Pork neck with courgettes, Swiss chard and pasta (Photo: Dietmar Horn) Pork neck with courgettes, Swiss chard and pasta from Dietmar Horn
During my childhood, meat was only served a few days a week. The widespread availability of discount meat from factory farms doesn’t contribute to its quality or appreciation, and it’s detrimental to animal welfare, the environment and our health. But since reconnecting with our usual diet some time ago, meat and fish are on our menu about three times a week.
For this dish, I used only the tender green leaves of the Swiss chard; baby spinach works just as well. The pork neck comes from regional, humane animal husbandry.
Ingredients for 4 servings
Pork neck
4 steaks, 200g each
Coarse salt
Coarsely ground pepper
Garlic
Olive oil for marinating
Ghee for frying
1 red onion
Pinch of sugar
Tomato paste
Worcestershire sauce
Vegetables
3 courgettes
300g Swiss chard leaves or baby spinach
1 shallot
1 clove of garlic
Butter, olive oil, lemon
Spice mix (equal parts): Coriander seeds, fennel seeds, ground cumin
Mediterranean herbs
Grated nutmeg
Pasta
300g of your choice of pasta (I find spaetzle goes well with this)
Method
Pork neck
Remove the pork neck from the fridge, brush with garlic and oil, and let it come to room temperature for 1-2 hours.
Cut the red onion into thin strips.
Sear the patted-dry steaks in ghee on both sides, season with salt and pepper, and keep warm at about 70°C for 15-20 minutes.
Add sliced onions and a pinch of sugar to the hot pan to deglaze it, season with tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce, and place on top of the steaks before serving.
Vegetables
Blanch chard leaves or baby spinach in boiling salted water for two minutes, then plunge into ice water, drain, and set aside.
Melt a little butter in olive oil and sauté the finely chopped shallot.
Cut the courgettes into wedges about 7 cm long, drizzle with lemon juice, sprinkle with a little salt, and add to the pan.
Sprinkle with the spice mix and herbs, and simmer gently for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir in the blanched chard/spinach, season with grated nutmeg, and cook for another 5-7 minutes.
Pasta
Cook the pasta according to the package directions.
Serve on preheated plates.
Lamb shanks Youvetsi from David Bass
Since my first taste of Youvetsi on Skyros 30 years ago, this is the most comforting comfort food I know. To reduce the effort, use a prepared pasta sauce instead of making the tomato sauce from scratch. Apart from that, just enjoy.
Ingredients
2-4 lamb shanks, depending on size
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 jar seasoned tomato sauce (e.g. Marinara pasta sauce)
1 cinnamon stick
3 cups of boiling water
1 ½ cups of orzo
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup of grated kefalotyri or other hard sheep’s milk cheese
Method
Heat your oven to 180°C (no fan).
Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy oven-proof casserole or pot.
Mix one teaspoon each of the cumin and cinnamon powder and rub into the lamb shanks, and then brown them all over in the heated oil.
Add the tomato sauce, remainder of the cumin powder, cinnamon stick and one cup of boiling water to the casserole. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Cover the casserole with a heavy lid or tightly with two layers of heavy tin foil. Place in the heated oven and cook for 2 hours, turning the lamb shanks after an hour. Add water if the sauce starts to stick to the casserole.
Remove the casserole from the oven and add the orzo and remaining 2 cups of water. Re-cover and return to the oven for 20 minutes or until the orzo grains are soft and plump.
Sprinkle the grated cheese over the sauce (not the lamb shanks) and place uncovered under the grill until the cheese starts to brown.
Remove from the oven, allow to rest for 15 minutes, drizzle with olive oil and serve. The only accompaniment you may need is a light Greek salad. DM