Sadly, we are now easing our way out of the warmer days, so thoughts will be turning to comfort food – and comforting fare that is a little easier on the pocket in these tough financial times.
This autumn, Make It Scotch – www.makeitscotch.com – is looking to inspire people to mix up their routine by switching to Specially Selected Pork. As bills soar, consumers can make their money go further by choosing cheaper cuts and slow-cooking a warming meal.
Specially Selected Pork is the perfect protein for creating comforting midweek meals and Friday night “fakeaways”.
Slow-cooked Specially Selected Pork chilli
(Serves 4-6)
Ingredients
- 1kg boneless Specially Selected Pork shoulder
- Salt and pepper
- 7 tsp chilli seasoning mix
- 1 tbsp Scottish rapeseed oil
- 1 large onion, roughly diced
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
- 500g passata
- 1 tbsp clear honey
- 400g can of kidney beans, drained
- 325g can of sweetcorn, drained
Method
- Untie the pork, remove all the skin and as much of the visible fat as possible (or you can ask your local butcher to do this for you). Wash and pat dry. Season lightly with salt and pepper then rub the chilli seasoning all over.
- You can make your own seasoning for this recipe by combining 1 to 1½ tsp dried chilli flakes with 1tbsp ground cumin, 1½ tsp each ground coriander and ground cinnamon and a little salt and pepper. Alternatively, use 7 tsp ready-made chilli or taco seasoning mix. Leave to stand for 20 minutes at room temperature before cooking.
- Meanwhile, preheat the slow cooker to high. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the onion and garlic for 5 minutes.
- Pour the passata into the frying pan, add the honey and heat until just beginning to boil.
- Place the pork in the slow cooker and pour the hot passata sauce over the top.
Cover the slow cooker top with a layer of foil shiny side down (for maximum heat retention) and then place the slow cooker lid on top. Cook on high for 3½ hours (or reduce to low and cook for about 7 hours) until very tender and falling apart. - Remove the pork from the sauce and put on a plate. Cover loosely with foil and leave to stand for 10 minutes.
- Skim away any fat from the passata sauce and pour into a saucepan. Stir in the beans and sweetcorn. Bring to the boil and simmer for 2-3 minutes until thoroughly heated. Cover and keep warm.
- To serve, using 2 forks, pull the pork apart, discarding any fat, and shred into chunky pieces. Pile into warm serving bowls and spoon over the bean and corn sauce. Serve the pork with sweet potato wedges, slaw-style salad and pea guacamole.
- For the crunchy slaw-style salad, mix shredded red cabbage with grated carrot and chopped spring onion, then toss in a dressing made from white wine vinegar and seasoning, sweetened with a little honey.
- For the guacamole, cook and cool 200g frozen peas (190g cooked weight), then pop in a blender with 50g reduced fat soft cheese with garlic and herbs, 2 trimmed and chopped spring onions (24g), 5g fresh coriander and the juice of 1 lime (10g). Blitz until smooth.
Tip: You can cook this recipe in a conventional oven if preferred. Preheat the oven to 170°C/150°C fan oven/340F/ Gas 3. Follow the recipe but place everything in a deep-lidded casserole dish rather than the slow cooker and pour in 300ml water. Cover the top with foil, then the lid and bake for about 3½ – 4 hours until very tender. Stand, covered, for 10 minutes before pulling apart to serve.