Recipe: Twice Cooked Pressed Belly of Murray Valley Pork with parsnip puree

Recipe: Twice Cooked Pressed Belly of Murray Valley Pork with parsnip puree

Nothing is more festive than a juicy piece of pork belly with the perfect crackling. Here is our favourite pork belly recipe - Perfect to celebrate Christmas or ring in the new year and celebrate what has passed and all that is to come!

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A Porky Christmas: Murray Valley Pork Rolled Loin

With Christmas only a month and a bit away, we thought we would share one of our Christmas dinner plans with you.
We have a tradition in our household of celebrating Christmas with decadent comfort food, all washed down with plenty of wine.

This year, we have a “crackling” pork recipe that is sure to impress. 

Roasted Pork Loin with perfect crackling
Serves 6
Ingredients

3.06 kg Murray Valley Pork Rolled Loin, rind on
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons sea salt
boiling water
Method
  1. Pour boiling hot water all over the pork.
  2. Dry the pork with paper towels.
  3. Rub and massage liberal amounts of olive oil into the skin.
  4. Sprinkle salt all over the surface of the skin.
  5. Place the pork on a roasting trivet.
  6. Roast the pork at a temperature of 220 degrees celcius for the first hour.
  7. After an hour, reduce the temperature to 185 degrees celcius and continue cooking until the pork is ready (e.g. for a further 30 minutes).
  8. Transfer the meat to a warm plate. 
  9. Remove the strings from the pork.
  10. Serve!

The pork came out of the oven looking absolutely perfect. Fragrant, sweet and succulent, this roast pork was winter comfort food at its best. Golden brown, blistered and crunchy, the pork crackling had us fighting for the last piece.

Get your hands on some Murray Valley Pork -> Find your nearest stockist here!
Or if you would like to find other porky recipe ideas, check out our posts about Murray Valley Pork's Rindless Scotch here or Murray Valley Pork's Cranberry & Almond Loin Roast here.



Gastrology bloggers tried the Rolled Pork Loin courtesy of MVP.

Recipe: Murray Valley Pork Mole

Gastrology bloggers received the product courtesy of Murray Valley Pork.
Mole is a popular spicy Mexican sauce which has a decadent taste from being made with chocolate.

The pulled pork mole is one of our favourite Mexican dishes. Here is our super easy cheat's pulled pork mole recipe using Murray Valley Pork Topside. 

Ingredients

1.4 kg Murray Valley Pork Topside, rindless (cap-off)
450g Mayordomo Black Mole
Instructions
  1. Prepare the mole according to instructions in a saucepan. 
  2. Brown the pork in a separate saucepan.
  3. Slow cook the pork in a slow cooker for 8 hours on the "low" setting.
  4. Using a slotted spoon, remove the meat from the slow cooker to a board, leave to cool a little, then use forks or your fingers to tear into shreds.
  5. Serve!
We served our pulled pork mole with some brown rice and a fresh rocket salad.
Holy Mole(y)! This dish was simply delicious. The pulled Murray Valley Pork meat was tender and delicious with the perfect hint of heat. We loved the taste of the rich mole chilli-chocolate sauce which had developed a delicious depth of flavour from being cooked with the pork. The hint of sweetness from the moles was cut beautifully by the fresh salad, and the brown rice brought the whole dish together.
Get your hands on some Murray Valley Pork -> Find your nearest stockist here!

