Thyme and Lemon Ricotta stuffed Pork Roll
This scrumptious pork roll combines the hearty qualities of a juicy roast topped with crunchy crackling and the fresh spring feeling of ricotta, lemon zest, parmesan and thyme. If you liked my Bavarian Beer Roast for those cosy dinners at winter time, this is a great alternative for the warmer season, for a summery Sunday lunch under the bright blue sky and blossoming trees. It's the perfect recipe to feast with your friends, the table filled with plates of crisp asparagus tomato salad, loaves of homemade bread and pink glasses of chilled rosé wine - and the roast right in the middle!
You could use butterflied pork loin from a fully grown pig for this dish but I went for suckling pig. Its fine flavour and tender texture is exactly what you need if you want to roll up the loin with a light Mediterranean stuffing, no distractions, just the fine aromas merged with the meat.
Suckling pig is a traditional German dish, you can often see it at village feasts in the countryside, a whole pig roast on a spit over the open grill. The scene can be a bit intimidating, it's an archaic ritual - meat and fire. To me, it's part of our nature and as I decided to include meat in my diet, I also decided to confront myself with various cooking methods, even the ones that aren't as pleasing for the eyes as a schnitzel covered in breadcrumbs.
Thyme and Lemon Ricotta stuffed Pork Roll
For 6 people you need
suckling pork loin, boneless, butterflied, 1,2kg / 2 3/4 pounds
ricotta 225g / 8 ounces
freshly squeezed lemon juice 1 tablespoon
lemon zest 1 heaping tablespoon
Parmesan 1 heaping tablespoon
fresh thyme leaves, 1 heaping tablespoon
black peppercorns, crushed in a mortar, 1 teaspoon
fine sea salt 1 teaspoon
coarse sea salt, to sprinkle the roll
cotton string for the roll
Set the oven to 240°C / 465°F (I used the Rotitherm setting).
Whisk the ricotta, lemon juice, zest, parmesan, thyme, pepper and salt. Lay the meat out flat on the kitchen top and spread with the ricotta-spice mix, leave a 2 cm / 3/4" rim all the way round. Roll up the meat tightly without squeezing out the filling and tie with a cotton string every 3cm / 1". Sprinkle the skin generously with sea salt (push it into the skin a little), place the roll in a roasting dish and roast in the oven for 10 minutes. Turn down the heat to 175°C / 350°F and roast for 35 minutes. Turn on the grill until the skin starts to crackle. Take the meat out of the oven, wrap in aluminium foil and let it rest for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with asparagus tomato salad or a light potato salad.
The meat also tastes great cold, cut into thin slices, on a sandwich!
Bavarian Beer Roasted Pork with Sweet Potatoes and Parsnip
Update: You can also find this recipe in my 1st book, Eat In My Kitchen - To cook, to bake, to eat, and to treat.
This is the ultimate roast - Bavarian beer roasted pork, also known as Bayerischer Schweinebraten or Krustenbraten. When I visited the Deyerling siblings last week for a meet in your kitchen feature, they reminded me of this traditional roast. You can't really ask for more, tender, juicy meat and crunchy crackling on top, perfectly roasted and crispy. This is hearty, honest autumn food, for those cold nights after a long walk out in the countryside. That's exactly what we did!
A few days ago we decided to leave the city for a few hours to visit one of Berlin's beautiful lakes that you can reach after a short train ride. The Müggelsee lake is my beloved escape whenever I need a break from the buzz. It's a huge lake, peaceful and quiet surrounded by thick forest. Autumn is just starting to show, so the leaves were still quite green but I could smell the change of the seasons. We have a little tradition, we always stroll down the town's high street before we go to the lake. We visit the local bakery and butcher, for some cake and bread, sausages and to look for some inspiration. Both of them are traditional businesses, and I have to say that I look forward to checking their daily offer just as much as to walking at the lake. This time we made our choice as soon as we got into the butcher's shop. A nice big piece of pork caught our attention and reminded us of the wonderful Bavarian beer roasted pork we cook in winter. The butcher put it aside for us along with a few other delicacies while we continued our walk. On our way back to the train station we picked up our bags and couldn't wait to get started with our oven roast!
