Children just love spaghetti bolognaise - even big kids too! Next time you're making this dish, ask for pork mince at the meat market counter - it's ideal for making a flavour-packed bolognaise sauce. I like to add some bacon to the pork mince to make a tasty bolognaise.

^{Serves: 4-6
Preparation time: 20 min
Cooking time: 12 - 15 min}

 BOLOGNAISE SAUCE
• Oil  
• 2 onions, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed 
• 125 g bacon, chopped 
• 1 kg pork mince 
• 1 can (400 g) tomatoes with olive oil and basil
• 1 sachet (50 g) tomato paste
• 60 ml (1/4 c) sundried tomatoes in vinaigrette
• 30—40 ml (2—3 T) sundried tomato pesto
• 250 ml (1 c) red wine (optional)
• Grated lemon rind
• Salt and pepper 
• Pinch of sugar

TO SERVE
• Spaghetti
• Parmesan cheese
• Olives
• Basil leaves for garnishing

1 Heat the oil in a large saucepan, then fry the onions and garlic till soft. Add the bacon and mince and fry till done. Add the rest of the ingredients and lower the heat. Let simmer till flavoursome, about 15-20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and a pinch of sugar if needed.
2 Spoon the spaghetti into a large serving dish and top with the bolognaise. Lightly mix. Finish with a few black olives, garnish with basil and serve with grated Parmesan cheese.

This is a winner! Oh so tasty, one can never go wrong with a stir-fry if you want to serve healthy and tasty food that will be ready in a few minutes.

^{Serves: 4
Preparation time: 20 - 30 min
Cooking time: About 20 min}

SAUCE
• 15 ml (1 T) oil
• 45 ml (3 T) finely grated ginger
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 whole star anise pods
• 80 ml (1/2 c) brown sugar
• 60 ml sushi vinegar
• 30 ml soy sauce
• 30 ml tomato puree
• 5 ml (1 t) prepared mustard or 2,5 ml hot English mustard
• 15 ml (1 T) sesame seeds

PORK
• 45 ml (3 T) soy sauce
• 5 ml (1 t) each grated garlic and ginger
• 80 ml (1/3 c) corn flour
• 2 egg whites, gently whisked
• 500 g pork, cut into strips 
• Salt and pepper to taste

VEGETABLES
• Canola oil
• 15 ml (1 T) grated ginger
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• About 500 g variety of green veggies like broccoli, mangetout, baby beans and/or baby spinach
• Spring onions, chopped
• Bean sprouts 
• Chopped peanuts
• Coriander leaves for garnishing
• Noodles to serve

1 SAUCE 
Heat the oil and fry the ginger and garlic until fragrant. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer till the sugar has melted and you have a flavoursome sauce. Set aside
2 PORK Place the soy sauce, garlic and ginger, cornflour and whisked egg whites in a large bowl and mix well. 
3 Season the pork strips with salt and pepper, dip a few pieces at a time into the mix and fry in a little heated oil till just done. Remove from the pan and set aside.
4 Wipe the pan with paper towel, add more oil and stir-fry the broccoli, mangetout and baby beans for just a few minutes - till just soft but still crisp. Add the pork again as well as the spinach if using, pour over the sauce, mix and heat till warm. Sprinkle with spring onions, bean sprouts and peanuts. Finish with coriander leaves.
5 Spoon noodles into serving bowls and top with a good helping of sweet ‘n sour pork stir-fry.

The versatility of pulled pork just never ends - it's the ideal filling for sliders, wraps and even tacos. By using leg of pork, it is pretty economical too.

^{Serves 6
Preparation time: 20 min
Cooking time: 1 1/2 hours}

• 1,5 kg leg of pork
• Salt and pepper 

SAUCE 
• 1 onion, chopped 
• 5 cm ginger root, chopped 
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled
• 5 ml (1 t) Chinese spice 
• 5 ml (1 t) mustard powder 
• 5 ml (1 t) paprika
• 125 ml (½ c) tomato purée 
• 60 ml (¼ c) apple vinegar 
• 80 ml (⅓ c) soy sauce 
• 80 ml (⅓ c) honey 
• 125 ml (½ c) green rooibos tea or water as needed 
• 80 ml (⅓ c) brown sugar 

TO SERVE 
• About 6 wraps 
• Red onion rings
• Prepared mustard
• 1 piece Camembert, sliced
• 1 green apple, julienned 
• Rocket leaves

1 MEAT Season the meat with salt and pepper and place in the pressure cooker.
2 Place all ingredients for the sauce - except the sugar in a food processor and blend till fine. 
3 Pour over the meat in the pressure cooker. Pressure cook till very soft and the meat falls off the bone, about 1 hour and 20 min. 
4 Remove the meat from the pressure cooker and shred into small pieces with two forks. Place the pulled pork in an oven pan. Add the pan juices from the pressure cooker and mix.
5 Sprinkle brown sugar over the meat and oven-roast at 200°C till the meat is slightly caramelised. 
6 TO SERVE Place a serving of pulled pork in a wrap, top with onion rings and some prepared mustard as well as a slice of cheese and apple strips. Fold into a pocket. Fry the pocket in a dry pan, till slightly browned on the outside.
7 Place the wrap on a serving plate and serve with extra camembert, apple, red onion rings and rocket leaves on the side.

