Roasted Rack of Pork and Roots with a Gooseberry Horseradish Sauce

I guess you would have had to have spent the past couple of days under a rock not to know what I've been up to lately, what with my galivanting across the country and rubbing elbows with some of the finest specimens of pork on the planet!! Today I'm going to show you what I chose to do with one of the fine cuts of meat that I was given on Monday at Jimmy's Farm.



One cut that I chose was the Rack of Pork. I know, it may seem like a boring cut to choose, but it needn't be! Rack of Pork can be succulent and delicious as long as you follow a few rules.

• Remove the crackling and cook it separately. (in order to get really crispy crackling you would have to cook it at such a high temperature you meat is more likely to dry out before your crackling is crisp)
• Leave a good layer of fat on the surface, about 1/3 inch at least. Score lightly, but not all the way through to the meat.
• Do not overcook! You are better off taking it out whilst still a bit pink in the middle and allowing it to set for a fifteen minutes or so, lightly covered with foil. During the setting time it will finish cooking through and still be lovely and moist.

To make crunchy pork crackling, cook the rind separately from the meat. Cut the rind from the meat with a small, sharp knife and place it in a shallow baking dish; brush rind with one tablespoon of vegetable oil and rub with one tablespoon of coarse cooking salt. Bake, uncovered, in a very hot oven for about 40 minutes or until rind browns and crackles. Drain on absorbent paper. (I have a smaller oven on top of my larger oven and I cook it in this while the roast is cooking in the oven below.) No more crackling failure!



I toyed with the idea of stuffing my rack with fruit and other goodies, but in the end I decided that I would stay more traditional and rub it all over with a tasty mixture of herbs and olive oil. Roasting some root vegetables along side . . . delicious sweet potato, carrots and potatoes. I also decided to make good use of the gooseberries that are ripe in my garden at the moment.



Fruit goes very well with pork and need not just be apples, which are oh so scrummy. Gooseberries also go wonderfully! I added a hint of sharpness to the sauce by adding some creamy horseradish to the mix, along with the richness of a knob of butter.



This was fabulous! I think I made a wonderful choice! To see more pork recipes be sure to check out the Pork On Your Fork Campaign page!




*Roasted Rack of Pork and Roots with a Gooseberry Horseradish Sauce*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

A traditional roast, moist and delicious, accompanied by a variety of roasted root vegetables and served with a scrummy Gooseberry Horseradish Sauce on the side!

1 four rib piece of Rack of Pork (Free range of course!)
(about 2 1/2 pounds)
(Remove the crackling and reserve for another use)

For the rub:
4 to 6 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed (depending on how much you like garlic)
2 TBS olive oil
2 tsp seasoning salt
1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp parsley flakes
1/2 tsp dried thyme

For the vegetables:
4 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
2 large baking potatoes, washed, unpeeled and cut into chunks
2 TBS olive oil
2 tsp parsley flakes
1 tsp seasoned salt
1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper

For the Gooseberry Sauce:
50g of golden caster sugar (1/3 cup)
250g of topped and tailed gooseberries (about 2 cups)
2 TBS white wine
pinch salt
a knob of butter
1 tsp creamed horseradish

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Remove the crackling layer from your pork, leaving about 1/3 of an inch of nice fat. Score this in diamonds with a sharp knife, without cutting all the way down to the meat.

Whisk together the olive oil, seasoning salt, black pepper, paprika, parsley flakes, thyme and garlic. Mix well and then rub this all over the meat until coated. Place in a roasting pan and then cook for about 35 to 40 minutes while you get the vegetables ready, and make your sauce.

Prepare your vegetables. Put them into a bowl. Whisk together the oil, parsley flakes, salt and pepper. Toss the vegetables with this mixture, coating them all over.

