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Quick and Easy Korean Pork Recipe
Using ground pork in recipes seems to be so underrated which is such a shame. Our ground Berkshire pork has an incredible depth of flavour and needs very little seasoning - we have one customer who just fries it up by itself - she says it doesn’t need anything added.
We use it in
chilli’s,
pasta sauces
pies - especially shepherds pies,
cabbage roll soup,
tacos,
meatballs,
burgers and of course our own sausages.
Korean Pork is one of our favourite recipes - it's so delicious and quick to make with ingredients that are usually in the cupboard. - using my instant pot means it doesn't heat the kitchen up and I can set it and forget it - but it is easy to make on the stovetop or even a slow cooker.
Korean Pork
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup raw honey - I use creamed honey because it is all I have.
1/4 cup Berkshire pork stock - you can use chicken stock or I make my own
5 cloves minced garlic minced or 1 tbsp garlic powder (not garlic salt)
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger or 1 tbsp ground ginger
1-2 tablespoons sriracha sauce (depending on desired heat)
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
2 lb ground Berkshire pork
Directions for instant pot
Use saute setting and Saute pork in sesame oil until browned
Add rest of the ingredients.
Close the lid, and make sure the pressure release valve is turned to "SEALING"
Press the MEAT program button, and adjust the time to 5 minutes for ground beef/pork
Leave the instant pot release pressure naturally (about 25 minutes)
Serve with rice and garnish with spring onions if desired
You can make this on the stovetop just adjust the cooking time until the meat is tender.
If you have a favourite ground pork recipe I would love to know what it is. You can post in comments below.
How to cook a Christmas Ham plus 2 of my favourite glazes
What a crazy year this has been and now the silly season is here and most of us will be having a very quiet Christmas - We may not be able to celebrate with family but we can celebrate with food!
When we lived in the UK, Christmas dinner would take 2 days to prepare.
Day 1 would be for massaging the turkey with enormous amounts of butter, stuffing it with 2 different stuffings and prepping the veggies. Brussel sprouts, mashed carrot & swede, parsnips, roast potatoes, boiled potatoes, broccoli and cauliflower cheese. I was sometimes lucky enough to have help, my hungover sister, what a great help, it would take her 2 hours to peel a carrot!!! I’m not even joking!
Day 2, Christmas day there would be chipolata sausages to wrap in bacon, celery & Stilton soup, bread sauce & the gravy to make. Mum always put the turkey in the oven, Dad did his bit, he was guaranteed entertainment and would always trip over a dog while carrying a huge cauldron of potatoes to the Aga.
The best part about a huge feast is all the leftovers - Turkey, ham, homemade pickled onions, crusty bread, Stilton, strong cheddar and Jacobs cream crackers. Add to this a good bottle of port, a tin of Quality Street, a Terrys chocolate orange and a Christmas cake the size of a small car and Christmas is complete!
Even though it’s just for Carl and myself I still make a huge feast and I wanted to share my favourite ham recipe which is Cola ham (we use Gammon but you can use smoked ham too just remember it is already part cooked so won’t take as long).
Slow cooking is by far the easiest way. My friend always cooks hers from frozen. She said she takes it straight from the freezer, puts it in the slow cooker in the morning and in the afternoon it’s done and delicious! You can’t get easier than that!
Tips
You can precook your gammon and glaze it just before you need to serve it - I never do this because Carl eats it all before I get a chance to glaze it! The upside of that is the whisky maple glaze is great on ice cream lol! -It’s my new favourite glaze!
You will need a longer glazing time for a precooked cold ham. Approx 45 mins from a room temperature.
Before carving your cooked ham, let it rest 15 minutes to redistribute juices and firm up the meat.
Cola Ham
Ingredients
1 onion (peeled and cut in half)
2 litres coca-cola - must be the full sugar stuff and this is the only time I buy cola & it is Christmas
Cloves for studding the fat
Directions
Put the gammon in a pan, add the onion, then pour over the Coke.
Bring to the boil, reduce to a good simmer, put the lid on, though not tightly, and cook for 2 hours. Or Cook in the slow cooker on high for 4 hours.
If the gammon's been in the fridge right up to the moment you cook it, you will have to give it a good 15 minutes or so extra so that the interior is properly cooked.
Make your favourite glaze.
Score the fat with a sharp knife to make fairly large diamond shapes, and stud each diamond with a clove.
Carefully apply your glaze
Finish in a 450F oven for about 10 mins until glaze is bubbly.
Oven-baked Smoked Ham
Ingredients
Glaze of your choice
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degree F
Score the fat.
Put ham in a roasting pan cut-side down.
Brush with your favourite glaze.
Tent it with foil.
Bake it for 20 minutes per pound.
Every 20 minutes or so, brush the ham with more glaze and baste it with the pan juices.
To finish, remove the foil tent, brush the ham with glaze and pan juices one more time, and turn the oven to broil.
Broil for about 3-to-5 minutes until the outside glaze is deliciously caramelized -- but watch it closely so it doesn't get too dark.
