Crackling Good Easter Pork Roast 
 
One of the most important things to remember, is to get the rind as dry as possible before the cooking process.

1. Remove your roast from the packaging and pat dry with paper towel.  With a small sharp knife, deeply score the rind at 1cm intervals, being careful to not cut into the meat.  If time allows, leave the scored roast uncovered in the fridge for 1 hour, or ideally overnight.  This process further dries the rind and aids the crackling process.
2. When you’re ready to cook, put your pork on a wire rack in the sink and pour a jug of boiling water over the rind. Pat dry thoroughly with paper towel.
3. Rub the roast with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and half a tablespoon of salt (more if you like salty crackling), making sure the oil and salt penetrate the scores.
4. Place the roast on a wire rack inside a baking tray and cook at 240°C (max 250°C conventional) until the rind crackles, up to 50 minutes.  If the roast is over 2kg, take 10 minutes off this initial crackling time.
5. Turn the oven down to 180°C and cook for 30-35 minutes per kg, depending on how well you like your roast cooked.
6. Once cooked, let the roast rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

 
Note: to achieve great crackling, getting the oven temperature correct is critical. We recommend the use of an “oven thermometer” to verify that the stated oven temperature is accurate.
 
What size roast should you choose?
Use this as a guide to help you select your roast.
Bone-in roast
Generally approx. 3.5 – 4kg
Feeds about 10 – 12 people
Boneless roast
Generally approx. 1.5 – 2kg
Feeds about 6 – 8 people
  
So a 2kg boneless shoulder roast will do the initial 50min up nice & high to get the crackling started and then you'll reduce the temperature and cook it for a further 70min and then rest it for at least 15min.
 
https://www.pork.com.au/roast-hints/
https://www.pork.com.au/recipe/crackling-roast-pork-with-vegetables-and-gravy/895/

So we've got Easter just a couple of weeks away & we need people to start thinking about what they might want to cook for their Easter Family Celebration.  All around the world, people celebrate Easter in many different ways, but THE most common meat used for Easter Celebrations is Lamb! 

This was, as a child, and still is, which I used to call a Proper Dinner!  My mum used to cook it in a traditional Greek way and I still do now too... it is super simple, only needs a few ingredients, but man do they pack a punch... flavour that is soooo moorish!
 
The beauty in this dish is not only the meat but that beautiful sauce that forms on the bottome of the pan. The olive oil, lamb juices, oregano and lemon juice combine to make this magical sauce or “zoumi” in Greek.  It’s compulsory that this “zoumi” is served on top of the meat and potatoes. And don’t forget the bread to mop up this goodness!
​
So simple, yet so good!
 
“GREEK STYLE” ROAST LEG OF LAMB RECIPE
Ingredients:

• 1 X 2-2.5 kilo leg of lamb, trimmed of any excess fat-at room temperature (take it out of the fridge at least one hour before roasting)
• 8 cloves garlic
• salt and pepper for seasoning
• 2 tbsp dried Greek oregano
• juice of 2 lemons
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 10-12 baby potatoes
• 1 cup water

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C (fan forced).
2. Using a sharp knife, cut slits into the flesh of the lamb (top, bottom, sides) and insert the garlic cloves in them. Make sure they are fully inserted.
3. Season the whole leg well and massage the oregano into the flesh.
4. Pour the lemon juice and olive oil over the lamb, scatter the baby potatoes around it and pour in the water.
5. Place on the BOTTOM shelf of your oven and cook for 2 hours, ensuring you turn it over halfway. (you may need to add a little water here and there if you find it is becoming dry. When I’m roasting, I set my timer in half hour slots and check on it every time.)
6. The lamb should have a lovely caramelised brown colour. Remove from the oven and place it on a serving platter, covered in foil. Allow it to rest for half an hour before carving it up. Serve with potatoes and juices.
7. I love lamb with some beautiful steamed green beans and roasted pumpkin sprinkled with a little bit of cinnamon! - You're Welcome!

 
​https://souvlakiforthesoul.com/2013/05/celebrating-easter-with-a-greek-style-roast-leg-of-lamb

So this week I have a family favourite but I've made it even easier than you thought possible.... it's spaghetti & meatballs but the key is to buy REALLY GOOD QUALITY SAUSAGES... our Preservative Free Range would be perfect for this - I've used our Pork Chili Fennel, for that little extra hit of chili, or our Beef Garlic Oregano or even our Gold Medal Winning Aussie Pork sausages would be great. 

See what we are going to do is squeeze the little meatballs from the sausages... you should get 3-4 meatballs per sausage and then the rest of the ingredients are also basics you've probably got at home already.  This is perfect for a super fast dinner - its ready as quick as the pasta takes to cook and you can customise it to your taste by the different sausages you buy.  Our Preservative Free Range has over a dozen varieties and they aren't full of flour or fillers - they are just meat, herbs & spices!

