There's something about pork. Whether it's melt-in-the-mouth belly pork glazed with cider, delicious ham hock offset with fruity piccalilli or a humble scotch egg cloaked in crispy breadcrumbs, pork spells pure comfort food. It's about tender, flavour-rich dishes; it's about the scrumptious pairing of sharp fruit cutting through meat and crackling; it's about the satisfying sprinkle of nostalgia at the heart of the flavours.
But the real appeal of pork lies in its versatility. With a wide of choice of cuts and styles in which to prepare the meat, it slots in as easily as a gourmet main course as a buffet option or bar snack. Consider tender loin of pork served with a velvety, creamy sauce, pork Wellington wrapped in streaky bacon and golden pastry and tender pork chunks nestled amidst luscious ravioli. Equally tempting, fail-safe classics such as pork pies and scotch eggs, pulled pork sandwiches and crispy pork scratchings washed down with cider make for scrumptious and crowd-pleasing snacks, perfect for a relaxed, festival-style wedding.
What's more, the taste of pork is the perfect pairing for a wide range of flavour combinations - from fruity and pickled to aromatic and nutty - and therefore works well across a wide range of global cuisine. Whether it's fragrant Asian flavours, spicy Mexican chilli, sticky American-style ribs or brilliantly British pork fillets and pies your Granny might have made, it's a fail-safe option whatever your foodie fancy.
"There aren't many products that produce such a range of delicious, delicate and downright fabulous dishes," comments Lucy Turner of The Round Kitchen. And the bonus? Pork can also be surprisingly affordable.
Jazz up your pork dishes by infusing a little creative flavour. You might take pork into realms usually associated with beef - from a pork Wellington to a burger topped with egg and pineapple for a Hawaiian twist. It could be down to inventive and delicious dressings and accompaniments; think pork scratchings topped with a sticky toffee apple and cider dip or ribs doused in a Cornish ale and treacle glaze. Or it could be down to inventive takes on old classics, such as a sausage sub roll served with a delicious compote and a smoked bacon and Cornish Blue cheese mayonnaise. Let these mouth-watering menu ideas from The Round Kitchen whet your appetite...
Bar snacks
Homemade pork scratchings
With a sticky toffee apple and cider dip
Black pudding scotch eggs
Served with a free-range Dijon mustard and thyme mayonnaise
Tempura hog's pudding
With a home-roasted tomato and piquant apple sweet and sour sauce
Canapes
Slow roasted pressed belly pork skewers
With balsamic, rosemary and cider glaze
Mini pork shoulder and ham hock pies
With a homemade vegetable piccalilli
Pig's liver parfait, caramelised red onion and potato drop pancakes (liver and onions)
Starters
Homemade crispy pancetta, pea shoot and avocado salad
With a white balsamic and Cornish rapeseed dressing, finished with a Cornish sea salted pecan dust
Slow-roasted confit of pork shoulder
Sat on a bed of celeriac puree, with a pickled pear and shallot dressing and deep-fried sage
Thai style pork mince ravioli
Sat on a bed of wilted pak choi and spinach, finished with a coconut milk, coriander and lemongrass broth
Main course
Home-cured griddled loin of pork steaks
Sat on a bed of black pudding, leek and mint crushed new potatoes, served with a rich Madeira gravy
Individual pork fillet Wellingtons
Wrapped in streaky bacon with spring onion, wild mushroom and mascarpone stuffing, finished with a oyster mushroom, white truffle oil and brandy cream sauce
Pulled smoked paprika pork, scallops and chorizo cassoulet
Served with a rich slow-roast bell pepper, plum tomato and basil sauce, served with a homemade Parmesan and garlic croute
Evening nibbles
The Round Kitchen's ultimate Hawaiian burger
Seared minced gammon, free-range duck egg, griddled fresh pineapple and Tintagel smoked cheese, served in a toasted pizza dough bun
Triple peppercorn cured pork ribs
Finished with a Cornish ale, Demerara and sticky treacle glaze
Cornish pork sausage sub roll
With sage, onion and apple compote, and a smoked bacon and Cornish Blue cheese mayonnaise
The Round Kitchen
www.theroundkitchen.com
words Rebecca Matthews
photography Adam Gibbard
Copyright Wed magazine 2014
