Roger's Recipes

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Crawfords Butchers (020 8422 4922)

39 Oldfields Circus, Northolt UB5 4RR (map)

Opening hours
Monday-Friday: 8am – 7pm
Saturday: 8am – 6pm
Sunday: 10am – 4pm

Pork Scratchings

Something a bit different this week. I often get asked how to make these. They are so easy to do and are so much nicer when you make them yourself. I like to enjoy them dipped in sweet chilli sauce. Just don’t enjoy them too often!

For the Pork Scratchings

250g of the rind and trim from a loin of pork, cut into pork scratching size pieces (ask your local butcher)
1 small onion, chopped
500ml pork stock (chicken is fine)
2 garlic cloves, squash them under a knife (be careful)
2 sprigs fresh thyme (a teaspoon of dried will do)
salt and ground black pepper
vegetable oil, for deep frying

For the Sweet Chilli Sauce

200g caster sugar
150ml rice wine or dry sherry
Juice of half a grapefruit (1 lime and half a lemon will do)
4 tablespoons soy sauce
2 red chillies, finely diced
2 tsp chilli flakes

Method

Place the pork trimmings, onion, stock, garlic and thyme in a saucepan and bring to the boil

Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, then remove from the pan and dry on kitchen paper

Season the pork trimmings well with salt and ground pepper

Heat the oil in a deep heavy-based frying pan, until a breadcrumb sizzles and turns brown

Add the pork trimmings and fry for 4-5 minutes, until crisp and golden-brown

Remove from the pan and dry on kitchen paper.

Then …

Put a pan on a high heat, add the sugar, rice wine, grapefruit juice and soy sauce, stir till the sugar has melted and bring to the boil

Add the chopped chillies, chilli flakes and boil for a few minutes until the sauce thickens

Leave to cool a bit

The scratchings are best enjoyed fresh, but the sauce will keep for weeks