Fuss-free feast
Having everyone round to your place can be lovely – apart from all the work before and after. Denise Irvine keeps it simple with this go-to meal for casual gatherings.
Dining in rather than out has some special pleasures. You’re not competing for attention with other tables, you don’t have to shout at each other if there’s a noisy crowd, and you’re in full control of the menu.
The only issue is that you do the work before and after. So you need to keep things simple. I’ve had some gatherings at my place recently where we’ve assembled our own dinner from a few juicy items. Very convivial they’ve been, too.
So for this Easter column, we’re eating in, and I’m sharing my current casual go-to meal which steps away from the barbecue staples of summer. It is dinner in a bun: fresh baps (or any other light bakery bun) filled with flavoursome slow-cooked pork, coleslaw tossed in a frisky Asian dressing, and a killer peanut sauce from Yotam Ottolenghi’s 2015 book Nopi.
Everything is prepped in advance. The pork and peanut sauce need some attention but, if pushed for time, you can cheat on coleslaw and buy pre-cut bags from the supermarket, using the dressing provided. Maybe tarted up with lemon juice, extra olive oil and a spot of mustard.
Start in the morning; rub a pork shoulder (size depending on numbers) with Chinese five spice powder and sea salt (a generous teaspoon of each). Put the pork in a slow-cooker and pour in 3 cups of chicken stock, about a cup of dark soy sauce, ¼ cup of dark brown sugar, 2 tablespoons of sesame oil, a pinch of chilli flakes, a knob of finely sliced fresh ginger and a few cloves of crushed garlic.
Turn the meat in the liquid and cook according to your gadget’s instructions for this sized cut. I usually allow about 6-7 hours for 1.2kg: 4 hours on high, the rest on low. It can also be cooked in a covered oven dish for a few hours at a low-ish temperature.
Chop up the coleslaw (if doing it yourself), a gathering of cabbage, carrots, red onion, celery, and plenty of fresh mint. Prep this early, and make the peanut sauce and Asian dressing. I dress the
slaw about an hour before serving to let the flavours infuse.
When the pork is cooked, shred the tender flesh, place in a shallow dish and moisten with lovely (strained) juices from the pan. Do this a little ahead of dinner to avoid messing around after the guests have arrived. Cover the meat with foil and warm gently in the oven before serving. You may want to add more juice, and a handful of chopped flat-leaf parsley.
You’re good to go: set out bowls of meat, slaw, peanut sauce and baps (or taco shells or wraps), plus plates and paper napkins, call the guests and tuck in.