The Cottage Smallholder

Photo: Pork risotto

Ever since I saw the Compassion in World farming videos we have only been buying free range pork. These videos expose the terrible conditions that many factory farmed pigs live in and whenever I reach for a cheap pack of pork I remember the images and quickly pass by. Buying free range pork can be a bit alarming as it is expensive. Happy pork does taste much, much better and is savoured at the cottage as a real treat.

Even though we have been avoiding cheap pork for months, I was dismayed when I saw the size of joint that Danny bought home last Sunday. It cost over £7 and would barely feed three.

The obvious choice for the chunky leftover slice was a risotto – you can make a tasty risotto with very little meat. The flavour of the free range pork comes into its own here. A little goes a long way.

Danny has been doing most of the cooking at the cottage for the past few weeks. All my spare energy has been focussed on the garden and by early evening I’m exhausted and just want to eat and go to bed. Not being a gardening type Danny pops on his apron and rustles up supper instead. It’s a good trade as D is a talented chef. He had plans for the pork but his face lit up when I suggested that I made a risotto instead.

So as I sorted out the ingredients Danny grabbed the watering cans and disappeared into the garden.

As always I was surprised how quick risotto is to make. Comfort food that uses up leftovers that have been lurking in the fridge is deeply satisfying.

Then I discovered that we had no Parmesan cheese. A wild thrashing in the fridge threw up a small lump of very old, dry handmade cheddar cheese. When finely grated it looked and felt just like Parmesan. Danny didn’t notice the difference until I pointed it out to him – he jumped immediately from the table and added Parmesan to the list with a bold hand. I’d give it 6/10 as a substitute if you find yourself Parmesan bereft but it does have to be dried out cheddar.

Pork risotto recipe with mushrooms, sweet peppers and tomatoes (for 2 hungry people)

Ingredients:

2 tbsp of olive oil
100g of chopped onion
200g of  Arborio rice
200 g of chopped tomatoes
150 g of orange bell pepper
100g of chopped mushrooms (stalks included)
1 tsp of garlic granules
1 heaped tsp of roughly chopped Greek basil (well worth investing in as it’s much stronger than ordinary basil)
200g of cooked pork (chopped)
500ml of hot vegetable stock (I used a heaped tsp of vegetable stock powder to make this)
1 tsp of mushroom ketchup
1 tsp of anchovy sauce
5 tsp of finely grated Parmesan

Method:
Heat the olive oil in a large heavy bottomed sauté pan.
Gently fry the onion until it becomes translucent.
Add the Arborio rice and stir to coat the rice with the oil.
Add the garlic granules and stir.
Add the chopped tomatoes, pepper, mushrooms, anchovy sauce, mushroom ketchup, two tsp of the grated cheese and half the Greek basil.
Immediately add the hot stock about 100ml at a time and stir until it is absorbed.
When the rice is soft but still has a bite stir remove from the heat and stir in the chopped pork. Cover the pan for five minutes to allow the meat to heat through.
Sprinkle with the rest of the grated parmesan cheese, garnish with Greek basil and serve on warm plates.
N.B. This dish is also excellent cold as a snack straight from the fridge!