Byron Bay Cookies | Recipe: White Choc, Macadamia & Blueberry Cheesecake recipe

Gastrology received the products courtesy of Byron Bay Cookies.
Byron Bay Cookies came from humble beginnings. They were originally baked on an old farmhouse stove in the hills of Byron Bay, a small coastal hamlet on the most easterly point of Australia.
With the region famous for its fresh ingredients and unique flavours one of the original cookie flavours, White Choc Chunk & Macadamia Nut is still one of their most popular flavours (and one of our personal favourites)

With hundreds of thousands of cookies baked weekly, Byron Bay Cookies now supply cafes and gourmet food stores across Australia.
Byron Bay Cookies have been supplying Qantas since 2003. They recently celebrated 10 years of being served on board Australia's most iconic airline. I recall journeys on Qantas flights when I was young eagerly devouring some delicious Byron Bay Cookies on board.
Today, Byron Bay Cookies are also available on board Jetstar and Virgin Australia and have widened their reach internationally to include Sainsbury's and Selfridges in the UK. 




Recipe: White Chocolate, Macadamia & Blueberry Cheesecake
Serves: 12


Ingredients:

300g Byron Bay Cookies White Choc Chunk & Macadamia
100g Byron Bay Cookies White Choc Chunk & Macadamia for mixing.
125g butter, melted
3 teaspoons gelatine powder
1/4 cup boiling water
2 x 250g packets cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
300ml thickened cream, whipped
250g white chocolate melts
300g fresh or frozen blueberries
50g fresh bluberries for decorating


Method:

  1. Lightly grease and line the base of a 22cm spring-form pan with baking paper. Place cookies into a food processor. Process until fine crumbs form. Add melted butter and process until well combined. Press mixture into the base of pan. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  2. Stir gelatine and boiling water in a cup until gelatine dissolves. Set aside. Melt chocolate in a bowl over boiling water until just melted. Stir and set aside.
  3. Using an electric hand beater, mix cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in gelatine mixture, melted chocolate and cream. 
  4. Crumble the remaining 100g cookies stir through mixture and fold in the blueberries. Spoon mixture onto biscuit base. Decorate cheesecake with blueberries. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
  5. To serve cheesecake, release from spring-form pan and transfer to a serving plate.
Byron Bay Cookies are available in David Jones stores nationally, as well as Harris Farm, Bunning's Warehouse Cafes, Healthy Life, Woolworths and selected IGA supermarkets. 

Winter Dinner - Murray Valley Pork Half Netted Shoulder

Gastrology bloggers tried the half netted shoulder courtesy of Murray Valley Pork.
Winter is the perfect time for decadent comfort food. With winter well and truly here, we thought we would share one of our favourite winter warming dinner recipes with you.

Roasted Half Netted Shoulder
Serves 6
Ingredients

2.04 kg Murray Valley Pork Half Netted Shoulder
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons sea salt
boiling water

Method
  1. Pour boiling hot water all over the pork.
  2. Dry the pork with paper towels.
  3. Rub and massage liberal amounts of olive oil into the skin.
  4. Sprinkle salt all over the surface of the skin.
  5. Place the pork on a roasting trivet.
  6. Roast the pork at a temperature of 220 degrees celcius for the first hour.
  7. After an hour, reduce the temperature to 185 degrees celcius and continue cooking until the pork is ready (e.g. for a further 30 minutes).
  8. Transfer the meat to a warm plate. 
  9. Remove the strings from the pork.
  10. Serve!

The pork came out of the oven looking absolutely perfect. Fragrant, sweet and succulent, this roast pork was winter comfort food at its best. Golden brown, blistered and crunchy, the pork crackling had us fighting for the last piece.

Get your hands on some Murray Valley Pork -> Find your nearest stockist here!

Or if you would like to find other porky recipe ideas, check out our posts about Murray Valley Pork's Rindless Scotch here; Murray Valley Pork's Cranberry & Almond Loin Roast here; or Murray Valley Pork Rolled Loin here.

A Porky Christmas: Murray Valley Pork Rindless Scotch

After the success of cooking up Murray Valley Pork’s Cranberry & Almond Loin Roast, we decided to be a little more adventurous. 
This time, we used Murray Valley Pork’s Rindless Scotch (also known as collar butt) which is rindless and boneless. 
We had just received some good news and we were in the mood to celebrate!
To start, we made a few home-made dips and a loaf of rosemary bread.
The pièce de résistance was our slow cooked Murray Valley Pork Rindless Scotch which we served on a bed of quinoa and spinach. We tweaked a Gordon Ramsay Pork Belly recipe (which you can find here) and the results were absolutely stunning!

