Pulled Pork with Sweet potato mash and cream cheese BBQ sauce

So this last Sunday (24th) I had off from work and so volunteered to make the whole family a dinner for after Church. We also had guests staying with us until that Sunday so I needed a meal that I could do very simply. So I decided on Pulled Pork because it was something I could put into the oven and leave overnight and not worry about it. I also really felt like sweet potato mash as I felt it would really compliment it and the BBQ sauce, well that is just because pulled pork tastes best with BBQ based sauces.

For enough to serve 5 people you will need;-
about 2kg of Pork Shoulder (you can also use collar, leg or any other cheap cut)
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp Cayenne pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

250g Potatoes, peeled and chopped
250g Sweet Potatoes, peeled and chopped
50g butter
25ml full fat milk
salt and pepper

1 tbsp Cream Cheese
2 tbsp Hickory BBQ Sauce
250ml thick cream
salt and pepper

First Preheat your oven to 250oC, then rub the oil and spices into your pork shoulder and put into a cooking bag (or in a slow cooker). Put into the oven for 20 minutes and reduce to 75oC. Leave for 12-15 hours (yes, that's right). Take out of oven and leave standing for 20 minutes.

Whilst the meat is standing. Put your potatoes and sweet potatoes in some salted water and boil until soft. Using a masher (or electric whisk) turn into mash and stir in your butter and taste. Correct seasoning as needed. Cover and leave to one side.

In a small pan mix together the cream cheese, BBQ sauce and thick cream. Heat on medium and combined together until warm. Taste and season.

Now take your pork out of the bag, save the juices. Shred the pork using forks or your hands, add some of the juices (I added about 1/4 of the bag) and mix into the pork. Save the rest of the juices to make a gravy at a later time.

Serve all together with some salad and bread and watch it all disappear in minutes. This was so sucessful I have been asked to do it for my Mother in Law's birthday in a couple of weeks time.

Summer Spiced Carrot Soup

So I had some carrots in my fridge and was thinking to myself "what should I do with them?" This carried on during my work shift and then it came to me - "why not make carrot and coriander soup", the voice in my head proclaimed. I thought it was a good idea as it is one of my favourite soups. So I was determined to make this after I finished my work shift at 2300 as a way to calm down. My fridge also revealed fresh ginger, some potatoes and garlic, so it all came together and I created this awesome soup.

This is not only a refreshing summer soup but can be a warming winter comfort for those dark nights. It is also entirely vegan friendly (except when I add a swirl of cream but you don't have to do that) and packed full of vitamins and minerals to give you a healthy boost to your system. It is so simple and cheap to make and lasts for a week in the fridge (if it gets that far).

So to make this nutritional soup you will want to have:-

1 tbsp vegetable oil
500g carrots, washed and chopped
1 small onion, rough chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 medium potato, washed and chopped
1 tbsp fresh ginger, chopped
2 tsp ground coriander
1.5 litre vegetable stock
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp nutmeg
salt and pepper
(Cream to finish, if you want)

First heat up the oil in a large pan, then you want to sauté your carrots, onion, garlic and ginger until soft. Add the potato, coriander, sugar and some seasoning (I used 1/2 tsp of salt and pepper) stir and cook out for about a minute.

Add your vegetable stock and bring up to a boil. Reduce this to a simmer until the carrots are tender, this takes about 20 minutes.

Using a stick blender whizz it all up until smooth and add the nutmeg and correct the seasoning to taste.

Serve with a swirl of cream if you like or nicely crisped croûtons for that added gourmet feel.

Bacon wrapped herby goat's cheese and Devil's Jam

I love goat's cheese, I love it on potatoes, chicken, in stews, on top of my pizza, just on or in anything really. So in one of my nightly driftings I came up with an idea to combined Bacon (one of my favourite things in the world) with Goat's Cheese (another favourite). I also decided to make some Devil's jam to use up some basil I had growing and the two worked together brilliantly. So brilliantly in fact that I am sharing it with you all. It is quick, easy and tasty. The sweet and spicy of the devil's jam really compliments the saltly, strong flavour of your goat's cheese wraps.

To make a romantic portion (2 people), you will need:-

200g log of goat's cheese, the small, thin ones, cut into 50g 'blocks'
4 rashers of streaky bacon
pinch of salt and pepper
pinch of dried dill and oregano

For the Devil's jam:-

1 tin of peeled tomatoes (450g)
3 red chillies, rough cut
1 small onion, finely diced
2 cloves of garlic, finely diced
about 2 tablespoons of fresh basil
100ml red wine vinegar
250g jam sugar
salt and pepper

You want to make your jam a day or so before. First sweat off the chilli, onion and garlic until soft, then add the red wine vinegar and reduce by half. Add the tomatoes and jam sugar and cook out for 20-30 minutes. Add the basil, salt and pepper and leave to cool and thicken.

Now to start on the goat's cheese. Preheat your oven to 225oC. Then mix your salt, pepper, dill and oregano together and then coat the outside of the goat's cheese. Then wrap in the bacon and place into a pyrex dish. Put in the oven for about 10 minutes. Take out and put onto a plate with some devil's jam.

Goes well with some toast or just a snack to tie you over.