To make your sauce, place the gooseberries in a saucepan along with the wine. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a slow simmer and cover. Simmer for about 10 minutes until very tender. Push the mixture through a sieve into a clean pan, scraping through as much as you can. Discard any solids left in the sieve. Whisk in the salt, sugar and butter. Cook and stir for about 5 minutes. Keep warm.

Remove the pork from the oven. Move it to the side. Toss in the vegetables and roll them around in the pork fat in the roasting tin. Move them until they are around the roast. Cover with some aluminium foil and then return to the oven. Roast for a further 35 to 40 minutes. Remove the pork and place on a plate, covering loosely with foil. Give the vegetables a stir in the pan juices. Increase the oven temperature to 230*C/450*F/ gas mark 7. Return the tray to the oven and roast uncoverd for 10 to 15 minutes, until they are tender and beginning to brown.

Serve the roast cut into slices, one rib per person, along with a portion of the roasted vegetables and some of the sauce. Pass the remainder of the warm sauce at the table.

I have to just say, this was one very tasty joint of pork! I'm still licking my chops!! (no pun intended!)

Beef Bourguignon

This was something that I made at the weekend, and am only now getting on to writing about it on here. I actually made it on Saturday, and then warmed it up in the slow cooker on Sunday when we were at church.



My goodness but it sure did smell wonderful when we arrived back home and opened up the door! We are always famished when we get home from church and it's really nice to have something on tap and waiting for us when we get in.

Sure . . . most times we have something simple and quick like egg and chips, beans on toast, or . . . spaghetti on toast . . . but then again . . .



Sometimes we have something really scrummy like Boeuf Bourguignon!! Rich and rib sticking, it may seem a bit old fashioned, but really . . . how can something as delicious as this ever really go out of style . . .

It is fabulous . . . tastily tender chunks of beef and meaty mushrooms in a rich and delicious gravy. Perfect over noodles or (in Todd's case) mashed potatoes! You'll want to serve a nice crusty roll with it so that you can scoop up every last bit of that scrumminess on your plate. (Sorry Mitzie, no leftovers for you today!)



It's one of those tasty meals that seems to get better and better each day it stands. We had the leftovers tonight, warmed in a casserole and topped with a swede/potato mash a la cottage pie. It does make rather a lot and so the rest I've popped into the freezer to take out sometime when we are wanting something rich and filling and delicious. Win/win/win!



*Boeuf Bourguinon*
Serves 8
Printable Recipe

Deliciously tender beef. This taste even better if you make it a day ahead of time and let it ripen overnight, which makes it the perfect dinner party meal! Serve with noodles, rice or mashed potatoes!

1 1/2 ounces plain flour (1/3 cup)
2 tsp salt, divided
1 tsp black pepper, divided
2 1/4 pound of stewing beef, cut into 1 inch cubes
3 rashers of rindless, smoked streaky bacon, chopped
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
375ml of dry red wine ( 1 1/2 cups)
14 ounces beef broth
1 1/2 pounds of fresh mushrooms, wiped clean and halved
2 TBS tomato poaste
1 tsp dried thyme
2 bay leaves

Heat a bit of oil in a large saucepan. Add the bacon and cook until browned and crisp. Scoop out with a slotted spoon and set aside. Place the beef in a plastic bag with the flour, 1 tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp of pepper. Shake together to coat the meat and add, 1/2 at a time. Cook and brown on all sides. Scoop out and keep warm. Repeat with the remainder of the meat, using a bit more oil if required. Return all the meat to the pan along with the bacon. Add the onion, carrot and garlic. Cook and stir until the onion begins to soften. Season with the remainder of the salt and pepper. Add the mushrooms, bay leaves, thyme, broth and wine. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and simmer for about 2 hours. Remove the cover and stir, and simmer for an additional 1 1/2 hours until the sauce is thickened and rich and the meat is very tender. Bring to room temperature and then cover and refrigerate overnight. When you are ready to serve, bring slowly back to a simmer on top of the stove. Once it is well heated through you can serve it. Remove the bay leaves before serving.