Here is the recipe for it:

Slow-cooked Pork with fennel recipe
Serves 6

Ingredients

Black pepper
3 baby fennel bulbs, trimmed and roughly sliced
4 fresh bay leaves
3 garlic cloves, peeled and bashed
1 tsp cardamom pods, bashed
4 star anise
1 tbsp fennel seeds
Olive oil
500ml white wine
1l chicken stock (depending on the size of your pan/slowcooker)
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
Method
  1. Put the fennel, bay leaves, garlic, cardamom, star anise and half the fennel seeds into a hot roasting tray on the hob with a little oil and heat for about 2 minutes until aromatic. Push to the side of the tray, then add the pork and cook for at least 5 minutes until turning golden brown. Turn the pork over, season the skin again with pepper and sprinkle with the remaining fennel seeds
  2. Pour in the wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up the bits from the bottom. Bring to the boil, then pour in enough stock to cover the pork and allow to boil again.
  3. Transfer the contents of the tray into a slowcooker  and cook on “low” for 7 hours.
  4. Transfer the meat to a warm plate and set aside to rest. 
  5. Reduce some of the liquid contents from the slowcooker to make a sauce and add the mustard. Mix in with a whisk, then taste and adjust the flavours as necessary. Strain and pour the sauce into a jug. 
  6. Serve the rested pork with the sauce alongside.
The pork was sensational. We loved the fact that is was so lean, fresh and healthy. 

Fragrant, sweet and succulent, this pork was absolutely delicious. The meat was incredibly tender and just melted in our mouths. The accompanying sauce had a lovely depth of flavour. It was perfect for celebrating a special occasion. 

Get your hands on some Murray Valley Pork -> Find your nearest stockist here!
Gastrology bloggers tried the Rindless Scotch courtesy of MVP.

A Porky Christmas: Murray Valley Pork Cranberry & Almond Loin Roast

It is really easy to master the art of the tender roast with Murray Valley Pork's Cranberry & Almond Loin Roast.
Murray Valley Pork (MVP) is a premium range of hand-selected pork. The pork is grown in Australia’s beautiful Riverina region in southern New South Wales and northern Victoria under a great animal welfare policy - ‘to care for every pig every day’.
It’s full of good things healthy bodies need: protein, thiamine, niacin, B6, B12, selenium, riboflavin, zinc and Omega-3. That means that MVP has it all – it’s lean, fresh and healthy.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a skilled cook or not, the MVP cranberry and almond rolled loin is very easy to prepare – all we had to do was unwrap the packaging and pop it into the oven.
The pork was absolutely delicious. We loved the fact that is was so lean, fresh and healthy. 

Fragrant, sweet and succulent, this pork was some of the best we've tasted. The stuffing was a lovely combination of subtle sweet cranberry which was complemented by the earthiness of the almonds.

The Cranberry & Almond Loin Roast is perfect for family meals, special occasions and barbecues. We’re thinking of cooking this again for Christmas!

Get your hands on some Murray Valley Pork -> Find your nearest stockist here!
Gastrology bloggers tried the Cranberry & Almond Loin Roast courtesy of MVP.

Christmas Recipes

Highpoint has just released a selection of Christmas recipes with ingredients that can be freshly sourced from their new Fresh Food Market...

