Slow-cooked pork makes a sandwich sing, but add some sharp-sweet Asian slaw and you have a symphony in your hands, says Rachel Allen. Photography by Tony Gavin
Sandwiches have changed. Those two pieces of bread used to be a convenient way of eating some functional filling. They were practical and efficient – nothing to be fussed over. Now, though, with home-made bread and elaborate fillings, they can command as much attention as a three-course meal.
Few bites are as satisfying as that of crunchy-and-soft bread containing a juicy-crispy filling. Those are sandwiches worth making, and most especially, sandwiches worth eating.
The American South is the home of what is, perhaps, my favourite sandwich filling. They have been eating pulled pork there for generations, but I see it more and more in Ireland these days. Long, slow-cooked pork, so tender you can pull the meat apart, is surely sandwich perfection. This pulled pork recipe, opposite, is less the American South and more South Asia. The five-spice powder is used in pork recipes across Asia and consists of star anise, cloves, cinnamon, fennel and Szechuan peppercorns.
As good as the pork is, it's the Asian slaw that really completes this sandwich. The crunch of the cabbage and the sharp-sweet combination of the vinegar and the maple syrup are essential in bringing the best out of the pulled pork.
It's not, of course, completely necessary to make the sesame seed rolls – you could buy fresh bread, or pittas, which I've used in the photo, right; with the pork and slaw these would still be delicious. Yet I love to go all-out, even just for sandwiches. Eating the pulled pork with rolls so fresh they're still warm from the oven should really be tried once. The sesame seeds are just perfect with the Asian pork filling.
PULLED PORK
You will need:
About 1.5kg (3.3lb) pork belly, rind left on
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon Chinese five-spice powder
Preheat the oven to 200°C, 400°F, Gas 6. Season the pork belly all over with some salt and freshly ground black pepper and with the five-spice powder. Put the seasoned pork belly on a roasting tray and put it in the oven. Cook it for 20 minutes to get the crackling going, then turn down the heat to 120°C, 250°F, Gas 1. Continue to cook the pork for about three hours until the meat is meltingly tender.
Remove it from the oven and allow it to cool slightly, then use two forks to pull apart the meat and the crackling, ready to go into the sandwiches.
SESAME ROLLSMakes 12 rolls
You will need:
425ml (15fl oz) warm water
2 teaspoons caster sugar
2½ teaspoons dried yeast or 20g (¾oz) fresh yeast or 1½ x 7g (¼oz) sachets of fast-action yeast
700g (1lb 9oz) strong white flour, plus extra for dusting (optional)
2 teaspoons salt
25ml (1fl oz) extra-virgin olive oil
1 egg, beaten
3 tablespoons sesame seeds
In a measuring jug, mix 150ml (5fl oz) of the warm water with the caster sugar and the dried yeast or the fresh yeast or the fast-acting yeast, whichever you're using. Leave to stand in a warm place for five minutes or until the mixture is creamy. If you're using fast-action yeast, there is no need to let the mixture stand.
Sift the strong white flour and the salt into a large bowl, or into the bowl of an electric food mixer fitted with a dough hook. Make a well in the centre.
Pour the extra-virgin olive oil into the remaining 275ml (10 fl oz) of warm water.
Pour the yeast mixture into the well in the flour along with most of the warm water and olive oil mixture.
Mix to a loose dough, adding the rest of the warm water and olive oil mixture if needed; if the dough still seems a little stiff, add more water if necessary.
Knead the dough by hand for about 10 minutes – or five minutes in a food mixer – until dough is smooth and springy to the touch.
Put the dough in a large, oiled bowl and then cover the top tightly with cling film. Put the bowl somewhere warm for up to two hours so the dough can rise (up to three hours on a cold day) or until it has doubled in size.
When the dough has more than doubled in size, knock it back and knead it again for 2-3 minutes. Leave it to relax for about 10 minutes before you begin to shape it into rolls. Divide the dough into 12 pieces that are roughly the same size. Shape each piece of dough into a rough ball, then transfer it to a baking sheet and cover with a tea towel.
Allow the rolls to prove in a warm place for 20-30 minutes or until they have roughly doubled in size. When they are fully risen, when you press the dough with your finger, it should leave a dent.
While the rolls are proving, pre-heat the oven to 220°C, 425°F, Gas 7.
Brush each of the rolls with the beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds, then bake them in the oven for 15 minutes. Then turn the heat down to 200°C 400°F, Gas 6 and continue to cook for about 10-20 minutes. When they are cooked, the rolls should be nicely browned and they should sound hollow when they are tapped on the base. Transfer the rolls to a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with strong white flour, if you are using it.
ASIAN SLAW
You will need:
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons maple syrup, see my Tip, below left
1 red onion, sliced very thinly
350g (12oz) red cabbage, sliced very thinly
1 large carrot, grated
25g (1 oz) chopped coriander
First whisk together the sherry vinegar, the olive oil and the maple syrup. Then add the thinly sliced red onion, the thinly sliced red cabbage, the grated carrot and the chopped coriander. Mix everything together and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Rachel's clothes, Brown Thomas
- Jewellery, Loulerie
- Make-up by Roisin Derrane for Lancome, using the Lancome Spring 2014 Colour Collection
- Hair by Jennifer Lil Buckley, Brown Sugar
RACHEL RECOMMENDS
‘Apron Strings: Recipes from a Family Kitchen’ published by New Island, is a lovely cookbook written by popular Irish food blogger (and nurse) Nessa Robins. The book is full of lovely recipes and stories about caring for and feeding her four children, as well as recipes when caring for the unwell and elderly. Nessa's food is smart and nourishing and the book is beautifully written from the heart.
See www.newisland.ie
RACHEL’S TIP
I sometimes like to use maple syrup rather than sugar as a sweetener in certain recipes. It brings so much more than just sweetness with its divinely distinctive flavour. Try using it in a butternut squash mash, a favourite salad dressing or even a bread recipe.
