FORK TENDER
Pork & beans
Rich belly pork gives flavour to the beans as it cooks slowly and melts to form a satisfying jus in this simple dish. You’ll need to begin this recipe the day before by soaking the beans. You could also cook this in a crock pot — add all the ingredients from step 2, cover and cook for 6-7 hours.
Serves 4
200g dried cannellini beans soaked in cold
water overnight
2 Tbsp olive oil
½ onion, diced
1 small carrot, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
3 tsp grated garlic
1 Tbsp tomato paste
¼ tsp chilli powder
2 tsp picked thyme leaves
2 tsp chopped sage leaves
1 cup red wine
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups water
700g pork belly, cut into 2cm-thick slices 1 Tbsp oregano leaves
Heat oven to 150C. Heat olive oil in a casserole over a medium heat, add onion, carrot, celery and garlic and gently fry for 5 minutes.
Add tomato paste and cook for a further 5 minutes on a low heat. Add chilli, thyme, sage, wine, stock, water and drained beans. Stir to combine and bring up to the boil. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. Place pork belly on top of beans. Cover with a lid and place into oven. Cook for 3½-4 hours or until beans are tender. To serve, spoon beans into bowls and arrange pork belly on top, sprinkle with oregano and drizzle with extra olive oil.
Chicken, lentils & baby onions
This casserole has its origins in Greece where it is made with either chicken or rabbit. With slow cooking the baby onions become sweet and tender, while the lentils swell up to provide great nutritious texture. To cook in a crock pot, add all the ingredients from step 4, cover and cook for 5-6 hours.
Serves 4
4 Tbsp olive oil
12 baby onions, peeled
700g boneless chicken thighs
½ cup flour
½ onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
400g can chopped tomatoes
2 bay leaves
2 tsp dried oregano
1 cinnamon quill
8 whole cloves
1 tsp ground allspice
1 cup red wine
3 cups chicken stock
1 cup green puy lentils
2 Tbsp sliced parsley (flat or curly)
2 tsp grated lemon zest
1 Tbsp lemon juice
Heat oven to 150C. Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan. Gently fry baby onions over medium heat for 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove and set aside. Season chicken thighs with salt then dust with flour. Fry chicken in the same pan, adding extra oil if necessary for 5 minutes until brown. Remove and set aside. Gently fry diced onion in the same pan with extra oil if necessary for 5 minutes until translucent. Add garlic and tomato paste, cook for 10 minutes on a low heat.
Add tomatoes, herbs, spices, wine and stock. Bring to the boil and season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Transfer to a casserole, add chicken and baby onions then stir through the lentils.
Cover with a tight-fitting lid and place in the oven for 2 hours. Serve with a sprinkling of sliced fresh parsley and lemon zest. Drizzle with olive oil and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.