Whisky Maple Glaze
Ingredients
¼ cup melted butter
¼ cup of maple syrup
¼ cup of whisky - I used salted caramel whisky, it was delicious
Salt and pepper
Directions
Whisk together ingredients
Carefully pour over ham
Honey Mustard Glaze
Ingredients
1 heaped tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons English mustard powder
2 tablespoons turbinado or brown sugar
Directions
Carefully spread the honey over the fat.
Gently pat the mustard and sugar onto the sticky fat.
Render your own lard. 4 easy ways including the instant pot method!
Pork fat was more valuable than the Pork Years ago!
They never wasted anything and pork fat Had so Many uses, not all were in our food.
soap making
candles
wound healing/medicinal
salves and balms
greasing machines - (I use lard to season my cast iron skillets and wok)
The 2 types of pork fat are:-
Leaf lard - this is the internal fat that is around the kidneys - this is best for pastry crusts.
Back fat - although we call it back fat, on our pigs it is fat that the butcher trims off the pork cuts. - This is best for sausage making but can be used to render into lard.
YES! you can make your own lard at home!
It is easier than you think.
Stovetop, Slow Cooker, Oven and Instant pot all work great!
Rendering fat into lard
It is not as hard as it sounds, in fact it is super easy. If you can melt butter in a pan you can render lard.
You can use a pan, slow cooker, instant pot, roasting tin, anything that you have!
When I discovered I could render lard in the instant pot I felt like a cavewoman that just discovered fire!
It is perfect in summer when you only want to do small batches and not heat up the house.
To make rendering quicker use ground pork fat but you can also just chop up pork fat.
I have used my food processor to chop the fat which is easier if it is still slightly frozen.
I have even rendered a large block of frozen fat! Not going to lie - chopping fat is tedious so I put a large block of frozen fat in the instant pot - and set it for 1 hour. It renders and is soft enough to chop for a second and 3rd render.
Once it has cooked for an hour just break up the fat. It’s soft and breaks up easily with a spoon, or a potato masher.
INSTANT POT
Put ground or chopped fat into Instant Pot - don’t go above the max fill line.
Add 1/4 cup cold water
Press Pressure Cook (High) for 1 hour
Allow to cool with natural pressure release
Strain into containers (See tips about straining)
You can repeat the process. I do 2 more renderings. The fat will start to get darker so I always strain each batch into separate containers and I use the last rendering for frying.
Tip - lard rendered in the instant pot may have some water which will settle as a gel under the cold rendered lard - I always strain mine into pans lined with parchment or cling film.
When it’s set turn it over and scrape off the gel, then store the lard as normal.
SLOW COOKER
Place the fat in a slow cooker and set it to LOW.
It will take several hours. The cracklings will soon sink down and then rise up again.
When they rise again the lard is done.
Strain into containers (See tips about straining)
STOVETOP
Place fat in a heavy pot (cast-iron Dutch ovens are perfect because they distribute heat evenly), and set it to “2”.
Once it begins melting set it to “1”.
As the fat melts Strain into containers (See notes about straining)
OVEN
Set oven to 200 degrees F
Place it in a Dutch oven or roasting tray don't put a lid on you need the moisture to evaporate.
Strain into containers (See tips about straining)
If you over-cook it the lard will begin to brown and you’ll end up with lard that has a stronger porky flavour. It’s still completely usable for things like frying and sauteing, it’s just not ideal for making sweet pastries and pie crusts.
In its liquid state, the colour of the lard will be like lemonade. Once it cools and hardens it will become pure, delicious, white goodness.
Tips for Straining
Strain it through a fine mesh sieve to remove the cracklings. Then strain it again through 3 layers of cheesecloth to remove the remaining small bits and sediment.
It’s critical that you remove any bits of fat and gristle along with any tiny bits of sediment, otherwise, your lard will get mouldy.
Pure fat doesn’t grow mould, it goes rancid. So if there’s mould on it it’s because it wasn’t rendered long enough to remove all the water and/or it wasn’t strained properly. So be sure to properly strain it.
Let it sit undisturbed at room temperature until it has cooled down and is firm (it firms up pretty quickly).
Tips for storage
Jars
Bread pans - I line with plastic wrap - then I have brick-shaped lard
OR for pre-measured portions and easy clean up - Measure how much a muffin tin holds, line with muffin casings and pour lard in. This is my personal favourite - Then I freeze the lard and take out as I need it.
Cracklings
What to do with the bits left behind - crispy cracklings! Transfer them to a frying pan and fry until they’re puffy and crispy. Add your favourite seasoning. Then if you don’t eat them straight out of the pan you can add to salads as a crispy topping!
Clean up Tips
Yes, making lard can get a bit messy - If you have cast iron pans you need to season then put your lard covered utensils and sieve in the pans to catch all the lard drips.
You can also use parchment paper to lay your utensils on - then you use this lard-loaded paper to grease bread or cake tins, or to season cast iron.
Lard is sustainable & delicious!
It’s listed in the top 10 of the world’s most nutritious foods. what can you use it for?