Cranberry  and  Balsamic  Glazed  Ham  
Serves  12  
275  g  jar  cranberry  sauce
1/2  cup    (125  ml)  balsamic  vinegar
1/2  cup  (100  g)  firmly  packed  light  brown  sugar
1  tablespoon  Dijon  mustard
4  kg  half  leg  cooked  ham,  on  the  bone  
Whole  cloves,  to  decorate  

Preheat  the  oven  to  180°C.
Line  a  large  roasting  tray  with  baking    paper  and  set  a  rack  on  top.  
To  make  the  glaze,  heat  the  cran berry  sauce,  balsamic  vinegar,  brown  sugar  and  mustard  together   in   a  small  saucepan  over  low  heat,  stirring  occasionally,  until  the  sugar  dissolves.  Strain  through  a  fine   mesh  sieve,    discard  any  lumps  and  set  aside  to  cool.      

To  prepare  the  ham,  cut  through  the  skin  around  the  shank.  Slip  your  fingers  between  the  skin  and   the  fat  and  peel  off  the  skin.  Trim  the  fat,  leaving  an  even  layer  over  the  ham.

Score  the  fat   diagonally  at  approximately  3  cm  intervals   in  one  direction  and  then  the  opposite   direction,  to  create  a  diamond  pattern.  Press  cloves  into  the  fa t  in  the  centre  of  each  diamond,  to   decorate.  Place  the  ham  on  the  rack   of  the  prepared  tray.  Pour  the  glaze  over  the  ham  and  brush  to   coat.       

Cook  the  ham ,  glazing  every  15  minutes  with  the  pan  juices ,  for  1  1/4–1  1/2  hours,  until  caramelised   golden  brown .       
Remove  from  the  oven,  cover  loosely  with  foil  and  set  aside  to  rest  for  10  minutes.             Slice  to  serve.     Serve  hot  or  cold.     


Roast  Pork  with  Pistachio  Stuffing       
Serves  6-­‐8     
1.5  kg  boned  pork  leg     
sea  salt         
olive  oil,  for  drizzling     
Pistachio  stuffing     
30  g  butter   
1  tablespoon  olive  oil   
1  large  onion,  finely  chopped   
1  clove  garlic,  finely  chopped  
2  cups  (120  g)  fresh  breadcrumbs   
1  cup  (140  g)  pistachios,  coarsely chopped   
1  small  handful  flat  leaf  parsley,  coarsely  chopped   
finely  grated  zest  of  1  lemon  
 sea  salt  and  freshly  ground  black  pepper     

Score  the  pork  skin  at  2  cm  intervals.       
Set  the  pork,  skin  side  up  on  a  colander.  Scald  the  skin  with  boiling  water.  Pat  dry  with  paper  towel.   Generously  season  the  skin  with  salt,  rubbing  it  into  the  cuts.       Place  the  pork,  skin    side  up  on  a  tray  and  refrigerate  uncovered  for  2  hours ,  to  dry  out.       
Meanwhile  to    make  the  stuffing,  melt  the  butter  and  oil  together  in  a  small  frying  pan  over  low  heat,   add  the  onion  and  garlic  and  cook  until  softened.  Transfer  into  a   medium  bowl,  add  the  breadcrumbs,   pistachios,  parsley  and   lemon  zest  and  mix  well  to  combine.  Season  with  salt  and  pepper.     

Preheat  the  oven  to  220°C.     Lay  the  pork  skin  side  down  on  a  clean  kitchen  surface.  Cut  half  way  down  the  centre  of  the    meat  and   then  horizontally  half  way  across  on  either  side  of  the  centre  cut,  to  create  two  flaps.  Fold  the  flaps   out,  to  open  like  a  book.  Spread  half  of  the  stuffing    down  the  centre  of  the  pork  and  fold  the  flaps   back  over  to  enclose.   Secure  at  intervals  with  kitchen  string.  Drizzle  the  skin  with  oil  and  season  with  a   little  more  salt.  Place  the  pork  skin  side  up   in  a  large  roasting  dish.       

