Chinese Pork Hocks

2 large pork hocks (about 750 grams each)

4 tablespoons brown sugar

100 ml soy sauce (light is best)

250 ml chicken stock

250 ml rice wine

50 grams fresh ginger sliced

2 cloves garlic sliced

2 star anise

1 red chilli opened and left whole

Place all ingredients into a roasting tin and cover with a double layer of foil.  Preheat oven to 150 degrees C.  Roast for two and a half hours turning hocks after one hour and a half.   Remove foil and cook for another hour and a half hours basting with the juices every half an hour.

Take the pork from the oven and rest. 

In the meantime you can reduce the pan juices on the stove by a half to enhance the flavours and richness of the sauce.  This isn’t necessary however as the sauce tastes great. 

Cut the hocks into large pieces discarding the skin and most of the fat. 

Serve on brown rice or Udon noodles. 

Oxtail Stew in Crockpot or Slow cooked in oven

1 Ox Tail

1 onion chopped

1 leek sliced

2 cloves garlic chopped 

500 grams bacon from Farm Gate streaky is good

2 carrots sliced

1 tin of tomatoes

2 tablespoons flour

1 tsp marjoram

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp mixed herbs

Pepper

1 tablespoon lea and perrins sauce

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 tablespoons tomato puree

½ cup water or red wine

Trim excess fat from oxtail

Put flour, marjoram, oregano, mixed herbs and pepper into a plastic bag.  Add the oxtail and shake until coated.

Brown oxtail in a frying pan and rest on paper towels

Place sliced carrots into the bottom of crockpot

Place oxtail on top of carrots

Pour tinned tomatoes over oxtail

Brown onion, leek,garlic and bacon in fry pan that oxtail was  browned in.  Add lee and perrins, soy, tomato puree and water or wine and stir until this thickens.  You may need to add more liquid if you think it is too thick.  Either use more water, wine or even chicken stock..

Pour on top of oxtail cook on LOW for 7 hours in crockpot or in a slow oven turning oxtail two or three times. 

Beef and Mushroom Casserole

Serves 3-4 

2 onions

4  rashers “Farm Gate” loin bacon chopped

2 cloves garlic 

1 tbs oil

750 grams blade steak

1 tsp paprika

2 tbs lee and perrins sauce (Worcestershire sauce)

2 tbs tomato paste

1 can Campbells Mushroom Soup (condensed)

Mushrooms as many as you want chopped into quarters or leave whole.  

Brown onions, bacon, garlic in non stick pan over medium/high heat for 5-6 minutes until just brown.  Place in crock pot which has been turned on to HIGH.

Cut meat into large cubes and put in crock pot with paprika, lee and perrins, tomato paste, mushroom soup chopped  mushrooms which have been cut into quarters.

Turn crock pot to low and cook 8 hours.  If you are around stir it but otherwise don’t worry.  

Serve on lots of rice or pasta with sour cream on the top and parsley or coriander or just pepper.