You won’t find canola or avocado oil in my house I am strictly a Lard girl!
the best chips ever, (fries to my non-Brit readers)
bread - forget the butter and olive oil, I have a recipe for a sourdough sandwich loaf and I only ever use lard!
sauteed meats and veg
Stir fries - yes I use pork fat and lard all the time in stir-fries
Rendered lard is a great butter substitute for cakes and cookies - it is best used in cakes like chocolate cakes or heavier spiced cakes, like ginger cake - you can’t taste the pork fat but you won’t get the buttery flavour that you would be looking for in a plainer, non spiced cake.
Season your lard with herbs and spices and use to roast vegetables.
Sear meat.
If you found this content useful and would like to buy me a coffee that would be greatly appreciated!
If you love bacon find out how to cook the perfect rasher.
Who doesn't love bacon? It's everywhere these days, ice cream, coffee, cupcakes, vodka, chocolate covered, chewing gum, bacon-scented candles, lip balm, soap & even deodorant.
In its original pure form, the smell is irresistibly intoxicating and the taste hits every taste bud.
Sunday in our house is when we have a fry up because its the law! Lol ok, not the law but it's tradition. Its good for the soul!
Usually its just bacon, sausage , eggs (fried in bacon fat of course!) but special occasions (usually means a hangover cure) call for a Full English or Full Monty (I’m not sure if this is just what we call it - when I worked in a canteen someone always asked for a Full Monty) bacon, sausage, eggs, black pudding, baked beans, tomatoes, mushrooms and bread! (Sometimes we fry the bread in bacon fat too!)
The morning after the night before
A full English breakfast is the best cure
Bacon, eggs and sausage fried
will stop you feeling like you died!
We like British style bacon but there are so many types of bacon and cures. Ayrshire, Wiltshire, British bacon, Canadian bacon, Berkshire bacon, we get asked for it all. There are so many types of bacon and different names I think you could write a book, I’ve cut it down to the most common questions we get asked.
Ayrshire and Wiltshire are a type of cure named after the areas in the UK where they were originally made. Berkshire bacon is simply bacon made from the Berkshire breed of pig with any chosen cure. (This is what all our bacon is made from but we call it by the cut of pork used. At the moment we wet cure it without the bones and skin)
Cures
Dry Cure - Pork is covered with a salt-based mixture
Wet Cure - Pork is immersed in a liquid brine.
Ayrshire bacon is produced from premium grade pigs and unlike some other kinds of bacon, the skin and bones are removed before curing. It's the only distinctive bacon cure in Scotland. The curing method, which begins with immersing the pork in brine, producing rich and flavoursome bacon that fries perfectly with no milky or watery residue. Once cured it is rolled and is quite distinctive with the fattier streaky rolled around the leaner back bacon.
Wiltshire Cure is traditionally wet cured with the skin on and bone-in. It has a slightly salty flavour and a distinctively meaty texture. Dating back to the 1840’s and developed by the Harris family in Wiltshire, the country’s most prominent bacon producing county. In an age without electric refrigeration, the family would pack the roof with ice to keep the meat fresher for longer.
Nowadays the process still involves bone-in and rind-on pork being immersed into a special brine for up to two days but the cold storage is rather more high tech! In accordance with the traditional Wiltshire method the bacon is given a fortnight to mature, and time – after salt – is the most important ingredient.
Different Bacon Cuts/names
A Rasher is what we Brits call a slice of bacon.
Canadian Bacon/Back bacon - Smoked or un-smoked bacon cut from the boneless pork loin, this is called ‘Canadian bacon’ in the United States when cut into a thick medallion shape.
Side bacon - Pork belly, generally wet cured and smoked.
Streaky bacon - Pork Belly/side bacon
Peameal bacon - is back bacon, brined and coated in fine cornmeal (historically, it was rolled in a meal made from ground dried peas).
Middle bacon - The loin and belly as one piece cured and sliced - can also be smoked
Our own British Style Berkshire Back Bacon - wet cured bacon (not smoked) made from the eye of the loin and a small piece of the belly, a much loved and missed bacon rasher for us Brits.
6 bacon bits of trivia
Bacon dates back to 1500BC - The Chinese were the first to cook salted pork bellies more than 3000 years ago. This makes bacon one of the world’s oldest processed meats.
The word bacon comes from the Germanic root “-bak,” and refers to the back of the pig that supplied the meat. Bakko became the French bacco, which the English then adopted around the 12th century, naming the dish bacoun. Back then, the term referred to any pork product, but by the 14th century bacoun referred specifically to the cured meat.
Bring home the bacon – there are a couple of possible origins to this saying. One goes back almost a thousand years to the Essex village of Dunmow where, it is said, in AD 1111 a noblewoman offered a prize of a side of bacon, to any man from anywhere in England who could honestly say that he had had complete marital harmony for the preceding year and a day. In over 500 years there were only 8 winners! (what a surprise lol) An alternative explanation comes from the ancient sport of catching a greased pig at country fairs. The winner kept the pig and ‘brought home the bacon’
To save one’s bacon again a couple of possible explanations - In the early 17th century, “bacon” was thieves’ slang for “escape” so it indicates that a situation has been rescued. Alternatively, it may mean the sides of home-killed bacon that every peasant family would have hanging up in the house. This would have been valuable property and if you or somebody else “saved your bacon” from fire or theft you would have had a narrow escape.