Shape  the  remaining  stuffing  into  a  fat  sausage ,  wrap  in  aluminium  foil  and  set  aside.       Cook  the  pork  for  25  minutes  at  high  heat.       Decrease  the  temperature  to  180°C.     Add  the  stuffing  log  to  the  roasting  dish  and  cook  the  pork  for  a  further  45  minutes,  or  until     the  juices   run  clear  and  the   skin  has  crackled.  If  using  a  meat  thermometer  the  pork  is  cooked  when  the  internal   temperature  reads  75⁰C  when  inserted  into  the  thickest  part.     Remove  dish  from  the  oven ,  transfer  pork  onto  a  hot  tray  and  set  aside  in  a  warm  place   to  rest  for  15   minutes.       
Remove  and  discard  the  string.  Remove  the  crackle  to  carve  the  meat.     Serve  meat  with  crackle  and  additional  stuffing .   


Turkey,  Prawn  and  Pomegranate  Salad     
Serves  6       
2  kg  turkey  breast     
1  small  onion,  halved   
2  bay  leaves   
4  black  peppercorns   
1.5  kg  cooked  prawns,  peeled  with  tails  left  on     
1  large  handful  baby  spinach  leaves     
1/  2  pomegranate ,  seeds  removed     
1  small  red  onion,  finely  sliced   
1  small  handful  flat  leaf  parsley,  coarsely  chopped     

Lemon  dressing       
2  tablespoons  lemon  juice   
1  clove  garlic,  crushed   1  teaspoon  
Dijon  mustard   
1/2  teaspoon  caster  sugar   
1/3  cup  (80  ml)  extra -­‐virgin  olive  oil     
Sea  salt  and  freshly  ground  black  pepper     

Lemon  mayo  drizzle     
1/4  cup  (60  ml)  whole  egg  mayonnaise   
1  tablespoon  lemon  juice  
1/2  teaspoon  Dijon  mustard     
Sea  salt     

Remove  and  discard  the  skin  and  any  sinew  from  the  turkey  breast.  Place  the  turkey,  onion,  bay   leaves  and  peppercorns  in  a  large  saucepan  and  cover  with  cold  water.  Gently  simmer  for  45  minutes   or  until  cooked  through.  Set  aside  to  cool  slightly  in  the  poaching  liquid.  Transfer  turkey  onto  a  large   plate  and  refrigerate  until  completely  cool.  Meanwhile  to  make  the  lemon  dressing,  combine  the  lemon  juice ,  garlic,  mustard  and  sugar   in  a  small   bowl.  Gradually  whisk  in  the  oil  and  season  with  salt  and  pepper. To  make  the  lemon  mayo  drizzle,  whisk  the  mayonnaise,  lemon  juice  and  mustard  together  in  a  small   bowl.  Season  with  salt.       

Shred  the  turkey  into  small  chunks.  Combine  the  turkey,  prawns,  spinach,  onion,  half    of  the   pomegranate  seed s  and  parsley  in  a  large  bowl.  

Pour  over  the  lemon  dressing    and  toss  to  coat.   Arrange  onto  a  serving  platter  and  sprinkle  with  the  remaining  pomegranate  seeds.   
Drizzle  with   lemon  mayo.
Serve.


Summer  Christmas  Pavlova     
Serves  8  
6  large  egg  whites ,  at  room  temperature  
1  1/2  cups  (300  g)  caster  sugar  
2  tablespoons  corn  flour
2  teaspoons  white  vinegar  

Topping  
1  1/2  cups  (375  ml)  thickened  cream
1  tablespoon  icing  sugar   
250  g  strawberries ,  hulled  and  halved   
125  g  blueberries     

Preheat  the  oven  to  120°C.       Draw  a  23  cm  disc  on  the  underside  of  a  piece  of  baking  paper  and  place  disc  side  down  on  a  baking   tray. Whisk  the  egg  whites  using  an  electric  mixer  with  a  whisk  attachment,  until  soft  peaks  form.  Gradually   add  the  sugar,  one  tablespoon  at  a  time,   whisking  continuously  until  the  meringue  is  thick  and  glossy   and  the  sugar  has  completely  dissolved.       

