John Torode’s timelessly tasty recipes
Over the past two decades and throughout his time as a restaurateur and TV chef, John Torode’s passion has always been simple food made with the finest ingredients.
These classic culinary qualities are embodied in the 50 recipes John has created for McGuigan Wines (www.mcguiganwines.co.uk), each matched with perfect wine accompaniments. So, as the evenings are getting lighter & we’re finally allowed to daydream about warmer weather, daffodils, Easter eggs and all the joys of Spring why not find the perfect recipe of food & wine...
Ingredients
For the salsa verde
Method
The day before you want to cook the pork, score the skin of the pork with a very sharp knife in a criss-cross fashion at 1 cm intervals (your butcher will also do this for you). In a mixing bowl, combine the salt, garlic, paprika, vegetable oil and lemon juice. Rub the pork all over with the marinade and leave for 12-24 hours.
When you’re ready to cook, preheat the oven to 150˚C/300˚F/Gas 2.
Peel the potatoes and place them in the roasting dish. Lay the pork over the potatoes and pour over the remaining marinade. Pour about 100ml water in the bottom of the tray. Cover with foil and roast for 3 hours.
Remove the foil and increase the temperature of the oven to 180˚C/350˚F/Gas 4. Cook for a further 40 minutes until the skin is crisp.
Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 30 minutes. While it is resting, make the salsa verde. Place the parsley, basil and garlic in a food processor and blend to a paste - adding a little of the oil if necessary. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse for 30 seconds so its not a paste but rough chopped mix
Remove the bones from the pork – they should easily pull away from the flesh – and trim the edges to keep for a snack later. Cut the pork into six pieces and return to the oven for 10 minutes to heat through again.
Serve the pork cut into thick slices with the salsa verde spooned over and mashed potatoes.
Ingredients
For the lamb
For the flatbreads
Method
If possible, the night before mix together the 3 tbsp salt, the olive oil, the chopped lemons and the black pepper. With a small, sharp knife, poke the lamb making slits large enough to fit a clove of garlic in each one, so about 20 slits. Don’t fill with garlic yet, do that when you’re ready to cook. Rub the olive oil mixture over the lamb, cover and refrigerate overnight.
The next day, peel the garlic and take the rosemary and cut into 2cm long pieces. Into each slit you have made in your lamb, place one whole garlic clove and a small sprig of rosemary. Now cut the lamb into large hunks and thread onto large wooden or metal skewers, run as much of the marinade as possible into to the meat and the rest keep to brush over as it cooks.
Have your BBQ coals nice and hot. Cook the lamb skewers for approximately 15 minutes until well coloured, then turn over and cook for a further 15 minutes. Place the lid on top of the BBQ, if it has one, and cook for approximately 10 minutes checking occasionally. To test if the lamb is done place a large skewer into the middle of the meat and press down on the flesh. The juice that runs from it will be 1 of 3 things, very bloody, pink and watery or completely clear. If the liquid is completely clear the lamb is well done, if it is pink and watery it means the lamb is pink and cooked the way I like it, if it’s bloody then it’s not cooked enough.
Meanwhile, for the flatbreads, put the flour, salt, sugar and yeast in a large bowl and mix well, rubbing the yeast in with your fingertips as you would to make pastry. Heat the milk until lukewarm. Reserving 1 tablespoon of the yoghurt, add the rest to the milk, blending thoroughly. Melt the butter and add to the milk and yoghurt, mixing well. Pour the milk mixture slowly over the flour and mix together, then knead until you have a springy dough.
Transfer to an oiled bowl, cover and leave the dough to rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, until doubled in size. Divide the dough into 10 even-sized balls, cover and leave for 15 minutes.
Preheat a moderate grill and put a large baking tray under it to heat for about 10 minutes. Flatten the balls of dough into rough teardrop shapes and spread with the reserved yoghurt. Place on the hot baking tray and grill under a moderate heat for about 2-3 minutes on each side until golden. Watch all the time, as they can change colour and burn very quickly.
Serve with lamb shashlik with the flatbreads, with tzatziki on the side. You might also like to serve, lettuce, tomato and mint.
John Torode has partnered with Neil McGuigan, the IWSC Winemaker of the Year to launch the Neil McGuigan & John Torode Recipe Collection, a personalised and revolutionary food & wine matching service available at www.mcguiganwines.co.uk
These classic culinary qualities are embodied in the 50 recipes John has created for McGuigan Wines (www.mcguiganwines.co.uk), each matched with perfect wine accompaniments. So, as the evenings are getting lighter & we’re finally allowed to daydream about warmer weather, daffodils, Easter eggs and all the joys of Spring why not find the perfect recipe of food & wine...