The first bacon factory opened in 1770 - a businessman named John Harris opened the first bacon processing plant in the county of Wiltshire, where he developed a special brine for finishing the meat - The "Wiltshire Cure".
It was used to make explosives during World War II - households were encouraged to donate their leftover bacon grease to the war effort. Rendered fats created glycerin, which in turn created bombs, gunpowder, and other munitions.
Tips for Cooking the perfect rasher.
(of course I am going to say start with Berkshire Bacon!)
STOVETOP
Bring bacon to room temp for 15 to 20 mins.
Put in a cold frying pan - (don’t overlap the rashers)
Cook over medium heat for about 10 mins - turning as necessary
MICROWAVE
Line a microwave safe plate with paper towel
Lay bacon on top - don’t overlap the rashers
Cook on high for about 5 mins
OVEN METHOD
Line a backing sheet with parchment paper and lay bacon on top. I use a pan with ridges in it so it saves the need for parchment.
Put in a cold oven then set oven to 400 degrees F.
Bake for about 30 mins until done to your liking.
Drain on paper towel.
Try this easy recipe to put a little gourmet spin on your bacon. You could also use maple syrup instead of honey and likely any spirit of your choice - let me know what your favourite is!
Honey whisky bacon
¼ teaspoon pepper
12 slices Cobblestone Farm Berkshire side bacon
¼ cup honey
2 tablespoons whisky
Preheat oven to 350 F - yes you can use the cold oven method if you like.
Combine honey and whisky in a small pan. Bring to boil. Remove from heat and let cool slightly
Lay bacon on a baking sheet and put in oven for 10 mins
Brush with honey whisky mix
Put back in oven for 10 -15 mins
Sprinkle with pepper and serve
Bacon & Jalapeno Canneloni
10 rashers Cobblestone Farm Berkshire side bacon
8 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup pickled jalapenos chopped
1/2 cup strong cheddar
Preheat oven to 350 degree F
Wrap 10 pieces of cannelloni in foil, tucking in edges. Wrap 1 slice of Berkshire bacon around each tube, and place on baking sheet.
Bake until very crispy, about 30-40 minutes. Set aside and allow to cool completely before filling.
While bacon cools, make the filling:
In a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese, jalapeños, and cheddar cheese with an electric mixer until combined. Place mixture in a piping bag and fill each bacon shell.
Enjoy!
Bacon Infused Vodka (Makes a mean Bloody Mary)
1/2lb Cobblestone Farm Berkshire side bacon (or bacon ends)
750ml vodka
Screw top jars.
Cook the bacon.
Let cool.
Put cooled bacon and all the fat too - you throw it away later - in a jar and cover with vodka.
Close lid and leave it for 2 weeks.
Strain into a clean jar. Throw bacon and fat away.
Store in fridge until ready to use.
If you want to share your favourite bacon recipe add it in the comments below!
It never rains then it pours - easy rainy day recipes.
Yes! Thankfully we finally got rain!! Apparently, this has been the driest spring on record and I have almost driven myself nuts checking the weather app for incoming rain. It's an old joke that the weatherman gets paid to do a job where he can be wrong 90% of the time, the weather app gets it wrong too!
The little blue dot that is our house has the rain clouds overhead and ITS NOT RAINING! Rain is always forecast for next week and then they take it away again, same in winter when it’s minus 30, they forecast minus 10 next week - always next week - I think its just to keep our spirits up in extreme weather conditions. I discovered how to make it rain - I put Carls boots outside lol!
Of course all the pigs decide to have their babies on the coldest or wettest days and we still have all the chores to do - it’s so much more fun in the mud! When we first moved here we had no idea what the weather was like so we were mending a fence in the pouring rain which caused raised eyebrows amongst our neighbours. Why are you working outside in the rain? Why don’t you wait for a nice day we have lot of those? A Rain day in Saskatchewan is a day off but where we are from back in the UK nothing would get done if you didn’t work in the rain.
So its pouring down with over an 1.5” rain so far and a full day of rain ahead and I thought I better spend the day in the house and catch up on getting some meals in the freezer ready for the rest of summer. Anyway that plan went right out of the window when I had to use all my pans to catch the rain coming through the leaky roof!! I better order more pans! No not really - I did order some tin for the roof though - installing that will be a fun husband and wife job to look forward to!
So roof is ordered and it's down to some recipe researching and maybe a bit of experimenting with my 2 remaining pans and anything I can find in the cupboard.
I always have raw honey in the house - I use it every day in my spiced tea (recipe below). I don’t know if its my age or because I broke my hips (horse riding accident and another story) anyway I used to have to roll out of bed my joints were so seized and painful - I drink this spice tea everyday now and I can jump out of bed.
