Chargrilled Pork with Herbs and Lemon

Have you ever cooked pork steaks on the grill and ended up with pieces of pork that tasted of cardboard? I most definitely have and I was determined to find a solution to this frustrating problem. I presented the dilemma to my butcher, and she had a solution. I had been cooking with the wrong cut of pork. Her recommendation was to use pork neck. She promised me it was the juiciest and tastiest cut. And she was absolutely right. Pork neck certainly surpasses all other cuts of pork for succulence and flavour and is perfect for grilling. I like to marinate my pork with fresh rosemary and lemon zest and serve it with a very simple sauce made with fresh herbs from my garden and a peppery extra virgin olive oil. Clean, fresh and simple flavours.

Ingredients
500g pork neck, cut into 4 steaks
1-2 sprigs rosemary
The zest of 1 lemon, julienned
Fresh black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil (peppery)
Sea salt
Lemon wedges, to serve

For the herb sauce
Spring onion (or scallion), very finely chopped
Fresh rosemary, finely chopped
Fresh sage, finely chopped
Fresh thyme, finely chopped
Sea salt
Fresh black pepper

Method
Lightly bash the pork steaks with a rolling pin.
Rub them with the lemon zest, rosemary needles, pepper and extra virgin olive oil. Do not add salt at this stage.
Allow them to marinate overnight, covered in the fridge.
Preheat a grill pan to very hot.
Remove the lemon zest and rosemary needles from the pork steaks.
Season with salt and grill them until cooked to your liking. I like my pork pink in the center- well done pork is vile.
Allow the steaks to rest, while you prepare the sauce.
Combine all the herbs for the sauce, with the spring onion, salt, pepper and olive oil to taste.
Drizzle over the pork steaks, and serve with lemon wedges.
These steaks are fabulous with a salad of radicchio and borlotti beans tossed with a mustard and red wine vinegar vinaigrette. Serves 2.

Chargrilled Lamb with Lime and Mint

Happy religious greetings! Whether that’s Easter or Passover or just an excuse for chocolate...

I am fortunate that I have access to fresh herbs growing in the communal garden of our apartment. Amongst the flowers and vegetables, there is mint in many varieties- peppermint, spearmint, regular mint and Vietnamese mint (rua ram), which is not really a mint. My original idea was Salsa Verde, but the different types of mints on hand allowed me to produce something new. The result was a mix of English Mint Sauce, Italian Salsa Verde and a South East Asian combo of Lime and Vietnamese Mint. A fabulous threesome.

It will make life easier if you ask your butcher to bone and butterfly the leg of lamb. Of course, if you have those skills then you may prefer to do this task yourself.
Quantities for this dish will be dependant on the size of the lambs leg and the amount of people you are feeding.

Ingedients
1 leg of lamb, boned and butterflied

For the marinade
Garlic, finely chopped
Lime zest, julienned
Parsley, chopped
Mint, chopped
Sea salt
Fresh black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil.

For the sauce
Spinach
Spring onion (or scallion, if you are American)
Mint
Parsley
Extra virgin olive oil
Freshly squeezed lime juice
Pinch of sugar
Sea salt

Method
Remove the fat and sinew from the boned leg of lamb. Cut the lamb into 3, 4 or 5 equal pieces, depending on the size of the leg. Use a rolling pin to bash the lamb pieces into uniform thickness, to allow similar cooking times.
Combine all the marinade ingredients to taste and rub all over the lamb pieces. Cover and leave to marinate for as long as you wish.
Preheat the chargrill to very hot.
Scrape off most of the marinade from the lamb.
Grill the lamb, turning them once, until cooked to your liking.
Whilst the lamb is cooking, prepare the mint sauce. Wilt a handful of spinach in saucepan with a few drops of water, over a high heat. Allow to drain in a sieve. When cool, chop finely. The spinach is used to soften the flavour of the mint- allow your tastebuds to guide you. Combine all the marinade ingredients to taste and set aside.
You can prepare the sauce ahead of time, if that suits. I like to make it at the last minute to preserve the fresh flavours of the lime and mint.
When the lamb is cooked and ready, remove to a wooden board and allow it to rest for a few minutes. Cut the lamb into slices 1cm thick.
Serve with the lamb with the Lime and Mint Sauce and a platter of roasted veggies -Beetroot, carrot, fennel, pumpkin and potatoes in Autumn.
If you are reading this and it is Spring in your part of the world, a dish of Vignarola would go perfectly alongside.