Tom Kerridge's Proper Pub Food (21 page)

While the grill is heating, mix the cumin seeds and turmeric together in a dry frying pan over a medium heat and toast, stirring, for 1–2 minutes until aromatic. Add the
vegetable oil and the brown shrimps and heat through, stirring. Tip the contents of the pan on to the cucumber salad and mix together. Stir in the yogurt and season with sea salt flakes.

Place the mackerel on the grill rack and grill for about 5 minutes, turning them over once halfway through, until charred, cooked through and the flesh flakes easily. Immediately
serve the mackerel whole with the kachumber alongside.

Tom’s Tip

If you don’t use all the red chilli paste it keeps very well in a covered container in the fridge for ages, and is also good for flavouring chicken or duck.

I use rhubarb to replace apple in lots of recipes, as it works so well in both sweet and savoury dishes, and in this recipe it replaces the apple sauce you
might expect with roast pork. If you’re not familiar with the hand of pork cut, it is the shoulder with the forearm still attached. You get loads of crackling when you roast it properly,
which provides the crunch and texture in this dish.

The buns are steamed like Chinese buns, so they have that distinctive soft, chewy texture. The best pork buns ever are served at David Chang’s Momofuku Ssam restaurant, in
New York City. These are a good alternative and save you the plane fare!

Serves 6; makes 12 buns

For the buns

For the rhubarb sauce

Preheat the oven to 150°C/Gas Mark 2. Place the hand of pork in a roasting tray and roast for 4½-5 hours until the meat is tender.

Meanwhile, make the dough for the buns. Mix 125g of the strong white flour and yeast together in a bowl and make a well in the centre. Stir in the water, cover the bowl with
clingfilm and leave to one side for 20–30 minutes until the yeast is frothy.

Mix the sugar and vegetable oil together in a large heatproof bowl and pour in the boiling water, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Leave to cool to blood heat. Add the yeast
mix, then add the remaining strong white flour and mix together to form a dough. Tip out the dough on to a lightly floured surface and knead for 10–15 minutes until it is stretchy and
elastic.

Place the dough into a bowl and cover with clingfilm. Leave the dough to rise at room temperature until at least doubled in size, which will take 1½–2 hours. Knock
the dough back, tip it out onto a lightly floured surface and roll it into a sausage shape, about 30cm long and 4cm thick. Cut into 12 equal pieces and roll into smooth balls. Line a baking sheet
with baking parchment, place the dough balls on top, cover with clingfilm and leave to prove for 1 hour, or until they rise and increase in volume by about half. They won’t double in
size.

Meanwhile, make the rhubarb sauce. Melt the butter and sugar in a large frying pan over a medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the rhubarb and grenadine, turn the
heat to low and leave the rhubarb to stew, uncovered and stirring frequently, for about 15 minutes until it breaks down completely. Transfer the rhubarb to a blender and blend until smooth, then
pass it through a fine sieve. Transfer to a serving bowl and keep until needed. This can be served hot or cold.

Melt the 75g butter in a large frying pan. Add the smoked bacon and fry, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until the bacon is crisp and the fat has rendered out. Add
the onions, reduce the heat to low and fry, stirring occasionally, for at least 5 minutes until they are softened, but not coloured. Stir in the breadcrumbs and sage and season with nutmeg and
salt. Keep to one side.

When you are ready to steam the buns, put about 5cm of water in a saucepan and line the base of a Chinese steamer basket that fits over the pan with baking parchment. Place the
buns in the steamer, a few at a time, and steam for 15 minutes.

When all the buns have been steamed, shred the pork from the bone. When ready to serve, cut each bun in half. Spoon in some sage and onion mix, followed by the rhubarb
purée and then the pork.

Hot pork buns with rhubarb sauce

The brine really helps to enhance the flavour and also helps to create really crisp crackling. This dish has been on the lunch menu at my pub on and off for a couple of years. The
cabbage salsa is a more iron-rich version of a classic Italian salsa verde. It cuts through the richness of the lentils and fat content of the pork.

Serves 4–6

For the brine

For the black cabbage salsa

About twenty-four hours before you plan to cook, make the brine. Mix all the ingredients together in a saucepan over a high heat and bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the
sugar and salt. Remove the pan from the heat and leave the brine to cool to room temperature. Place the pork belly in a non-metallic container and pour the brine over to cover. Cover the container
and put into the fridge for 24 hours.

When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 150°C/Gas Mark 2. Remove the pork belly from the brine and pat it dry. Place the pork belly on a wire rack in a roasting tray. Place
the tray in the oven and roast the pork belly for 2½–3 hours until tender, crispy and golden brown. Remove the pork belly from the oven and leave it to rest, uncovered, for at least 45
minutes before carving.

Meanwhile, heat the rapeseed oil in a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the bacon and fry, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes until it is crispy. Add the onion, reduce the
heat to low and continue frying until it is softened. Stir in the dried herbs and the lentils and stir for a further 1–2 minutes. Add the white wine and bring to the boil. Pour in the chicken
stock and turn the heat down. Leave the lentils to simmer, uncovered, for 25–30 minutes until they are just soft.

As close to serving as possible, make the black cabbage salsa. Bring a saucepan of water to the boil and place a bowl of iced water in the sink. Add the black cabbage to the
water and blanch for 2 minutes, or until just tender. Use a slotted spoon to remove the cabbage leaves and immediately plunge them into the iced water to stop the cooking and set the colour. Return
the water to the boil, then add the parsley and mint and blanch for about 1 minute. Use a slotted spoon to remove and immediately add to the iced water. When all the leaves are cool, drain well and
squeeze dry.

Chop the cabbage, mint, parsley, capers, anchovies and garlic together on a chopping board, then transfer to a bowl. Stir in the shallot, salt and cayenne, then grate in the
lemon zest. Stir in the olive oil to make a rough salsa. Slice the pork and serve with the salsa and lentils.

Brined pork belly and Puy lentils with black cabbage salsa

There used to be a proper butcher’s shop at the bottom of Westgate Street, in my hometown of Gloucester, where they made their own faggots and took them out of the oven just
in time for lunch. It was the ultimate fast food takeaway! Sadly the butchers are no longer there, but this is my version of their fantastic dish.

Makes 6–8 faggots