So I found a couple of recipes to try and share - I like the bbq sauce recipe as it needs no cooking and the jalapeno honey steaks are easy to make plus they have a bit of a kick - I was surprised at how Carl tucked into those - they didn’t even make it to the plate he ate them right out of the pan.- less washing up! Bonus!
Spiced Tea
½ teaspoon turmeric,
½ teaspoon cinnamon
raw honey to taste,
hot water
Put spices and honey in a large mug, fill with hot water and sip - I don’t drink the gloopy stuff at the bottom lol its not nice.
Quick Glazed Pork Tenderloin
1 Cobblestone Farm Berkshire pork tenderloin
1 tsp ground allspice
olive oil or pastured pork lard
BBQ SAUCE
2 cloves garlic grated
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
⅓ cup tomato ketchup
2 tbsp hp sauce
1 tablespoon raw honey
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp tabasco or hot sauce
3 tbsp apple or orange juice
Score tenderloin lengthways and open it like a book then flatten it with your fist or a rolling pin.Rub with salt, pepper and allspice
Put in frying pan with 1 tbsp of oil or pastured pork lard.
After about 4 mins turn it over.
Mix together all bbq sauce ingredients.
When the tenderloin has a good crust on both sides transfer to a baking dish and cover with half the sauce.
Put under broiler/grill until pork is cooked through (165 degrees internal temp)
Serve with rice
Honey, Jalapeno Pork Steaks
2 Cobblestone Farm Berkshire pork steaks or chops
Himalayan salt
4 jalapenos chopped and seeded (If you want extra kick leave some seeds in)
½ cup vodka
1 orange rind and juice
1 cinnamon stick
3 sprigs thyme
½ onion chopped
1/2 cup water or broth
2 garlic cloves grated
½ cup raw honey
⅓ cup white vinegar
Put oven on 350 degrees F
Put vodka and jalapenos in a bowl for 30 mins.
Season pork steaks with salt.
Mix honey, vinegar, garlic and orange rind and juice in a bowl.
Heat large pan on high - these steaks are large so you may need a roasting pan.
Add Pork, cinnamon stick, 1 sprig thyme and fry 5 mins each side on med high heat
Add onion and fry till translucent
After jalapenos have been in vodka for 30 mins drain -(keep vodka for a spicy Caesar cocktail)
Add honey mixture, jalapenos and water or broth to pan and bring to boil.
Cover and place in oven for about an hour (until tender) - I cooked mine for 40 mins then reheated them for 30 mins before serving.
Serve with rice
I hope you enjoy trying these recipes and just for fun - Ketchup or HP? Which is your favourite on a breakfast sandwich - Carl is a HP and sausage butty guy.
How much food waste is there in Canada every year?
Did you know that it was World food Day on October 16th? I didn’t until it was posted on Facebook.
Canada alone wastes over $30 billion of food every year?! I don’t even know what to say to that! It didn’t hit home until I broke it down.
Its about $82 million daily!!!
In 2016 the population of Canada was just over 36 million people.
That means every day over 2 million dollars worth of food is wasted for every person!
We are in a program called Loop, Rescue Food - Rescue the Planet. When food has reached its best before date the big grocery stores send it to the landfill. Yes I said “best before” not “eat before” ! In Saskatchewan Save on Foods is the only grocery store that participates, with locations in Yorkton, Saskatoon, Regina and Prince Albert.
Every store has a different farmer pick up on a different day and we usually get a half ton truck load every time.
The total diverted this year so far by the loop organization is over 1,000 tons.
The pigs and chickens share the bread, veg and dairy- lots of which is organic!!! The dogs get the meat, you would not believe the amount of meat is thrown out every day!
While we are really grateful for the opportunity to be part of the program I am appalled at the huge amount of food that gets tossed. I will never understand why a bag of pre-packaged apples has to be thrown because one has a bruise. Why cant someone open the bag and discard the bad apple and sell the others loose?
France has a law against supermarkets throwing away edible food. This would be a great example to follow. Would it not be better to get this food re-directed into
The homeless shelters
Food banks
Schools
Our schools are full of underfed kids who would learn a lot better when fed properly, for some of them school may be the only opportunity to eat a nutritious meal.
Another issue I have with the waste is that as a livestock farmer, I really struggle with the amount of meat that is thrown out. There has to be something wrong when you feed the dog a AAA prime rib steak that was destined for the landfill. An animal died to be thrown in the landfill. If we are taking an animals life then we better be sure to eat it in my opinion! It was most likely raised in a C.A.F.O (Concentrated Animal Feed Organizations). No running around on pasture for most of those animals. Pigs usually being raised in massive pig barns and cattle in feedlots. Raised to be thrown away! What is wrong with the world?
When you buy pork directly from your farmer you are helping reduce food waste because you aren’t going to put any of that valuable pork in the landfill. After a recent conversation with a valued customer I have been prompted to do a small guide - An introduction to buying pork in bulk. Buying in bulk can seem intimidating at first but its really the same as shopping in the store - but without the waste!!! Most pork lovers are already eating a whole side of pork, they just don’t realize it because it sounds like so much meat.
