This recipe never fails to please !

BRINE
¼ cup (60 ml) coarse salt (or if using table salt reduce by 2 T (30 ml))
¼ cup (60 ml) brown or yellow sugar
1 litre cold tap water

Mix all the ingredients together to dissolve.

1 kg pork loin roast, rolled with skin removed
olive oil
Ina Paarman's Rosemary & Olive Seasoning
500g pickling onions
1 x 200 ml Ina Paarman's Honey Mustard Coat & Cook Sauce

Pour the brine mixture into a resealable plastic bag. Add the meat. Roll the bag up tight against the meat so it is covered by the brine. Secure with a peg or clip. Leave at room temperature for 1 hour. (Minimum brining time is 30 minutes and maximum 6 hours).

Remove the meat from the brine and dry it off. Preheat oven to 170°C. Warm a heavy based frying pan until very hot. Add oil and swivel to coat the base of the pan. Brown the meat all around. Remove from the pan and season sparingly with Rosemary & Olive seasoning. Add the onions to the remaining oil in the pan and shake the pan vigorously to brown the onions all round.

Remove the onions and season with Rosemary & Olive seasoning. Add sauce to the pan. Return the meat to the pan and turn it around in the sauce to coat evenly. Add onions and shake to coat. Place the pan in the oven and roast, uncovered, at 170°C for 1 hour. Rest for 10-15 minutes, in the pan, covered. Remove string.

Slice into neat slices across the grain. Delicious served with baked potato wedges wrapped in bacon and baby cabbage ribbons dressed with olive oil and fresh parsley.

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All the accompaniments chosen for the pork loin will work with the soufflés.
Bake some potato wedges without bacon – still delicious!

This must be the quickest and easiest way to prepare soufflés. Absolutely foolproof using only 3 ingredients : cheese sauce, eggs and parmesan cheese.

1 x 200ml Ina Paarman's Ready to Serve Cheese Sauce
3 egg yolks
2 T (30 ml) grated pecorino or parmesan cheese
3 egg whites

Grease 3 soup bowls very generously with oil. Squeeze the Cheese Sauce into a medium size mixing bowl. Stir in the egg yolks one at a time, followed by the cheese. Beat the egg-whites in a clean glass or stainless steel mixing bowl, with clean beaters until stiff but not dry. Fold into the cheese mixture. Spoon into the bowls to fill 4/5 to the top.

Stand in a baking pan with 1cm deep boiling water.

Bake at 190°C for 20 minutes until well puffed and golden.

 Variation :

TWICE BAKED CHEESE SOUFFLÉS

An excellent way to pre-prepare soufflés. Don't attempt this method with one large soufflé – it will be too big and heavy to puff up nicely the second time around. But the small ones work like a dream.

In addition you will need:

1 cup (250 ml) cream
Ina Paarman's Chilli & Garlic Seasoning

When preparing the bowls, line the bases with baking paper circles.

HOW TO BAKE FOR THE SECOND TIME

The baking of the soufflés as in above recipe can be done up to a day ahead of serving. Don't be concerned if the soufflés deflate on cooling. Just before serving, unmould each soufflé onto an individual shallow ovenproof dish or side-plate. Warm the cream in a measuring jug in the microwave and pour over the soufflés.

Bake for a second time at 180°C for 10-15 minutes or until most of the cream has been absorbed and the soufflés are puffed. Serve immediately. Sprinkle with a dash of the Garlic & Chilli seasoning.

4 medium/large potatoes, washed but unpeeled
Ina Paarman's Green Onion Seasoning
Olive oil
250g smoked rindless streaky bacon
chives to garnish

Cut the potatoes into thick wedges and steam until just done. Season and toss with a generous coating of olive oil, then leave to cool. Roll each wedge of potato in half a strip of bacon. Place in an ovenproof dish, seam side down, and bake at 180°C for about 35 minutes until bacon is crispy. Serve hot. Garnish with finely sliced chives.

 Chef's Tip :

Oven temperature is not important, if your oven is already set at 170°C or 200°C just adjust the baking time – the wedges will happily cook at a wide range of temperatures.

Cabbage is often overcooked and overlooked! This vegetable is excellent with pork. The trick is to steam the cabbage until just done so that it retains its fresh green colour. My choice would always be either baby cabbage or a crisp young spitskoppie.

Steam the finely sliced cabbage in a steamer on top of the stove or in a micro steamer for 7 minutes until bright green and just cooked. Dish the cabbage into a glass mixing bowl and add olive oil, parsley and seasoning to taste. Toss to blend. If preparing in advance, reheat just before serving or serve straight away.

This apple bake deserves the compliment of one of my past students: “It's heavenly!”

750 g Granny Smith apples (about 6 medium-sized)
¼ cup (62,5 ml) honey
2 T (30 ml) butter
1 stick of cinnamon
1 t (5 ml) grated lemon peel
1 t (5 ml) lemon juice
2 T (30 ml) brandy

Peel, core and thickly slice the apples. Make a syrup by boiling the honey, butter, cinnamon, lemon peel, and brandy together. Add the apple slices and simmer for 10 minutes. Spoon into buttered individual ovenproof dishes.

ALMOND TOPPING

100g butter
100 g castor sugar
2 eggs, beaten
100 g raw almonds finely chopped in a processor or by hand

Cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and beat well. Fold in the almonds. Spoon over the apples in the pie dish/es. Bake at 180°C for 45 minutes until golden-brown and done. Make a hole in the top with the handle of a teaspoon and fill with custard. Serve.

Chef's Tip :

Granny Smith apples are seasonal. If not available use any apple that is fresh. You may need about 8 apples as the Granny Smith's are bigger and heavier.

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