Sausage Meatballs & Spaghetti 

Ingredients
For the meatballs:

•                 Olive oil
•                 8 good-quality pork sausages
•                 1 pack spaghetti
•                 Sea salt
•                 A few sprigs fresh marjoram, thyme or rosemary, leaves picked
•                 300g fresh peas, in their pods or even frozen peas work well
•                 1 block Parmesan, to serve

For the tomato sauce:

•                 Olive oil or for Low FODMAP Garlic infused oil
•                 2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced (leave out if Low FODMAP)
•                 1 small bunch fresh basil, leaves picked, stalks finely chopped
•                 2 cans Roma tomatoes or a jar of passata
•                 Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
•                 Good quality balsamic vinegar

 
Directions

1. Heat a large saucepan and add a few glugs of olive oil. 
   
2. Snip the sausages apart, then squeeze and pinch the meat out of the skins so that you get little meatball shapes - don't make them too big or they will take too long to cook. Try to get at least 3 balls out of each sausage. Don't worry about rolling them into perfect balls and making them look all fancy - rough and rustic is good! Put them into your pan with a little bit of oil & Keep frying and turning the meatballs until they're golden brown and cooked through. (Put them aside in a dish while you make the sauce). 
   
3. Put the spaghetti into a large pan of salted boiling water and cook according to the package instructions until al dente.
   
4. To make your tomato sauce, grab the pan you cooked the meatballs in and Add the garlic and the chopped basil stalks and move them around the pan for a couple of minutes. Put some small basil leaves aside for later, and sprinkle the rest into the pan. 
   
5. Add the tomatoes and season carefully with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a simmer, break up your tomatoes a bit more with a spoon and add a swig of balsamic vinegar - it's lovely for adding sweetness to the sauce.
   
6. Add the meatballs back into to the pan with the sauce - tossing everything in all the lovely flavors. Cook for around 30 seconds. 
   
7. When your spaghetti is cooked, drain it and divide the pasta and meatballs between 4 bowls. Spoon over the tomato sauce. Sprinkle over the reserved basil leaves and serve with a handful of fresh peas (leave them in the middle of the table so every one can have a go at shelling their own) and a little Parmesan for grating or shaving over the top.

​
Delicious - dinner done in under 15min!
 
​https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/jamie-oliver/quick-sausage-meatballs-with-a-tomato-and-basil-sauce-spaghetti-and-sweet-raw-peas-recipe-1939208

So firstly I have to apologise for being late with the recipe posting this week... I usually type it up & post it on Monday night, however this week on Monday night, I was frantically packing for Year 9 Survival Camp with my daughter... yes, I went on Survival Camp too and I am pleased to say we both made it!  The thought, "hey you need to type up the recipe", hit me at about 2am on Tuesday morning and I am (not) sorry to say I chose a few hours sleep over getting back up and typing this recipe... so again - sorry its late!

And the controversial recipe this week is MEATLOAF!  You either love it or hate it!  My mum didn't really make it so I first came across meatloaf in high school Home Economics Class and I really liked it!  My family are divided but I'm wanting to try again with this new recipe to win them over.  (and it's a great recipe to sneak some more vegetables into their meal!)

EASY MEATLOAF - Low Fodmap & SIBO Friendly
Serves: 6
​
INGREDIENTS
Meatloaf:

• 500g ground beef
• 1 tsp fresh rosemary- minced
• ¼ tsp fresh oregano- minced (can also use dried)
• 4 tbsp garlic infused oil
• 2 small carrot- shredded (I like to sneak in some zucchini too!
• 6 tbsp coconut flour (or regular flour)
• 2 eggs
• 11/2 tsp salt
• black pepper to taste
• 1 cup parmesan cheese

Sauce: (Optional)

• 2/3 cup (165 ml) ketchup 
• 1/3 cup (71 g) firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon mustard
• 4 rashers of bacon

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. For the Sauce: Whisk all of the sauce ingredients together; set aside.
3. Meatloaf: Mix all ingredients together in a bowl
4. Press meat mix into a small baking dish
5. Spread about half of the sauce on top of the loaf, coating the top and sides. Reserve any remaining sauce to serve alongside cooked meatloaf. Use your fingers to lay bacon over the meatloaf on a slight diagonal, tucking the ends underneath the loaf. The sauce will help the pieces stick and stay in place.
6.  Bake till cooked through about 20-30min depending on how well done you like your meat

http://sibodietrecipes.com/garlic-rosemary-parmesan-meatloaf/
https://www.fodmapeveryday.com/recipes/everyday-meatloaf/