Gordons Pig

Costolette di Maiale con Gin, Ginepro, Cavolo a Punta, e Purè di Patate ai Germogli di Senapa
Pork Cutlets with Gin, Juniper, Pointed Cabbage and Mustard-Sprout Mashed Potato

Oh, the Queen Mum would have loved this- but alas I had to eat her portion for her AND down a gin and tonic as I prepared supper tonight. Gin and indeed the Juniper berries it is made from, are wonderful flavors to incorporate into hearty, dishes such as this. Perfect with the cabbage as well as the pork, I was delighted to use a couple of shots of my favorite drink tonight... whilst sipping a couple of my own...


Again, that yummy, pointy German cabbage! It has got to be the most pleasant of all the cabbage varieties- mild, aromatic, quick cooking and delicious! For this dish, I cracked a couple of Juniper berries- I think 2 or 3 maybe and ground them with some rock salt, a half teaspoon of caraway seeds and a little sugar in my mortar and pestle. The shredded cabbage went into a frying pan with a little water. I turned the heat up high and let the cabbage wilt down, for 2-3 minutes, until the water was gone and the cabbage was already half cooked. I then added the flavored salt/juniper/caraway/sugar mix and a little clarified butter and started preparing the pork...

I melted some clarified butter and added the pork, along with a nice sprinkle of smoked, spicy paprika flakes. I got these wonderful large flakes of smokey-hot paprika at the indoor market on Saturday at a Persian stall- although they are supposedly Spanish in origin. I fried the pork briefly on each side for just a couple of minutes and then deglazed the pan with a good shot of gin, which took up all of the "burned-on" goodness from the bottom of the pan (and in this case it is really good!). As a little "curtesy" to the Queen Mum, I used Gordons Gin of course! I added a squeeze of lime, a little crushed garlic, a couple of sprigs of thyme, a little honey, a hint of cinnamon and a little white wine and reduced the heat, so that the pork would remain moist whilst I whipped-up the potatoes, without drying out too much...


The mashed potatoes were simply seasoned with salt, pepper and a little nutmeg, whipped up with a little milk and a pat of butter at the end and then stirred together with a good handful of beetroot sprouts. These give a hint of mustard-like tang to the potatoes and make them just that little bit more special!


So it was time to serve... I set the pork on a bed of shredded cabbage , added a scoop of mashed potato and decorated with a sprinkle more of the yummy purple-red and green sprouts and enjoyed it all immensely! And I know for sure that you will too!