4 bites: A deliciously long weekend

With the food prep behind him, Warren Elwin packs up and heads away for a deliciously long weekend.

Pork chop brine

1. In a mortar and pestle lightly crush 1 piece of cinnamon, 1 star anise, 5 cloves, 1 tsp juniper berries, 1 tsp coriander seeds, 1 tsp black peppercorns, and 1 dried red chilli.
2. Add spices to a large saucepan with 5 cups water, 5 cloves smashed garlic, 5 bay leaves, the zest and juice of an orange or lemon, 3 Tbsp brown sugar, and 2 Tbsp flaky sea salt. Simmer for 7 minutes then cool.
3. Immerse 4-6 pork chops (ask your butcher for thick-cut) in the brine and refrigerate overnight.
4. To serve, dry off the chops, drizzle with a little olive oil, lightly season, then grill until done to your liking.

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Venison terrine

1. Mix together 500g diced venison, 300g chicken (or duck) livers and 250g pork back fat and season liberally.
2. Gently fry (without allowing to colour) 1 finely chopped onion, 3 cloves crushed garlic, 2 Tbsp finely chopped herbs, 1 Tbsp grated ginger, and 1/4 tsp each of ground cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon in 2 Tbsp duck fat (or oil) until soft. Add 50ml gin and allow to reduce down. Remove from heat and cool.
3. Add the onion to the meat then, working in batches, blitz in a food processor until just smooth. Return to the bowl and mix through 1/3 cup cranberry pieces, 1/3 cup crushed pistachios, the zest of 1/2 an orange, 2 Tbsp potato starch and 2 eggs.
4. Line a large loaf tin with baking paper. Add mixture, cover with foil and place tin in a deep roasting dish. Add enough boiling water to come halfway up the tin. Bake at 150C for 2 hours until the centre of the terrine is firm to the touch.
5. Cool, wrap and chill the terrine to travel. It will keep, wrapped, in the fridge for a week. Serve sliced with cheese, mustard, chutney and pickles. Or make banh mi-style sandwiches.

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Berry cherry plum pie filling

1. Into a large saucepan add 500g roughly chopped pitted plums, 500g pitted cherries, 1 punnet of blueberries, 250g fresh pineapple blitzed until smooth, 200g chopped pitted dates, 100g crushed pecans or walnuts, and a large knob of freshly grated ginger.
2. Place over a medium heat and add 1/3 cup honey (or brown sugar), 1/2 tsp flaky sea salt, the zest and juice of an orange and a lemon, a large piece of cinnamon, 3 bay leaves, 1 tsp grated nutmeg and 1/2 tsp cardamom powder. Simmer over a low heat until reduced and jammy, approx 30-40 minutes.
3. Store in the fridge or seal into a large preserving jar to travel. Use sweet pastry to turn into a pie or galette, or serve on top of pavlova, icecream, or yoghurt.

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Roasted tomato sauce

1. Slice 24 tomatoes in half and place them skin down in a large roasting dish. Add skinned cloves of 1 bulb garlic. Drizzle liberally with olive oil, season with plenty of salt and pepper and sprinkle over a small handful of finely chopped herbs (tarragon and thyme). Pour in 1/3 cup white wine or cider vinegar.
2. Roast in a 180C oven until completely soft and caramelised. Pass tomatoes and cooking liquor through a sieve (discard solids), season with a little lemon zest and juice, and seal in a large jar to travel.
3. Use the sauce to make a risotto finished with fresh mozzarella, or make a quick meat sauce with mince (try pork or chicken for achange) and serve over pasta with grated parmesan.
4. Add fresh herbs, olives, capers, and lemon zest to the sauce, then roast chunks of fish in it.

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