Bwyd, Heno

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OK, it's Sunday and gratuitous food post time! I really don't have much mental or physical oomph left in the tank to write otherwise; we've done a stint in the garden this afternoon and my back's sore, so I'll keep it short. Anyway, tonight's repast is worth remarking upon: the usual combo of belly pork, potatoes and vegetables in my usual sauce. Except that tonight's turned out to be exceptional. Two things about the meat and spuds: first I did my usual parboil of Maris Piper potatoes with a couple of bruised garlic cloves, plenty of sea salt and a glug of extra virgin olive oil in the water. Then I roasted the little buggers in beef dripping. The belly pork strips, which were nice and fatty, I just salted with the aforementioned sea salt and roasted them off as is, rendering the fat off the things without adding anything else into the pan. I also didn't drain the fat off the pan, instead basting the skin a few times whilst letting the meat itself sit in the fat. Result? Perfectly cooked belly pork [almost like confit] with almost no effort. The broccoli and beans were just boiled in the usual manner and then buttered before serving. The sauce was my usual, except that I used a small brown onion as the base as I hadn't any shallots. White wine deglaze, chicken stock and some water from the spuds and the veg; strained and reduced. A lovely thinnish sauce with plenty of flavour. Downside? The kitchen reeks of beef dripping, like an old-school chip shop after closing time...

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