There might be quite a few posts involving Bacon over the next few days. We made quite a bit of home cured Bacon! This is the third cure and we’ve refined it a little. The original recipe is here - http://www.eatwellonuc.org.uk/index.php/recipes/599-dry-cured-bacon Which is pretty robust. This version was for a discounted bone in Loin which weighed just over 2Kg when I’d removed the bone and outer rind.
Rub ingredients:-
50g of Salt
30g of Sugar
3G of Saltpetre
4 Tsp of Smoked Paprika
1 Tsp of Garlic Powder
3 Tsp of fresh ground Black Pepper.
Method:-
(1) Trim the Pork Loin to as near to 2Kg as possible.
(2) Mix the rub ingredients in a bowl.
(3) Apply the rub evenly over the entire surface.
(4) Place in a tub in the fridge loosely covered.
(5) Turn daily for 3 weeks.
The Burgers were hand pressed from a yellow sticker pack of mince at £1.24
So the build went something like – Toasted (Gluten free) Bun base, Mayonnaise, Tomato Sauce, Lettuce, Red Onions, Tomato, Burger, Bacon, Mushrooms, Egg and the toasted Bun top.
As the name implies, we’re still eating this, this morning. Our Christmas roast might be late evening today!
The star of the show were the Glass Noodles. They were a bit of a chance purchase in a local Oriental Supermarket. At less than £2 for 500g they were well worth giving a go. We were not disappointed!
Pork & Chorizo in a stir fry is hardly traditional but traditions are for the conventional and on a budget of £4 for 3 servings we sometimes push the boundaries a little!
For the Marinade:-
Ingredients:-
Sliced left over Pork Shoulder
Chorizo cut into cubes
2 Onions, diced
1 clove of Garlic, grated
3 small Chillies, finely sliced
Garlic Salt
Black Pepper
Soy Sauce (Gluten free is available if required)
Oil
Ingredients for the stir-fry:-
1 large Onion, sliced
Baby Sweet Corn
Baby podded Peas (Mangetout)
1 large Carrot, cut into strips length ways
4 medium sized Mushrooms
Handful of Bean Sprouts
Oil to fry
Method:-
(1) Add all the Marinade ingredients to a bowl, mix and let rest for 2 hours.
(2) Prepare your other vegetables.
(3) Bring a pan of salted water to the boil.
(4) In a Wok or deep frying pan heat a little oil.
(5) Add the Glass Noodles to the boiling water, lower heat and simmer for 7 to 8 minutes.
(6) Fry the marinated ingredients and vegetables.
We added a few chopped Chillies and sliced Spring Onions to the noodles for a bit of colour. Realistically this is one of the best low cost meals we've had. We also broke convention by having Garlic bread! Recipe here