There are various ways to roast pork to achieve the perfect crackling. My mother cooks it skin side down first in a little bit of broth before she turns it around. As much as we love to share recipes, here we disagree. I cook mine skin side up without turning the meat. I rub lots of salt and crushed cloves into the scored rind and cook the meat in its own juices for 1 1/2 hours. At this point I add the beer and vegetables, cinnamon, star anise and mustard seeds. I chose sweet potato, onion and parsnip to roast in the strong juices until it's all golden and crisp on the outside and soft inside. I like to season the gravy with some Dijon mustard and fruity jelly, like elderflower or peach, but you could could also use honey or maple syrup.
I can't really say how I prefer this dish, fresh and warm out of the oven with a pint of beer and some potato dumplings on the side or the next day, sliced thinly with some chutney in a sandwich!
Bavarian Beer Roasted Pork with Sweet Potatoes and Parsnip
Update: you can also find this recipe in my 1st book Eat In My Kitchen - To cook, to bake, to eat, and to treat.
For this recipe, you need a well sized piece of pork shoulder, smaller pieces tend to dry out, it can be boned or on the bone. I have made this recipe with both. The rind has to be scored in a pattern (as you can see in the pictures). You can ask your butcher to do this or cut the pattern yourself with a sharp knife, just mind that you don't cut into the meat!
If you want to make potato dumplings on the side, the famous Knödel, you can use my Gnocchi dough. You just have to shape walnut sized balls out of the dough and fill each of them with 3 small cubes of white bread. Cook them in lots of salted water for about 10 minutes on medium-low temperature until the dumplings swim on the surface.
For 4-6 people you need
pork, shoulder piece, boned, scored, 1500g / 3.5 pounds (if you use a piece of pork with the bone leave it in the oven for 1 - 1 1/2h after you poured over the beer)
cloves, ground in a mortar, 10
salt
beer 500ml / 1 pint
medium onions, quartered, 3
sweet potatoes, scrubbed, cut into cubes, 2
parsnips, scrubbed, cut into cubes, 3
cinnamon stick, broken into 3 pieces, 1
star anise 3 single pieces
mustard seeds 2 heaping tablespoons
For the gravy
broth 175ml / 0.5 pints
elderflower (or any other fruity) jelly 1 tablespoon plus more to taste
Dijon mustard 1/2 teaspoon plus more to taste
pepper
Set the oven to 175°C / 350°F (I use the Rotitherm setting).
Mix the cloves with 2 heaped teaspoons of salt and rub into the scored rind, depending on the meat's surface you might need more salt. Put the meat on a deep tray skin side up and cook for 1 1/2 hours.
Take the tray out, pour the beer over the meat and arrange the spices and vegetables on the sides (don't add the jelly and Dijon mustard yet). Cook for another 30-45 minutes until the crackling is crisp. Take out the vegetables and meat and mix the gravy on the tray with the broth, jelly and mustard and season with salt and pepper to taste. Take out the cinnamon stick and star anise and pour into a gravy boat (you can cook it down in a sauce pan for a few minutes if you prefer a more concentrated taste). Serve with the meat and vegetables.
If the rind isn't crisp enough yet, turn on the grill (broiler) for a few minutes after you've removed the vegetables, gravy and spices and cook the meat until the crackling is light and crispy!
A Greedy New Year's Sandwich
Happy New Year!
The timing couldn't be better: it's eat in my kitchen's Sandwich Wednesday and I really need one. There is no better food after a long night with Champagne and wine than a sandwich. My body wants some real food, hearty and rich! When I lived in Whitby in England a few years ago I used to go to a takeaway called "The Greedy Pig". The food was amazing, fresh and soft buns stuffed with slices of roast pork, apples and gravy. I miss this place!
This week's sandwich is dedicated to "The Greedy Pig". You just need a soft bun or thick slices of white bread (I warm up my mountain buns which were still in the freezer) and stuff it with a few slices of roast pork from the butcher. Fry thin slices of an onion in butter until golden brown. Peel and cut an apple in thick slices. Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a pan and add a tablespoon of sugar, let it get golden brown. Lay your apple slices in the sugary butter, fry from both sides until golden and deglaze with brandy. Cut your bun in half, put a few slices of roast pork on one side, add the onion and apple with the brandy sirup. Sprinkle with fresh rosemary, close the bun and enjoy your Greedy New Year's Sandwich!
