Neven Maguire: get in my Irish (pork) belly...

This is one of my favourite times of year in the restaurant because we are at the beginning of the season for lobster and Dublin Bay prawns. We always get ours from Daithí O’Dowd, at Mullaghmore Sea Farm – he exports to Italy, France and even as far away as China.

This is a great time to buy fresh seafood. It’s a lot of work in the kitchen, but the guests love it and it’s always worth supporting a local Irish fishery.

Our lobster fishery is quite sustainable, too. The fishers have something called a v-notching system – they cut a small notch into the tail of female breeding lobsters and throw them back in the water. That way, other fishers will see the notch and immediately know this lobster is a breeding lobster and is not to be eaten. This has been a great conservation effort heavily supported by our native lobster fishery. It’s something to think about the next time you indulge in a delicious dish of Irish-caught lobster.

The Easter school holidays are nearly over and the twins will be back to school soon but we’ve really enjoyed the break. It is so nice to have some family time.

Easter is a lovely, relaxed time of year and the weather this past month has been fairly pleasant, too. My father-in-law, Brian, came to stay with us for a few days and I made sure all of our staff members got their Easter egg from Áine’s Handmade Chocolate – a great Cavan business with excellent quality chocolate. We have 60 members of staff and they are so appreciated – they really are the backbone of everything we do.

I will say this now: Please don’t annoy me about Manchester United and their recent poor performance. It is bad enough having three brothers who support Liverpool. I have been a United fan since my teenage days, so it’s safe to say I am in it for the long haul, and I have lots of faith in Ruben Amorim. He’s a good man and a good manager. Plus, he’s Portuguese – and you know how much I love Portugal. To all my fellow Reds fans: there are brighter days ahead. Now, on to the food.

Belly full of flavour

This Asian-style pork belly makes for a rich and tasty dish. Belly is such a great cut of pork – it is full of fat (which means it’s full of flavour) and it’s also affordable, just always be sure the pork you buy is Bord Bia Quality Assured. In the restaurant, we like to smoke the pork belly along with pork cheeks – another affordable cut.

Pork takes on other flavours really well and, in this sauce, there is a lot going on. You can make it ahead of time; just keep it in the fridge and it will last for up to a week. It is a very rich sauce, so these lightly pickled vegetables do a great job of balancing it out. Pickled vegetables can also be made ahead of time. They will sit happily in the fridge for up to two weeks, if you keep them in a clean, sterilised jar.

You could also serve the pork with a shop-bought sauerkraut or kimchi; both are made of fermented cabbage (and, sometimes, other vegetables) and are very popular. There are some great Irish ferments out there. If you don’t like pickles or fermented vegetables, this pork also pairs nicely with a coleslaw.

The second dish this week is a classic combination – gammon steaks with sweet pineapple. I have many happy memories of my mother serving this dish with buttery mash and peas. It is definitely a twist on an old favourite, and here I’ve served it with creamy colcannon. Colcannon involves a bit of work, but it is worth it.

For mango chutney, you won’t find better than Wexford Home Preserves, who operate in New Ross and make their chutney with Irish apples and apple cider vinegar in addition to the mango. It’s a great one to serve with a curry.

I was delighted to run into the owners, Tom and Laura Sinnott, at the Ideal Home Show in the RDS recently – we had a great chat.

Serves 4–6

Ingredients

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tbsp freshly grated root ginger

4 tbsp hoisin sauce

3 tbsp soy sauce

3 tbsp honey

3 tbsp dark muscovado sugar

2 tbsp rice wine vinegar

500g rindless pork belly slices, cut into 7.5cm pieces

For the pickled vegetables:

200ml rice wine vinegar

1 tbsp caster sugar

1 tsp sea salt

2 red onions, thinly sliced

1 large carrot, julienned

100g radishes, thinly sliced

To serve:

2 tbsp mayonnaise

1 tsp wasabi

4–6 crusty bread rolls (freshly baked and warm, if possible)

50g soft lettuce leaves

Method

1 Preheat the oven to 160°C.

2 Mix the garlic, ginger, hoisin, soy, honey, muscovado and vinegar in a bowl. Put 4 tbsp of the marinade into a small casserole dish and pour in 50ml of water, stirring to combine.

3 Add the pork belly pieces, then cover with a lid and cook for 1½ hours, until very tender.

4 To prepare the pickled vegetables, place the vinegar, caster sugar and salt in a pan and bring to a simmer.

5 Place the onions, carrot and radishes in a colander and pour over a kettle of just-boiled water. Drain well and tip into a bowl, then pour over the warm vinegar and set aside until needed, stirring occasionally to ensure they pickle evenly.

6 Preheat the grill to its highest setting. Arrange the cooked pork belly strips on a large baking sheet lined with foil. Baste with the rest of the marinade and grill for 3–4 minutes, turning halfway through and brushing with the sauce from the tin, until it is thick and sticky and the slices are nicely charred.

7 To serve, mix the mayonnaise with the wasabi, then spread this over the bottoms of the rolls.

8 Add lettuce leaves, then top with the hoisin pork and pickled vegetables.

Serves 4

Ingredients

6 tbsp spiced mango chutney

2 tbsp lemon juice

4 x 200g dry-cured gammon steaks

8 ready-prepared fresh pineapple rings

For the colcannon:

675g potatoes, peeled and cut into small pieces

300g green cabbage or spring greens, roughly chopped (any tough stalks removed)

120ml milk

1 bunch of spring onions, thinly sliced

25g butter

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1 Place the potatoes in a pan of boiling, salted water and return to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 12 minutes, until almost tender.

2 Meanwhile, preheat the grill to high.

3 Add the mango chutney to a small bowl with the lemon juice, stirring to combine. Arrange the gammon steaks and pineapple on a baking tray lined with foil. Grill for 6 minutes, turning once.

4 Turn the steaks and pineapple over in the baking tin and brush with most of the glaze. Grill for another 3–4 minutes, until the steaks are cooked through and the pineapple looks sticky and golden. Leave to rest for a few minutes while you finish the colcannon.

5 Add the cabbage or spring greens to the potatoes and cook for another 3 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and the greens are nicely wilted.

6 Drain everything into a colander in the sink. Pour the milk into the same pan and tip in the spring onions. Bring to a quick simmer, then return the potatoes and greens to the pan along with the butter and crush to make a rough mash. Season with salt and pepper.

7 Arrange the gammon steaks on plates with the pineapple rings and the colcannon. Any leftover glaze can be put into a small dish for dipping.

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