If you are eating sausage, bacon, ham and chops you are already nose to tail eating and didn’t know it!! If you are a leftover lover you are already reducing food waste in your own home. How else can we reduce waste at home?
Meal planning and shopping lists are also a great way to reduce waste.
Making soups and stocks with left over veg.
Preserving or freezing before food gets too old.
Do some batch cooking
I am sure there are a ton of other great ideas. I would love to hear them. Let me know in the comments below!
Sign up below to get your free introduction to buying pork in bulk!
Everything is better with bacon
Just add bacon, it makes everything better!
Recently we got a batch of side bacon back from the butcher that was very under smoked. I am sure he likes to test me sometimes to see how creative I can get - well I have managed to use this under-smoked bacon in a recipe - Bacon pie! Carl loves it. What could be better. Bacon, cheese, onion and potato. Smoked bacon would be even better but this is still a great pie. The bacon acts as the pastry so yes I will call it a pie - I have to explain that - I have friends who make Chilli - with no Chilli!, and another friend who makes Sweet and Sour - with no sour! ..... you know who you are lol!!
I don't want to be stuck in the kitchen slaving over the stove in summer so I have been making Bacon pie & another easy to make meal - cheese and onion pie.
This is really easy to make using ready made puff pastry, cheese, onion and leftover mashed potatoes (you can use potatoes that have been mashed with butter and cream/milk but I find they can sometimes make it too wet).
Usually I am not a fan of ready made things because they just don't taste as good as homemade, which gives me earache listening to Carl moan about how bad it tasted. He had a store bought pizza last week - that will give me earache for months!!
We do have one exception - ready made puff pastry - this stuff is great! It comes in 2 kinds - one you have to roll, the other is ready rolled - I was like the cat that got the cream when I found it ready rolled.
I don't really use exact quantities you just have to be creative and taste the potato mix. If it has enough cheese & onion flavour it's good to go.
Cheese and Onion Pie
1 sheet ready rolled puff pastry - defrosted (yes you can use the stuff you have to roll if you can't find ready rolled)
Leftover potato mashed - enough to almost fill the dish/pie plate you are using
1 tsp Mustard powder or a squirt of mustard(optional)
Grated Cheese to taste - about 2 handfuls - I use strong cheddar
2 onions diced
Butter for frying
Egg or milk for brushing on pastry
Salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 350°F
Fry the diced onions in butter.
Mix grated cheese, mustard and fried onions with mashed potatoes - taste.
Add salt and pepper if it needs it and more cheese if it isn't cheesey enough for you.
Put mash potato mix in a dish - I use a 9x12 but the ready rolled pastry is a bit short so you I have to get out a wine bottle to roll out the pastry a bit more to make it fit.
Lay pastry on top and brush with milk or beaten egg.
Put in oven and bake until pastry has puffed and is golden brown.
Serve - this goes great with bacon( see everything is better with bacon)/cumberland sausages/gammon, Heinz baked beans and cheese sauce.
Bacon pie
Another recipe I don't use measurements for.
Slices side bacon (streaky bacon ) approx 1.5lb - depends on the size of your dish
2 potatoes sliced quite thin
1 onion sliced thin
Cheese - either sliced or grated
Black pepper
Preheat oven to 350°F
Line a dish with bacon - I have been using a bread pan but you can use a round dish or whatever you have - the idea is to have the bacon line the bottom of the dish and wrap around the other ingredients.
Sprinkle black pepper on bacon - Add a layer of sliced potatoes, then a layer of onions then a layer of cheese, sprinkle more black pepper, another layer of potatoes then onion then cheese. Keep layering until you get to the top of your dish. Finish with a layer of potatoes, sprinkle more black pepper and fold the bacon over the top of the potatoes. If the bacon doesn't completely cover the top you can just put a couple of rasher on the top.
Bake until bacon is crispy - you will have a lot of fat that leaks out - just drain this and keep for frying - it is good for roast potatoes or I use it to fry our ground beef in for pasta sauce or Chilli (preferably one that actually has chillis in it)
Serve and enjoy. You can eat this hot or cold.
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Life after Jack - losing a member of the farm family.
When we first came to Saskatchewan we got about 100 chickens - these were to be our layers and some for the freezer. One night a fox got in the hen house and killed about 80. The morning after we found dead chickens all across the field to the fox den. This was our 2nd loss to predators - we had already lost 2 guinea fowl and their babies to coyotes.
Someone told us we should call Crop Insurance because there was a program in Saskatchewan where you got paid for livestock lost to predators. They came out, checked around and advised us to get a livestock guardian dog (LGD).
We hated those foxes for killing our chickens but killing them wouldn’t solve our problem. Another fox family would just move in and take over the territory. Keeping free range chickens would be impossible if we didn’t have something to chase off the predators.
The first one we got, a pyrenees, we named Dummy. This is because at first she killed chickens, her job was to protect them not kill them. Luckily she quickly grew out of this phase.
