Monthly Archives: September 2023

LA PORCHETTA

La Porchetta is a popular pork roast in Italy and one I enjoy doing every so often

RECIPE

Use a whole pork belly, the easiest way to make a good Porchetta. Use one with either skin off or on, whatever your preference is.

Mix a handful each of chopped Rosemary and Parsley

Half a handful of chopped fresh wild Fennel fonts and seeds

6 – 8 chopped Cloves of Garlic

Salt and Pepper to taste

Chilli if you like

Mix all the above ingredients and layer it evenly on top of the flat pork belly. Roll it tightly and bind well with string and then slip it into tight fitting netting

Cover with baking paper and then with aluminium foil. Make sure the foil is well closed, including the ends. Poke holes through the wrapping which will allow he fat to escape when roasting.

Lay the wrapped Porchetta on a wire rack which sits over a oven pan. Put water in the pan, but it should not touch the Porchetta. Place this into a pre heated oven at 250 C and bake for 3 hours without touching the Porchetta, but make sure there is always water in the tray

After three hours, remove the Porchetta from the oven and carefully unwrap it and cut and remove the strings and netting

Now place it back in the preheated oven at 250C with the oven’s airflow turned on. Watch it carefully forming a crust / crackling which should take 10 – 15 minutes. Turn it over and do the same on the other side.

You can either use a belly with the skin removed which obviously will not have the skin crackling, or you can use it with the skin on, which will give you wonderful crackling

ENJOY !!!

Do not forget a few glasses of home made RED WINE to wash it all down!!

DAILY BREAD

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The recipe that my family likes most is a combination of organic Wholemeal Wheat Flour and ordinary White Sifted Wheat Flour. Even though I mill both these products, I only sell the Organic Wholemeal Wheat Flour as the white sifted is too slow and laborious to make for selling and there are many good nutritious and healthy recipes for 100 % Wholemeal Wheat Flour 

350 g Wholemeal Wheat Flour

350 g White Sifted Wheat Flour

Mix well

or

What I use for every day bread

100 g Coarse Semolina

300 g Wholmeal Wheat Flour

300 g White Sifted Flour

Mix well

Take 450 g Luke Warm water and dissolve 25 g SUREBAKE Yeast and 20 g honey or molasses or sugar in it – mix well with a fork. Let it proof in a warm place for about 10 minutes

Mix about 25% of the flour mix into the water and yeast mixture and mix well with a fork. Let it proof in a warm place until double in size – about 90 minute depending on temperature

Now mix all the flour into the water and yeast mixture and start kneading – either by hand or machine, whichever you prefer. While kneading add 10 g salt and 50 ml olive oil. Knead VERY WELL until very elastic – add more flour or water to get the consistency just right (silky soft and shiny), even though in most cases it should not be required. If mixing by machine, knead for about 7 – 8 minutes. If kneading by hand it will take longer depending on your ability

Oil two standard size bread pans and put the kneaded dough into the pans, score the dough with a sharp knife and sprinkle with flour or brush with water or brush with egg

Let it proof until 3 times the size – about 2 -3 hours depending on the temperature

Bake in oven at 225 C for 20 minutes, turn the pans and bake at 190 C for 20 minutes, turn the pans and bake at 190 C (bottom element only this time) for another 10 minutes (adjust the times that suit your specific oven)

ENJOY !!!!