Continuing the clear out

Project clear the freezer continues. As it will for the next month until we move I am sure!

pork scratchings

When I was sorting through for all the parcels of poultry bits for my stock (which, by the way, has turned out to be one of the best broths I have ever made) I discovered that I had a lot of pork rind. Not entirely sure why, as I seldom take it off a piece of meat. They turned into some really excellent pork scratchings, seasoned with fennel and smoked paprika. Most of which we gave away to a pork-obsessed friend. But I have to say, a genuinely good pork scratching crumbled on top of a boiled egg on toast is a most superior breakfast and I can't believe all the posh brunch places don't do them.

I used up ground almonds, caster sugar and a jar of boozy plums making a very simple cake. It was just a creamed mixture of 2 eggs, 120g butter and 120g sugar with 100g ground almonds and 100g SR flour folded in, then the plums pushed into the batter. 5 minutes before it was properly cooked (about 45 minutes at 180C) I poured the rest of the boozy syrup over it. Very successful! I will have to do something similar with some of the cherry backlog.

About once a fortnight I make a vaguely Chinese sort of braised aubergine dish with lots of chilli heat, some pork and whatever greens I have to hand. This time I used up some lup cheong sausage and finished it with a good shake of sesame seeds. Also delicious. And I have a couple more sausages.

Clearing the freezer and pastures new

It has a roof now

There were definitely times when I wondered if it would ever happen, but we've finally, after 11 years of marriage and several ups and downs, bought a house. We've bought off the plan in a new development in a very pretty town a bit north of London, and in the next month to six weeks we will be moving.

I bloody hate moving.

We've lived in this house for 9 years, which is about as long as I have lived anywhere, and have accumulated all the possessions that you would imagine a pair of packrats would accumulate over that time.  So the process of sorting through our stuff and figuring out what actually needs to come with us is underway. Part of that process is, of course, clearing out the freezer and pantry.

Flapjacks, waiting for another layer of oat mixture

My cooking is likely to become increasingly eccentric over the next few weeks as I try to run down stocks of things. But this weekend it is relatively sensible. Barbecued pork ribs (with a glaze incorporating a couple of sad apples and the remnants of a jar of jelly), flapjacks (reducing stock of various baking bits) and soup (using up all the odds and ends of poultry wings and giblets in the freezer).

Flapjacks ready to eat

My flapjacks are based on this recipe from Sue from Mainly Baking. I kept the amount of butter, sugar and golden syrup the same but used 130g unsweetened dried sour cherries, 200g oats and 40g desiccated coconut. I pressed half the mixture into the tin, scattered with a few chunks of leftover dark chocolate Easter egg and then added the rest of the mixture. Very successful.

We've tried barbecuing pork ribs before, but I think these are the most successful so far. I made up a rub of salt, pepper, fennel seeds and smoked paprika and let them sit in that for a couple of hours, then we slowly smoked them for 3 hours before adding the apple puree mixture.

While they cooked for another couple of hours the apple dried down to a thick, rich glaze without burning. The racks unfortunately were not the same size - the smaller rack was perfect but the larger could have done with another hour. Of course, they were so good that Paul now wants a rematch, which will necessitate buying more of the ingredients I was trying to see the back of.

The leftovers, pulled off the bone and chopped, are providing me with very nice lunches.

When I started ferreting in the freezer for poultry bits for making stock, I had no idea quite how much there was. Chicken, cockerel and duck giblets, chicken wing tips, cockerel backs. Loads of stuff. It made a very good broth. And tonight I flavoured some of the broth with lime juice and fish sauce and cooked pork meatballs and some veg in it, then added coriander leaves, chopped chillies, slices onions and more lime juice.