Dummy turned into a great dog, not roaming too far, barking and chasing any predator she sees. Then we got some sheep. They came with their own guardian - a llama. Carl was not impressed with that thing - neither was Dummy and she chased it out of the yard - it ran south and was found 14 miles away. A guardian that runs away from our dog wouldn’t work for us so our search for a 2nd dog began.
I travelled an 8 hour round trip to pick up a 7 month old Sarplaninac - another breed of LGD. What a beautiful dog - we called him Jack. We got him home and one of our geese chased him, he ran a mile down the road. This dog had been born and raised with sheep with minimum human contact, how on earth were we going to get him back.
We left a trail of food on the road back to our farm and put the sheep in the field as close to the road as we could, hoping to give him something familiar in his strange surroundings. Luckily in the morning he was sat on the outside of the fence watching the sheep. He managed to get into the field with the flock and he stayed with them all the time. Then when we sold the sheep he moved into the yard and corals where in winter he would sleep with the pigs. He was never a fan of strangers and would always disappear if anyone came to the farm but would keep a watchful eye on what was happening.
Recently Jack got injured and unfortunately died due to his injuries. Losing a dog is a very sad and painful part of life. They are family and there is no replacement for them. That said we had to start the search for another LGD to help Dummy. She needs backup to do her job. The coyotes have been coming a lot closer to the farm than normal and it will only be a matter of time before we start having losses. We have ducks, chickens calves and piglets that all need protecting, that's a lot of work for Dummy by herself.
Luckily Teresa, the lady who bred Jack had a litter of pups born on April 1st . They were Sarplaninac x kangal/pyrenees. I picked up Buddy (his name may change) on Friday afternoon - he has the biggest feet I have ever seen on a pup, he is going to be a big dog.
Friday night we had a storm and I was worried that it would scare him - we already have a dog that tries to get in your skin when the thunder starts. I snuck out to check him throughout the night and he was quite content asleep by the fence.
He got in with the ducks on Saturday morning and thought chasing them from one end of their pen to the other was great fun! (He reminded me of my friend Christie who runs out into fields of geese to make them fly) I hope he isn’t going to be another Dummy - I am referring to the pyrenees not Christie lol.
He seems to like being with the piglets and doesn’t seen afraid of too much - apart from the electric fence. I hope he will be a good protector for us and our animals.
With that I want to say bon voyage to Jack - a wonderful dog and protector. He will always have a very special place our hearts and is very sadly missed.
Do you have a pet that is missed? Share your story in the comments.
Jack you will always have a very special place in our hearts. I always thought I had a ton of pics of the illusive Jack but this is the only one I can find. It is one of him when we first got him.
Buddy - Dummys new side kick
Dummy on patrol.
Buddy has taken residence under the deck - Jacks favourite place.
Jack out with the pigs but keeping a watchful eye on the yard
A rare pic from earlier this year. Almost touching a human!
Dummy is definantely not scared of humans
I love Roast Pork, it is the gift that keeps on giving!
Carl has a full time job off the farm and last week he came home with the news he is being laid off for 2 days a week until November.
The first thought that ran through my head wasn’t “Great! We can get so much done on the farm” it was “Omg! I am going to have to feed him for 4 days a week!” He constantly wants feeding when he is at home and that man can eat!!! I have no idea where he puts it all!
At home he becomes incapable of making his own food. He manages quite well at work, apparently this is because we don't own a microwave. Carl always says that I can be replaced with a microwave! I might have to break down and buy one. At least he can heat leftovers up!
We are big fans of leftovers in this house. I can cook once and eat twice, sometimes three times if I am clever about it. This is why pork shoulder roast is my gift that keeps on giving - 1 roast will give me 3 different meals.
It doesn't need to be neatly carved, so I can delegate that job to Carl! A Roast pork on Sunday will become a vast array of quick and easy dishes for later in the week :-
Fajitas
Chinese crispy pork wraps
Pulled pork
Chinese pork stir fry
Thai Pork Curry
Gumbo
The bone I use to make pork stock.
My favourite pork roast is so simple. It is really quick to prepare and slow to cook. You just can't rush a good thing! I always use the slow cooker if I don't want to heat the house with the oven. Plus its a lot less messing around! Slam! Bam! thank you mam!
To slow cook prepare the pork as below. (Step 1, 3 &4) Put veg on bottom of slow cooker, add water/stock and then put the seasoned pork on top. Cook on low all day until pork is tender. To crisp up the fat take it out of the slow cooker and put under the grill/broiler.
Our absolute favourite seasoning blend is homemade. I simply grind up 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp fennel seeds in a pestle and mortar.
Slow Cooked Pork Shoulder Roast
Ingredients
4.5 lb cobblestone pork shoulder , bone-in,
1 tablespoon my pork seasoning or sea salt
2 onions
2 carrots
2 sticks of celery
1 bulb of garlic
600 ml stock or water
- Remove the pork from the fridge for 1 hour before you want to cook it, to let it come up to room temperature.
- Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°
- Get a small sharp knife and make scores about 1 cm apart through the fat, but not so deep that you cut into the meat.
