Broadsheet Winter Lunch – Pulled Pork Chipotle Pies & Roasted Beetroot, Goats Cheese and Candied Walnut Salad
Whilst everything seems to be pretty relaxed around here, there’s been a lot of activity behind the scenes. I’m like a little duck sitting on the water, all cool and calm whilst my little legs are going a hundred miles an hour. I’ll share a little more with you later on, but in the meantime here are a few photos I took for a Broadsheet shoot a few weeks ago. A friend of mine has been writing a few articles for Broadsheet and asked if I’d be interested in collaborating on a story. She wanted to write about the fact that it’s cold and miserable outside so why not celebrate the fact and invite some friends around for a nice winter weekend lunch. Of course I jumped at the chance, and all in all I think it turned out pretty well!
Seb and I have been making quite a few pies this winter. They’re just so damn delicious! For this lunch I knew I wanted to make pies, but I also wanted to pair two of my favourite discoveries from this winter – pulled pork and chipotle chillies. Yesssir! These pies proved to be so popular at the lunch; all the plates were licked clean! Even though it’s winter, you still have to eat your greens, so I made a tasty winter salad to go with the pies. This was a salad recipe I’ve been thinking about for a while. I’ve never really cooked with fresh beetroot before so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but it was all super delicious. The candied walnuts were really the icing on the cake with little hits of sweetness throughout the rocket, beetroot and goats cheese.
You can see the full article on Broadsheet here.
I hope you enjoy.
x e.
Beetroot, Goats Cheese & Candied Walnut Salad
2 bunches baby beetroot, trimmed
Olive oil, to grease
2/3 cup caster sugar
1 cup walnut halves
1/2 tsp sea salt flakes
2 bunches baby spinach
80g goat’s cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Place beetroot on a baking tray, prick with a fork and bake for 45 minutes or until tender. Once cooked, let cool, peel skins and halve.
2. Meanwhile, brush a wire rack with oil and place over a sheet of baking paper. Place sugar in a non-stick fry pan and place over medium heat. Let it cook without stirring and once the sugar begins to melt, tilt the pan around to catch all sugar crystals. Be very careful with the sugar – it’s hot! Once the sugar has melted, add walnuts and cover in the melted sugar. Place onto the oiled wire rack and once cooled, separate and sprinkle with a little salt. Let cool.
3. Place rocket and beetroot into a large bowl and sprinkle with goat’s cheese. Combine oil, vinegar and mustard in a jug and drizzle over the salad adding the candied walnuts last.
Pulled Pork Chipotle Pies
1.5kg pork loin
400g crushed tomatoes
1 bottle White Rabbit Dark Ale
2 large potatoes, finely diced
1 large onion, finely diced
2 carrots, finely diced
250g peas
2 tbsp corn flour
puff pastry
1 egg
For the pork rub:
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce
1 tbsp honey
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2–3 chipotle chillies (tinned)
2 tsp cracked pepper
2 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tsp sweet paprika
2 tsp salt
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin
1tsp Italian herbs
1 tsp garlic powder
1. Place the slow cooker on low and pour a can of tomatoes into the base of the dish. Meanwhile add all rub ingredients together in a large bowl and mix well. Place the pork into the bowl and cover the entire surface with the rub, then place it into the slow cooker with the fat facing upwards. Pour and spread the remaining rub over the meat. Slowly pour the Dark Ale into the side of the slow cooker (not directly on the pork as you don’t want to wash off the rub). Place the lid on top and let cook over night or for 12 hours.
2. Once the pork has cooked for 12 hours, take the fat off the meat (it should peel off easily with tongs). Place the pork in a large bowl and pull the meat apart with two forks. Pour the liquid from the slow cooker into a saucepan and place on medium heat. In a small glass, add corn flour and a little water and mix well. Pour this into the sauce and mix through. Cook well, stirring continuously for 10–15 minutes until thickened.
3. In a large pot, use a good glug of olive oil, add onion and let brown. Next, add carrots and potatoes and cook for about 10 minutes or until carrots are soft. In the same pot, add sauce and the pulled pork and mix thoroughly. Lastly, stir peas through the filling and then let the mixture cool.
4. Preheat oven to 200°C. Once the mixture is cool, take your pie tin (or ramekins) and brush with a little melted butter or oil, then line them with puff pastry. Spoon enough pulled pork mixture level with the top and add the pastry topper. Brush the top of the pies with a beaten egg and place in the oven for 20–30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with a tomato relish.
The pulled pork for this recipe should ideally be cooked over night. The sauce will need to be made in the morning, as it will take at least 4 hours to cool.
