Pork rillettes with fennel

Like many of the best recipes this came about by accident. I bought a box of free-range organic pork and didn’t have enough room for it all in the freezer so left out 4 thick slices of pork belly ...

I originally thought of giving them an Asian spin but suddenly hit on the idea of rillettes, spiced not in the classic French way but Italian-style with fennel. A great success and a handy dish to have to dig into mid-week.

Serves 8

2 tsp flaked or coarse sea-salt
1 tsp black peppercorns
2 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp dried thyme or herbes de Provence
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
About 700g-750g good quality organic pork belly cut into 4 thick slices
2 tbsp olive oil
2 bayleaves + a couple more for decoration

You will also need a pat dish or earthenware bowl, about 725ml (1 1/4 pints) in capacity)

Put 1 teaspoon of the salt and the peppercorns and fennel seeds into a mortar and bash with a pestle until roughly ground. Add the thyme or herbes de Provence, grind again them add the chopped garlic and pound until you have a wettish paste.

Put the pork belly pieces side by side in a small roasting tin and rub with the oil. Season both sides with the garlic paste rubbing it in well and tuck a piece of bayleaf between each piece. Cover loosely with foil, put in a hot oven (200°C/Gas 6) for 10 minutes then turn the heat right down to 130°C and cook for about 3-4 hours until the meat is practically falling apart. (I cooked mine overnight in the simmering oven of the Aga.) Cool for about half an hour then pour off the fat and pan juices.

Cut away any skin, remove the bones then pull the meat apart with a couple of forks. You can take out a bit of the fat behind if you want to but it’s fat that gives rillettes its flavour and spreadable texture. Sprinkle over the remaining salt, mix together and pack into a lightly greased pat dish or earthenware dish. Skim off the excess fat from the roasting juices and pour it over the surface of the pork.

Decorate the dish/bowl with some bayleaves and a few peppercorns, cover with cling film and leave in the fridge to set for at least 12 hours, preferably overnight. Bring to room temperature for an hour before serving with sourdough toast and cornichons or cippolini (balsamic glazed onions).

What to drink: This needs a fresh-tasting wine with good acidity to cut through the fat. Beaujolais is the classic match for French charcuterie but you could easily accompany it with a young Italian red like a Langhe nebbiolo.

Slow-cooked ox cheek in spicy tomato sauce

A warming wintry recipe from José Pizarro's Catalonia - the perfect dish to cook as the nights draw in.

José writes: "If you go to Palafrugell, you must visit the market. It’s a great place to go for all the food you’ll need for the day or weekend ahead, and you’ll inevitably end up buying many things you didn’t go there for, just because there’s so much choice.

The farmers are very proud of what they’ve brought to market, so spend a little time chatting to them and they’ll be delighted.

On the day we went, the ox cheek that was available was just stunning, so we made this dish for our lunch."

Slow-cooked ox cheek in spicy tomato sauce

Serves 6

4 tablespoons olive oil

1.5 kg (3 lb 5 oz) ox cheek in large chunks

2 tablespoons plain (all-purpose) flour, to dust

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 carrots, finely chopped

1 stick celery, finely chopped

6 anchovies, chopped

2 teaspoons sweet smoked pimentón

2 teaspoons hot smoked pimentón

handful thyme sprigs

300 ml (10 fl oz) red wine

2 × 400 g (14 oz) tins chopped tomatoes

150 ml (5 fl oz) chicken stock

Heat half the oil in a casserole dish. Dust the ox cheek in the plain flour with plenty of seasoning, add to the dish and brown in batches. Set aside.

Heat the rest of the oil in the pan and fry the onion, carrot and celery for 10 minutes until softened. Add the anchovies and pimentón and cook for a minute. Then add the thyme and red wine and bubble until reduced by half.

Add the tomatoes and stock and bring to the boil. Simmer gently, covered for 2 hours. Uncover and cook for a further 30 minutes – 1 hour, or until the ox cheek is really tender and the sauce reduced and thickened. Rest for 15 minutes then serve with a chicory & pomegranate salad (also in the book) if you like.

What to drink: You really want a big rich red such as a Priorat with this dish FB

Catalonia: Recipes from Barcelona and Beyond by José Pizarro (Hardie Grant, £25) Photography © Laura Edwards

Baingan Bharta - roasted smoky aubergine

I've been lucky enough to eat my friend Romy Gill's food on many occasions - she's an inspired home cook - so it's great to finally see her recipes in print.

This is one of her favourites from her lovely new book Zaika, which she describes as her 'ultimate desert island dish'.

