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Planning an alfresco feast? Let this pork loin with a sticky orange and
ginger glaze take centre stage. Oozing with flavour, it will sing in the company
of a couple of deliciously fresh and super simple co-stars
Glazed and infused:
a summer showstopper
ooking for people is a treat, like giving somebody a gift, so lunch in the garden is my gift to my friends and family. I put tables out under the trees, people pass big bowls around and load their plates with delicious things, and everybody’s happy.
My travels have always inspired my food and when I lived in Cyprus we’d go up to the villages, to tiny restaurants with rickety old chairs on cobblestones. They love pork in Cyprus, cooking it in the outdoor kitchens they use for half the year.
My English pork loin with orange and ginger brings a sunkissed flavour to a summer lunch in the garden. I don’t have any qualms about putting fruit with meat – if it works, put it in there!
The Tesco Finest crackling pork loin joint is expertly hand-scored for the perfect crackling, especially when combined with the sticky sweetness of the orange and honey. Serve the crackling separately, with extra glaze, in a little dish.
Because pork is slightly sweet, roasted baby carrots with chicory, coriander and salty feta would work alongside. And I’d do a warm lentil salad – pan fry halloumi so it’s lacy and crispy on the outside, throw in some beetroot and do a simple citrusy dressing.
Dauphinoise potatoes – a little less creamy than normal so it can be cut into neat squares and rewarmed with some cheese sprinkled on top – would be good too. Afterwards, it’s got to be trifle. I’ve gooseberries in the garden – a gooseberry trifle is fabulous after pork because it has that tart, sharp sweetness.
My mother and grandmother were incredible cooks – my grandmother had a Scandinavian background and married a Frenchman, and my father was born and brought up in Spain. All these flavours have been around since I can remember and now I’m teaching my son to cook. When we roast pork, I tell him it’s in shock because it’s been in a hot oven. If you let it relax, it’s beautifully tender.
So make sure it’s ready 20 minutes before everything else, or just grab yourself a glass of wine and chill while it relaxes. Lunch is about sitting down together – nobody minds if it’s five minutes late.
Alex Hollywood is the author of Cooking Tonight and My Busy Kitchen – A Lifetime of Family Recipes, both published by Hodder & Stoughton
Summer orange and ginger pork loin
with apricot mustard
Alex
Hollywood
And for the sides...
INGREDIENTS (SERVES 6)
• Tesco Finest crackling pork loin joint, around 2kg
• Olive oil
FOR THE GLAZE
FOR THE APRICOT MUSTARD
TO GARNISH
• 50ml orange juice
• 1 tbsp stem ginger syrup
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp honey
• 200g apricot jam
• 100g Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp brandy (or Metaxa,
if you have it)
• Generous pinch of
chilli flakes
METHOD
Calculate the total cooking time for your joint based on its weight – I allow 35 minutes per 500g, plus another 35 minutes.
Heat the oven to 240C/220C fan/gas mark 9. Pat the pork dry thoroughly, and generously massage with olive oil, sea salt and cracked black pepper.
Roast in the hottest part of the oven for 20 minutes, then turn it down to 200C/180C fan/gas mark 6.
Mix together all the ingredients for the glaze (using just the syrup from the stem ginger, not the pieces).
For the apricot mustard, combine all the ingredients in a pan with some seasoning, simmer briefly to thicken and reduce, and set aside to cool.
Eight minutes before the end, turn the oven back up to 240C/220C fan/gas mark 9 and brush the joint with the orange and ginger glaze every couple of minutes, making sure it doesn’t burn. You want the crackling to be golden, not blackened.
Allow the joint to rest before carving and serving with the apricot mustard. I like to remove the crackling and serve it separately, garnished with fresh coriander.
C
INGREDIENTS (SERVES 6)
• 300g baby carrots
• 270g chicory
• 30g coriander
• 1 lemon
• 1 tbsp honey
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 200g feta cheese
• Handful of walnuts,
toasted and crushed
• Fresh coriander
Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas mark 6. Toss around the baby carrots in a little olive oil and a pinch of sea salt, put on a baking tray with a couple of tbsp of water, then roast until the carrots start to colour (15-20 minutes, depending on the size).
Five minutes before the end of cooking time, roughly core and chop up the chicory and sprinkle on top of the carrots to wilt slightly, then remove from the oven.
When cooled, sprinkle the carrots and chicory with chopped fresh coriander.
To make the dressing, mix 2 tbsp lemon juice and 1 tbsp zest with the honey and and olive oil. Season, taste and adjust to your preference.
Finally, crumble the feta over the salad, sprinkle on the walnuts and drizzle with the dressing before serving.
Carrot and chicory salad
METHOD
Rinse the lentils, drain and set aside.
Chop up the beetroot and toss with the lentils, finely sliced red onion, rocket leaves and some chopped fresh chives and parsley.
Cut the halloumi block into thick slices. Heat a pan, add a little olive oil and fry the halloumi until golden and lacy on each side. Remove from the heat and drizzle with a little honey.
In a jar, mix the olive oil and white wine vinegar with a pinch of caster sugar. Season with salt and pepper, shake and taste.
To serve, lay the halloumi on the salad and drizzle with the dressing.
METHOD
INGREDIENTS (SERVES 6)
• 250g ready-cooked
puy lentils
• Whole cooked beetroot, around 180g
• Half a red onion
• Handful of wild rocket, around 60g
• Chives and parsley, to taste
• 225g halloumi
• Drizzle of honey
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• Pinch of caster sugar
Cheat’s lentil and halloumi salad
Come together with Tesco Finest
crackling pork loin joint this summer
Photography: HOWARD SHOOTER. FOOD Styling: DENISE SMART FOR BRIDGE STUDIO
promoted content
Cooking for people is a treat, like giving somebody a gift, so lunch in the garden is my gift to my friends and family. I put tables out under the trees, people pass big bowls around and load their plates with delicious things, and everybody’s happy.
My travels have always inspired my food and when I lived in Cyprus we’d go up to the villages, to tiny restaurants with rickety old chairs on cobblestones. They love pork in Cyprus, cooking it in the outdoor kitchens they use for half the year.
My English pork loin with orange and ginger brings a sunkissed flavour to a summer lunch in the garden. I don’t have any qualms about putting fruit with meat – if it works, put it in there!
The Tesco Finest crackling pork loin joint is expertly hand-scored for the perfect crackling, especially when combined with the sticky sweetness of the orange and honey. Serve the crackling separately, with extra glaze, in a little dish.
Because pork is slightly sweet, roasted baby carrots with chicory, coriander and salty feta would work alongside. And I’d do a warm lentil salad – pan fry halloumi so it’s lacy and crispy on the outside, throw in some beetroot and do a simple citrusy dressing.
Dauphinoise potatoes – a little less creamy than normal so it can be cut into neat squares and rewarmed with some cheese sprinkled on top – would be good too. Afterwards, it’s got to be trifle. I’ve gooseberries in the garden – a gooseberry trifle is fabulous after pork because it has that tart, sharp sweetness.
My mother and grandmother were incredible cooks – my grandmother had a Scandinavian background and married a Frenchman, and my father was born and brought up in Spain. All these flavours have been around since I can remember and now I’m teaching my son to cook. When we roast pork, I tell him it’s in shock because it’s been in a hot oven. If you let it relax, it’s beautifully tender.
So make sure it’s ready 20 minutes before everything else, or just grab yourself a glass of wine and chill while it relaxes. Lunch is about sitting down together – nobody minds if it’s five minutes late.
Alex Hollywood is the author of Cooking Tonight and My Busy Kitchen – A Lifetime of Family Recipes, both published by Hodder & Stoughton