- Rub my seasoning blend or sea salt right into all the scores you’ve just made.
- Place the pork, fat-side up, in a roasting tray and roast for 30 minutes.
- At this point, turn the heat down to 170°C/325°F cover the pork with a double layer of tin foil, pop back in the oven and roast for a further 4½ hours.
- Meanwhile, halve the onions, carrots and celery, and break the garlic up into cloves (there's no need to peel them).
- Remove the pork from the oven, take off the foil, and baste the meat with the fat in the bottom of the tray. Carefully transfer to a board, then skim all but 2 tablespoons of excess fat from the tray into a jar, and pop in the fridge for tasty cooking another day.
- Add all the veg & garlic to the tray and stir them into the fat. Place the pork back on top of everything and place back in the oven without the foil to roast for 1 further hour, or until meltingly soft and tender.
- Carefully move the meat to a serving dish, cover again with tin foil and leave to rest while you make the gravy. Spoon away any fat in the tray, then add the stock or water and place the tray on the stove.
- Bring to the boil and simmer for a few minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon to scrape up all those lovely sticky tasty bits from the bottom of the tray. When you’ve got a nice, dark gravy, pour it through a sieve into jug using your spoon to really push all the goodness of the veg through the sieve.
- Season to taste.
Serve the pork with the jug of gravy and your favourite veg - Enjoy!
If you have leftover recipe ideas you would like to share, leave us a comment, we are always up for more inspiration!
I desperately need to teach Carl how to Cook!
Recently I was sent a list of the chain of events put into motion when a man volunteers to do the BBQ.
(1) The woman buys the food.
(2) The woman makes the salad, prepares the veg, and makes dessert.
(3) The woman prepares the meat for cooking, places it on a tray along with the necessary cooking utensils and sauces, and takes it to the man who is lounging beside the grill - beer in hand.
(4) The woman remains outside the compulsory three meter exclusion zone where the exuberance of testosterone and other manly bonding activities can take place.
Here comes the important part:
(5) THE MAN PLACES THE MEAT ON THE GRILL.
(6) The woman goes inside to organise the plates and cutlery.
(7) The woman comes out to tell the man that the meat is looking great. He thanks her and asks if she will bring another beer while he flips the meat.
Important again:
(8) THE MAN TAKES THE MEAT OFF THE GRILL AND HANDS IT TO THE WOMAN.
(9) The woman prepares the plates, salad, bread, utensils, napkins, sauces, and brings them to the table.
(10) After eating, the woman clears the table and does the dishes
And most important of all:
(11) EVERYONE PRAISES THE MAN AND THANKS HIM FOR HIS EFFORTS.
(12) The man asks the woman how she enjoyed ' her night off ', and, upon seeing her annoyed reaction, concludes that there's just no pleasing some women..
Well ain't that the truth!! I laughed when I read that -Carl has never volunteered to BBQ and we rarely dine out. Not much chance of a night off for this girl!
Is it really worth all that work to BBQ? It has taken me 16 years to get Carl to make rice in the rice cooker!
With some luck he will learn the art of the slow cooker & instant pot and make me some fantastic pulled pork one day!
The bonus being it will be less work for me! All I have to do is get the steaks out of the freezer!
I have been working on an easy pulled pork recipe to start him off.
I wanted a really quick cook pulled pork so I used our pork shoulder steaks instead of a roast. They are quick to defrost and to cook. Only 15 mins in the instant pot!
I am relatively new to the instant pot and so far I am liking it. Anything that doesn't require my full attention that churns out fantastic food is a win win! Even better if I can teach my hubby to have a go!
Cobblestone Berkshire Pulled Pork
2 x Cobblestone Farm Berkshire pork shoulder steaks
1/2 cup your favourite barbeque sauce ours right now is smoked tequila lime bbq sauce
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup pork or chicken bone broth
2 tbsp honey - we always use raw honey
1/2 tablespoon dijon mustard
1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tablespoon chili flakes
1 small onion, chopped
1 large clove garlic, crushed
4 hamburger buns, split
2 tablespoons butter, or as needed
Cook 15 min in instant pot
Directions
Saute shoulder steaks in the instant pot while you get the rest of your ingredients together.
In a bowl mix the barbecue sauce, apple cider vinegar, and Pork or chicken broth.
Stir in the honey, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, chili flakes, onion and garlic.
Add ingredients to steaks. Cook on Meat for 15 mins.
Remove the steaks from the instant pot, and shred the meat using two forks.
Return the shredded pork to the instant pot, and stir the meat into the juices.
Spread the inside of both halves of hamburger buns with butter.
Toast the buns, butter side down, in a skillet over medium heat until golden brown.
Spoon delicious pulled pork into the toasted buns.
Enjoy!
You can of course use a 4lb pork roast and cook in a slow cooker for 5-6 hours, just double up the rest of the ingredients
Comment below with your favourite pulled pork recipe if you have one to share, If not I know what you are all thinking....Poor Carl, yes you can comment with that too!!