Lard Recipes

• Lime Curd to fill homepage pastry cases
• HOMEMADE OLD-FASHIONED LARD SOAP FROM HOME RENDERED LARD
• QUICK-FIRE FRIED CHICKEN
  
• POTATO TAQUITOS WITH SALSA ROJA
  
• Traditional Pork Pie
  

Authentic Mexican Re-Fried Beans Serves 4-6

Re-fried beans make a delicious dip for crisp tortilla chips, a taco filling or simply as a side to enlighten any Mexican style meal. York Foods Lard truly adds an authentic flavour to this dish.

You will need:

• 1 can black beans
• 1 can pinto beans or substitute cannelini beans
• 3 Tbsp York Foods Lard
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely diced
• 3 bacon middle rashers, finely diced
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• ½-1 whole dried ancho chilli, crumbled/chopped
• 2 cups water or chicken stock
• Salt and lime juice to taste.

Directions

1. Rinse beans well under cold water, drain and set aside.
2. In a large pan, sweat onion and bacon in lard until soft and fragrant. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute to soften but not brown.
3. Add spice mix and cook for about 3 minutes over medium heat.
4. Add dried ancho chilli.
5. Add beans and mash slightly with the back of a spoon or potato masher Add 1 cup of water or stock and cook until evaporated over medium heat.
6. Add the second cup of water or stock and cook to a ‘dip’ consistency over medium/low heat.
7. Add a squeeze of lime juice before serving. Serve warm.

Fried Crispy Noodles with Chinese Pork & Vegetable Stir Fry  Serves 4-6

Why order takeaway when you can enjoy a fantastic, fresh stir fry chock full of goodness at home? This stir-fry requires a little planning ahead. The Chinese BBQ pork can be purchased from any Chinese BBQ meat shop or substitute leftover BBQ chicken. The noodles can be pre-cooked in the oven earlier in the day and then reheated in the oven to re-crisp them just before serving. Be sure to soak the dried shiitake mushrooms for about 1 hour before using so that they are nice and soft. Because you need a very hot wok, stir fries at home need to be cooked in stages to retain the heat in the wok.

Crispy Noodles:

• 4 ea bundles of thin dried egg noodles
• 2 Tbsp York Foods lard, melted

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add noodles and boil for 4 minutes or until just cooked. Drain and rinse well under cold water. Drain well.
2. Transfer noodles to clean tea towel and wrap to help dry. Let sit for about 5-10 minutes, the longer the better.
3. Preheat oven to 220°C. Place noodles into a bowl and coat with the lard then place onto a baking paper lined baking tray making sure they are as flat as possible. Place into the oven for about 7 minutes to crisp.
4. Flip over and continue to crisp a further 5 minutes. The noodles need to be crispy.  Keep cooking longer if required. Transfer noodles to a warm serving platter.

Slurry:

• 2 Tbsp oyster sauce
• 150 ml chicken stock
• 2 tsp cornflour
• 1 Tbsp soy
• 2 Tbsp shaoxing wine
• ¼ tsp Sichuan peppercorns, ground
• 1 ea garlic clove, finely grated
• 2  ea  green onion, sliced thinly on the bias
• ¼ tsp salt
• Pinch white pepper

Combine all slurry ingredients in a small measuring jug or bowl and set aside.

Stir Fry:

• 4 Tbsp York Foods lard
• ½ ea onion, thinly sliced
• ½ ea red finger chilli, seeds removed & finely sliced
• 10 g ginger, peeled & finely chopped
• 75 g oyster mushrooms sliced or torn into 1cm pieces
• 4 ea dried shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated in water
• 200 g roast Chinese bbq pork, thinly sliced
• 1 ea package of baby corn, cut on the bias into 1cm pieces
• 6 ea snow peas, top and tailed and cut thinly on the bias
• 1 ea stick of young celery (the inner pale part) cut thinly on the bias



Stir Fry Method:

1. Squeeze excess water from shiitakes and cut into thin strips. Set aside.
2. In a wok on a medium heat, fry the onions, chilli and ginger in 2 tablespoons of the lard until soft and fragrant (about 5 minutes). Remove from the wok and set aside.
3. Wipe out any residue from the wok and return to a high heat.
4. Add the other 2 tablespoons of lard and allow the wok to get to a very high heat. Add baby corn, then both mushrooms and cook for about 2 minutes. Add all other ingredients including the pre-cooked onion mix and cook for about 3-4 minutes stirring constantly.
5. Add slurry and cook for about 2-3 minutes to thicken and to cook out the raw taste of the corn flour.
6. Place the crispy noodles on a platter and spoon the stir fry in the centre.

 

 

York Foods Triple Cooked Chips in Lard

Lard makes the best chips ever. Light and crisp, they are so easy to enjoy on their own or with your favourite sauce. The triple cooking method is based on Heston Blumenthal method and can’t be beaten. Be sure to use older spuds as they are starchier and will give the best crunch.

You will need:

• 6 ea large brushed Sebago or Kestrel potatoes, washed and peeled
• 1 L York Foods Lard

Directions

1. Slice potatoes into long thin slices. Stack and cross cut into long shoe string fries. Place potatoes into a large bowl of cold water. Rinse several times until the water is clear.
2. Place potatoes into a medium saucepot and cover with cold water. Season lightly with cooking salt. Bring to a simmer and cook until just tender. Drain through a sieve and give the potatoes a gentle shake in the sieve. This should rough up the edges a bit giving a nice texture to the chips later on.
3. Place warm potatoes on a baking tray lined with baking paper and chill completely.
4. Preheat deep fryer to 140ºC. Drain potatoes and pat dry on a clean kitchen towel.
5. Cook until potatoes have a dried look but little or no colour, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towel. Chill again at this stage (not on paper towel).
6. When ready to serve turn the fryer up to 195º-200°C. Add potatoes back into the fryer and cook until golden and crisp, about 5 minutes.
7. Drain on paper towel and sprinkle with fine salt.
8. The lard can be passed through a coffee filter or piece of cheesecloth while warm and then refrigerated to be used again. You can safely fry about 3-4 times before having to discard it. If the lard is very dark, it is time for a new batch.

CHEFS TIP: If you do not have a deep fryer full of lard, you may use a deep, heavy based saucepot. Make sure to use a deep-fry thermometer to accurately gauge the temperature. Also cook chips in batches to ensure the lard temperature stays even whilst cooking.