a 'leftovers' dish. The only real difference I have made is to make more of the cooking liquor in wich you cook the pork and you are left with a stock that will do for a pork noodle soup on Monday. I have pretty much copied Adam's recipe verbatim but altered the stock and the quantities for the dipping sauce you can adjust to your taste as I have done. Chúc ngon miệng


Adam Benney's Vietnamese slow cooked pork with Noodles

Trim excess fat from shoulder and immerse in water/stock . Add 1 to 2 chopped lemongrass stalks, some lime leaf, then sugar and fish sauce to taste. As I said earlier I adapted this part slightly by adding 1 whole chilli, 1 lime, squeezed, 4 pieces of stem ginger and 2 cloves of garlic and I only added about 100ml of water. Cook away till meat is nice and crumbly and easy to shred!

When you're ready to eat stir fry some noodles and vegetables (pak choi, chinese lettuce, baby corn or whatever is on hand!) in garlic and ginger. (If using dried noodles soak in cold salted water for 15 minutes to hydrate.)

When ready put noodles into bowls and place some shredded pork on top.

Garnish with bean sprouts, spring onions and coriander and serve with a bowl of soy lime dipping sauce (recipe below)

Pound a garlic clove, 2 birds eye chillies and 2 1/2 tbls sugar into a paste. Add 1/3 cup of light soy sauce, 2 1/2 tbls of lime juice (with pulp) and water to taste ( approx 1/4 cup)
Stir, and enjoy! (keeps for 3 weeks in fridge)

If you don't use too much water with the pork the liquid should reduce and thicken nicely - use this sauce to moisten the noodles to your liking.
If you're not slow cooking poaching works just as well. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes then take of the heat, keep covered and allow to poach for as long as you wish - nice!

Strain and keep the cooking liquor and use it as a base to make a pork noodle soup with the leftovers that you should have.

Ok I loved doing this so how about any suggestions for an authentic Chilli con carne that can be slow cooked?

Slow cooked breast of lamb with pearl barley 'risotto'

Maybe its my age. Maybe its because I'm lazy. Or then again maybe its because I have found the secret to great cooking and eating. But one thing is for sure I'm becoming mildly obsessed by my slow cooker and slow cooked meat. Now and again as a cook you produce something truly original and delicious and to me there is no greater joy to be had from food and drink. Today has confirmed my love for the simplicity and beauty of really great food. Yes you can have your fancy techniques and Blumenthalesque gourmet creations and that has a place in gastronomy but I am genuinely stunned by the taste and texture of this honest and simple dish. The dish has 4 simple elements - meat, grain, vegetable / herb and liquid. Nothing else and I am soothed and heartened by this never ending culinary fact of life.

Because of its cheap low key ingredients it means you can try and buy the best quality. Take the lamb, its a breast of lamb which is one of the cheapest cuts and you can get it from the supermarket and it will cost around £2 - £3 for a joint, ready rolled. However, if you pay a pound or two more then you can get the best meat around - Gower salt marsh Lamb direct from the farm http://www.gowersaltmarshlamb.co.uk/ or from the best butcher in Swansea http://www.swanseaindoormarket.co.uk/content/public/stalls/55c.aspx

Using pearl barley in this case works a treat. It has a natural affinity with lamb, soaking up all the juices and releasing them slowly a forkful at a time. Peas, leeks and lettuce are a dream combination and cooking with lettuce will be a revelation - use gem lettuce and most certainly not iceburg. This is a low carb or GI dish as barley releases its energy much slower than rice, leaving you fuller longer and without it upsetting your insulin levels which leads to being overweight. A beautiful Welsh dish.

Slow cooked breast of lamb with pearl barley 'risotto'

Preparation

If your lamb is ready rolled and tied then untie it and lay it skin side down on a chopping board. Drizzle a little olive oil, scatter a chopped garlic clove or two and a sprig of rosemary on the flesh, season and roll it back up and tie it. Season the outside. Cut in half lengthways and peel 6 shallots or small onions and peel 3 cloves of garlic. Make up 100ml vegetable or meat stock and have a small glass of red wine handy.

Lamb

In a large non stick frying pan heat a little oil and slowly colour the shallots and garlic. Then add the lamb to the pan to colour all over. Transfer to your slow cooker or casserole dish and add the stock and wine to the hot pan to 'deglaze' and pour this in with the lamb. You can pop in a sprig of thyme if you wish. Cook for 2 hours.

Pearl barley 'risotto'

Add about 150g of pearl barley around the meat and cook for another hour - slow cooking is key here. When it is almost done add a finely chopped leek, a handful of frozen peas and a handful of shredded lettuce and cook for another hour, adding a little more liquid if it is becoming too dry. Take out the lamb and slice thickly and add a little shredded mint to the risotto. Spoon a little risotto onto the centre of the plate and add a slice of lamb on top. Alternatively, you could make the risotto separately and then have the juices from the lamb as a gravy.



Could anyone suggest a great slow cooked dish using belly or shoulder of pork?

Beef Carbonnade with leek and mustard dumplings

 I started to learn how to cook professionally as a catering college student over 20 years ago and this dish is one of the first things I made for my family. My auntie Susie and uncle Chris were great to try out new dishes with as they always loved what I made which is a great boost for any young wannabe chef. My dishes then became a bit more 'cheffy' as my confidence grew and I remember making pan fried duck breast with a blueberry sauce which was all the rage in the early 90's. However, my cooking style has matured and I find myself obsessed by simplicity. Slow cooked meat dishes are a particular favourite and I am revelling in the beauty of cuts like brisket, shin and shoulder which to my mind are much more satisfying than their flashier and more expensive butchers slab brethren.

Beef carbonnade with leek and mustard dumplings

The Belgians are little known in the world of gastronomy, overlooked as they are by the French, and this dish is a Low country classic which requires little effort however good quality ingredients and plenty of time are essential. Perfect for a summer in Swansea!

I made this in my slow cooker with a whole piece of brisket but you can use other braising cuts diced up into large chunks and cook it on the hob or in the oven. Low heat and about 6 hours cooking are essential though. By the way if you can make this a day or two in advance then it will even more lovely, in fact it is almost essential, you just have to learn how to cope with delayed gratification.

2kg rolled brisket or shin
2 onions, sliced or diced
2 carrots, cut into chunks
1 clove garlic, crushed
330ml Belgian beer (leffe is good)
15g dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in 1/2 pint of hot water
seasoning
herbs such as thyme and rosemary
2 tbspns cornflour mixed with cold water

For the dumplings:
Mix together in a large bowl 150g self raising flour, 150g suet, 1 finely sliced leek, 1 heaped tsp Coleman's English mustard powder, salt and 1 egg. As long as it resembles a dough that is fine and then divide into small balls ready to go in the stew about 15 minutes before the end.

1) In a large frying pan brown the brisket all over and pop it in the slow cooker, add the onions and carrots to the frying pan and brown then chuck them in with the brisket. Pour the beer into the pan and bring to the boil. Now add that to the slow cooker along with the herbs and garlic. Also pour in the porcini mushrooms and its water. Leave on a low heat for about 6 - 7 hours. Cool and refrigerate.
2) Take the whole brisket out of the cold stew and cut up into large chunks and gently heat it all through. Thicken if you like (I like) and season if necessary. Add the dumplings and cook for about 15 minutes.

mmm...Carbonnade of beef