Pork from Bantry
I cooked the best roast pork ever at the weekend. It came from Maughanasilly organic farm in Kealkill, Bantry Co Cork from a a cross between Mangolitsa (a curly haired Hungarian breed of pig) and wild boar. I roasted a full leg for four hours giving it 30 minutes at 220c and lowering it to 170c for the remaining time. Nothing added but salt on the skin. The farm doesn’t have a lot more of this breed, but does saddleback pork which has superb flavour. This is pork which has so much taste you need little else with it. The crackling was delicious, the meat tender and falling off the bone. Slow cooking was the trick. Gravy was just the meat juices and no-one wanted my apple sauce to mute the flavours. Whole steamed carrots, stir-fried Savoy cabbage with a dash of sweet chilli sauce and roast potatoes, par-boiled and tossed in the pork fat was quite enough. Martin and Yvon O’Flynn sell at Bantry farmers’ market on Fridays and soon will be in Bandon market on Saturdays. They will also take orders for joints and sides for later in the year and will be doing turkeys for Christmas. If the pork is anything to go by, the turkeys will be well worth buying. Martin makes baskets so you may come across him at music festivals during the year. Watch this space for news of their produce. Ring them at 027 66111.
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Roz Crowley 