Romy writes: The beauty of Indian food is that it not only has regional dishes but families cook each of these in so many ways. If you don’t like one method, you can just cook it another way! Baingan bharta with dal and roti would be my ultimate desert island dish; the perfect balance of smoky aubergine and the warmth of the green chillies is so divine.

The aubergines are roasted on the hob and then left to cool down before peeling off the skin and mashed; this recipe is how my mum made it, so I give her all the credit.

30 minutes

SERVES 3

2 medium-sized aubergines

6 tsp rapeseed oil

1 tsp cumin seeds

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

3 medium onions, finely chopped

3 green chillies, seeds in, finely chopped

2 tomatoes, finely chopped

20g coriander leaves, finely chopped

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp salt

Roti, to serve (there is a recipe in the book)

Roast the aubergines over a gas burner on the hob over a medium heat using a pair of tongs to hold them, or under a preheated hot grill. Either way, turn the veg regularly for even roasting. Allow to cool, then when cool enough to handle, peel off the roasted skin. Mash the flesh in a large bowl.

Heat the oil in a pan, add the cumin seeds, then add the garlic and stir for 1 minute. Add the onions and chillies, cook for 4–5 minutes over a high heat and keep stirring. Once the onions are translucent, add the chopped tomatoes and coriander to the pan and cook for 3–4 minutes. When the tomatoes have broken down into the onions, add the rest of the spices and salt and mix together well. Finally, stir in the mashed aubergine and cook for 5 minutes over a medium heat.

Serve with roti.

What to drink: I'd probably drink lassi with this or one of the lovely soft drinks in the book but you could drink a light aromatic white like a sylvaner or riesling (I know Romy's favourite is the Kung Fu Girl riesling) or a rosé.

Extracted from Zaika: vegan recipes from India by Romy Gill, published by Seven Dials at £20. Photo ©Del Sneddon.

What wine to pair with curry: my top five picks

Roast leg of lamb with basil, pecorino, garlic and wine

If you want to ring the changes on your Sunday roast try this delicious recipe from Diana Henry's brilliant new book From the Oven to the Table.

Diana writes: "This came about after I cooked a Greek dish that had a stuffing made from a Greek cheese (not unlike pecorino) and ground allspice. I’d never thought about a cheese stuffing for lamb before. So this is just something that came out of my kitchen for Sunday lunch one week: Italian ingredients, Greek-inspired.

serves 6–8

120g (4¼oz) pecorino cheese, finely grated

6 garlic cloves, finely grated

sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more if needed

leaves from a small bunch of basil, plus more to serve (optional)

1.8kg (4lb) leg of lamb

2 medium red onions, cut into wedges

600g (1lb 5oz) small waxy potatoes, scrubbed, then halved or quartered, depending on size

350g (12oz) red and yellow tomatoes, halved or quartered

250ml (9fl oz) white wine

Preheat the oven to 220°C fan (450°F), Gas Mark 8.

Put the cheese, garlic and some salt into a mortar and pound to a rough purée, gradually adding the olive oil. Tear the basil leaves, add them to the mortar and pound them, too.

Place the leg of lamb in a roasting tin. Make deep incisions all over it and push the paste from the mortar down into them. You can also loosen the meat around the bone to make a pocket and push the paste into that, too. Season all over and put into the oven.

Roast for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 180°C fan (375°F), Gas Mark 5. Add the onions, potatoes and tomatoes to the roasting tin, toss them in the fat in the pan, adding a little more oil if it’s needed to moisten them, then season and roast for a final 45 minutes, adding the wine after 20 minutes. The lamb will be pink. If you prefer it more well done, cook itfor a little longer.

Remove the lamb to a plate, cover with foil, insulate well (I use old towels or tea towels) and leave to rest for 15 minutes. If the potatoes are tender, cover them and keep warm in a low oven while the lamb rests; if they’re still a bit firm, increase the oven temperature to 200°C fan (410°F), Gas Mark 6½, return the vegetables to the oven, uncovered, and cook until they’re ready.

Serve the lamb with the potatoes, tomatoes and onions, scattered with a few basil leaves, if you like.

What to drink: Given the inspiration is Greek and the ingredients Italian I'd go for a Greek or an Italian wine - it could be white or red. For a Greek red look for an agiorgitiko or for a white, an assyrtiko. For an Italian red Chianti would actually go pretty well or a light Sicilian red such as frappato or nerello mascalese. Or almost any dry Italian white - I'd fancy a Greco di Tufo.

This recipe comes from From the Oven to the Table: Simple dishes that look after themselves by Diana Henry is published by Mitchell Beazley, £25.00,www.octopusbooks.co.uk. Photograph © Laura Edwards