Slow Roast Pork Belly with Green Sauce
Serves 6Ingredients
- 2kg piece of belly pork, bone in, rind on
- 1 tbsp sea salt flakes
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 tsp paprika
- 30ml vegetable oil
- 1 lemon, juice only
- 4 large potatoes
For the salsa verde
- handful flat parsley
- handful basil
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
- 1 boiled egg, peeled and roughly chopped handful fresh white bread crumbs
- 1 tbsp white
- 50ml olive oil
- pinch salt
- mashed potatoes, to serve
Method
The day before you want to cook the pork, score the skin of the pork with a very sharp knife in a criss-cross fashion at 1 cm intervals (your butcher will also do this for you). In a mixing bowl, combine the salt, garlic, paprika, vegetable oil and lemon juice. Rub the pork all over with the marinade and leave for 12-24 hours.
When you’re ready to cook, preheat the oven to 150˚C/300˚F/Gas 2.
Peel the potatoes and place them in the roasting dish. Lay the pork over the potatoes and pour over the remaining marinade. Pour about 100ml water in the bottom of the tray. Cover with foil and roast for 3 hours.
Remove the foil and increase the temperature of the oven to 180˚C/350˚F/Gas 4. Cook for a further 40 minutes until the skin is crisp.
Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 30 minutes. While it is resting, make the salsa verde. Place the parsley, basil and garlic in a food processor and blend to a paste - adding a little of the oil if necessary. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse for 30 seconds so its not a paste but rough chopped mix
Remove the bones from the pork – they should easily pull away from the flesh – and trim the edges to keep for a snack later. Cut the pork into six pieces and return to the oven for 10 minutes to heat through again.
Serve the pork cut into thick slices with the salsa verde spooned over and mashed potatoes.
Lamb Shaslik (pictured top)
Serves 6-8Ingredients
For the lamb
- 3 tbsp salt
- 100ml of olive oil
- 2 lemons, squeezed and roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large boneless leg of lamb, about 800g
- 20 garlic cloves (yes 20)
- handful of rosemary sprigs
For the flatbreads
- 500g plain flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp fresh yeast
- 100ml milk
- 150ml natural yoghurt
- 60g clarified butter or ghee sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- tzatziki, to serve
- lemon wedges, to serve
Method
If possible, the night before mix together the 3 tbsp salt, the olive oil, the chopped lemons and the black pepper. With a small, sharp knife, poke the lamb making slits large enough to fit a clove of garlic in each one, so about 20 slits. Don’t fill with garlic yet, do that when you’re ready to cook. Rub the olive oil mixture over the lamb, cover and refrigerate overnight.
The next day, peel the garlic and take the rosemary and cut into 2cm long pieces. Into each slit you have made in your lamb, place one whole garlic clove and a small sprig of rosemary. Now cut the lamb into large hunks and thread onto large wooden or metal skewers, run as much of the marinade as possible into to the meat and the rest keep to brush over as it cooks.
Have your BBQ coals nice and hot. Cook the lamb skewers for approximately 15 minutes until well coloured, then turn over and cook for a further 15 minutes. Place the lid on top of the BBQ, if it has one, and cook for approximately 10 minutes checking occasionally. To test if the lamb is done place a large skewer into the middle of the meat and press down on the flesh. The juice that runs from it will be 1 of 3 things, very bloody, pink and watery or completely clear. If the liquid is completely clear the lamb is well done, if it is pink and watery it means the lamb is pink and cooked the way I like it, if it’s bloody then it’s not cooked enough.
Meanwhile, for the flatbreads, put the flour, salt, sugar and yeast in a large bowl and mix well, rubbing the yeast in with your fingertips as you would to make pastry. Heat the milk until lukewarm. Reserving 1 tablespoon of the yoghurt, add the rest to the milk, blending thoroughly. Melt the butter and add to the milk and yoghurt, mixing well. Pour the milk mixture slowly over the flour and mix together, then knead until you have a springy dough.
Transfer to an oiled bowl, cover and leave the dough to rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, until doubled in size. Divide the dough into 10 even-sized balls, cover and leave for 15 minutes.
Preheat a moderate grill and put a large baking tray under it to heat for about 10 minutes. Flatten the balls of dough into rough teardrop shapes and spread with the reserved yoghurt. Place on the hot baking tray and grill under a moderate heat for about 2-3 minutes on each side until golden. Watch all the time, as they can change colour and burn very quickly.
Serve with lamb shashlik with the flatbreads, with tzatziki on the side. You might also like to serve, lettuce, tomato and mint.
John Torode has partnered with Neil McGuigan, the IWSC Winemaker of the Year to launch the Neil McGuigan & John Torode Recipe Collection, a personalised and revolutionary food & wine matching service available at www.mcguiganwines.co.uk