Spoon  the  meringue  into  the  centre  of  the  marked  disc  and  spread  out  to  an  even  thi ckness,  creating   decorative  waves  around  the  edge.       Bake  for  1  1/2  ho urs,  or  until  slightly  crisp  on  the  outside,  but  not  coloured.  Turn  the  oven  off  and   leave  the  pavlova  in  the  oven,  until  cooled  completely.       

To  decorate,  whisk  the  cream  and  icing  sugar  together  using  an  electric  mixer  with  a  whisk   attachment,  until  soft  peaks  form.  Spread  the  cream  over  the  top  of  the  pavlova  and  scatter  the   strawberries  and  blueberries  over  the  top.       
Slice  to  serve.          

Making Christmas a Highpoint

Our Christmas celebrations started early this year.
With two of our closest friends planning an overseas trip over the Christmas period, we decided to have an extra early Christmas dinner with them last weekend.
Roast turkey
Roast potatoes
Roast pumpkin, Meredith goats cheese & rocket salad
Chocolate mousse with brandied berries

Gastrology were invited by Jess from MANGO to visit Highpoint’s new Fresh Food Market and were generously provided with a $50 voucher to use at the Fresh Food Market and a $25 voucher to use at Melbourne Fresh Meats which we put to good use (along with quite a few extra dollars from our own hip pocket) to purchase all our Christmas dinner ingredients.

Thankfully the dinner was a huge success. We were very pleased with the quality of the produce from both the Fresh Food Market and Melbourne Fresh Meats. Here are the recipes we used to prepare our Christmas dinner. They are all very simple and easy to follow. Enjoy!


Recipe: Roast pumpkin, Meredith goats cheese & rocket salad

Ingredients
  • ¼ pumpkin (from the Highpoint Fruit and Vegetable Market)
  • 6 'squares' of Meredith goats cheese in extra virgin olive oil (from Go Vita)
  • 200 grams of rocket (from the Highpoint Fruit and Vegetable Market)
  • 1 small red onion (from the Highpoint Fruit and Vegetable Market)
  • 2 tablespoon good quality extra virgin olive oil (from Yes It's Fresh Deli)
  • 1 tablespoon good quality balsamic vinegar (from Yes It's Fresh Deli)
  • Salt
  • Pepper
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 220 degrees celcius.
  2. Place chopped pumpkin on a baking tray lined with baking paper, drizzle lightly with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
  3. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden.
  4. Meanwhile, in a small bowl whisk good quality extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar until combined and season to taste.
  5. Very thinly slice the red onion.
  6. In a large bowl toss the pumpkin, sliced red onion, rocket and crumbled goats cheese together gently. Drizzle with the dressing.

Recipe: Roast turkey and gravy

Ingredients
Instructions

We bought a fresh turkey that was ready to cook. So all we did was lightly brush the turkey skin with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and pop it into the oven, following the instructions on the pack.

For the gravy, we saved the turkey juices and turned it into a lovely gravy by reducing the liquid in a pot and adding rosemary, a spoonful of butter, dissolving one tablespoon of corn starch and lastly, adding salt and pepper to taste.


Recipe: Roasted potatoes

Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 220 degrees celcius.
  2. Remove leaves from the rosemary sprigs and chop finely.
  3. Place chopped potatoes on a baking tray lined with baking paper, add rosemary sprigs, drizzle lightly with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
  4. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden.

Recipe: Chocolate mousse with brandied berries

Ingredients
Instructions

The recipe says that it is for 2 people but when we doubled it for our party of four, it was far too much! I would recommend halving this recipe for two, or using it as is for four.

Instead of the raspberries that Donna Hay uses in her recipe, we served the chocolate mousse with brandied berries which were very easy to prepare. We mixed icing sugar and brandy to taste, then allowed the berries to soak in this mixture for about 4 hours.