If you want to impress your guests, serve them steak, braaied to perfection – brown and crispy on the outside, but still juicy inside. This can be tricky, but with pork you don’t have to worry, as the meat is always tender. Pork rump steak is ideal, but pork neck steaks are just as good - as it is beautifully marbled with some fat, but it also has collagen that adds flavour. I love using pork steaks as you can control the fattiness by deciding how thick you want the fatty layer on the outside.

^{Serves 4
Preparation time: 30 min
Cooking time: About 15 - 20 min}

MARINADE 
• 180 ml (3/4 c) soy sauce 
• 125 ml (1/2 c) apple vinegar 
• 6-8 cloves of garlic, crushed 
• 1 onion, chopped 
• 45 ml (3 T) castor sugar 
• 4 bay leaves 
• 80 ml (1⁄₃ c) oil 

STEAKS
• 4 pork rump steaks, thickly sliced 
• Salt and pepper 

SALSA
• 1 small pineapple, cubed 
• 1 small red onion, sliced
• Handful of mint and coriander leaves, chopped 
• 45 ml (3 T) lime or lemon juice 

TO SERVE
• Sweet potato wedges

1 MARINADE Mix all the ingredients. 
2 STEAKS Season the steaks with salt and pepper, pour over the marinade and let marinate for 3—4 hours.
3 Remove the meat from the marinade and braai high over hot coals or in a griddle pan till done, but not dry. Baste frequently with the marinade.
4 Reduce the rest of the marinade. Pour over the steaks. 
5 SALSA Mix together all the ingredients.  Serve with the steaks

Everybody loves a sosatie or meat on a stick when having a braai. Pork is ideal to use for kebabs as the meat is always tender and ready and done in a jiffy. It pairs well with various marinades, from sweet ‘n sour, mustard or even a mild spicy one.

^{Serves 6 
Preparation time: 30 min
Cooking time: 15 - 20 min}

• 1 kg pork cubes (neck or leg of pork can be used) 
• 250 ml (1 c) natural yoghurt
• 15 ml (1 T) ground coriander
• 5 ml (1 t) turmeric
• 5 ml (1 t) ground cumin
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 15 ml (1 T) fresh ginger, finely grated
• 30 ml (2 T) fresh coriander, finely chopped
• 5 ml (1 t) salt
• 10 ml (2 t) finely grated lemon zest
• Oil for frying
• Red onion, sliced in wedges

TO SERVE: Coleslaw 
• 250 g each green and red cabbage, thinly sliced
• 2 large apples, chopped
• 250 ml (1 c) walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
• 125 ml (1/2 c) sunflower seeds, toasted
• 250 ml (1 c) sultanas
• 5 ml (1 t) caraway seeds or aniseed, toasted and crushed

DRESSING
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 10 ml (2 t) orange zest
• 5 ml (1 t) fresh ginger, grated
• 180 ml (3/4 c) orange juice
• 80 ml (1/3 c) olive oil
• 60 ml (1/4 c) honey
• Salt to taste
• 30 ml (2 T) toasted sesame seeds

1 Place the pork cubes into a glass bowl.
2 Mix together all the remaining ingredients and thoroughly coat the pork chops.
3 Cover and marinate for 5 hours.
4 Thread the pork cubes onto wooden skewers, alternate with onion wedges. 
5 Fry the skewers over hot coals till done or in a griddle pan till browned outside. Place on an oven tray and bake for 5—10 minutes till cooked. Rest for 10 minutes.
6 SALAD Mix together all the ingredients in a large salad bowl.
7 SALAD DRESSING Mix all the ingredients. Pour over the salad.
8 Serve the kebabs with the slaw.

 

In our house, hamburgers are the go-to Friday night supper and we like playing around with various trimmings. Using pork mince ensures that the patty is nice and juicy and you know what it contains. It is really so easy and worthwhile to make your own patties.

_{Serves 6
Preparation time: 30 min
Cooking time: 20 min}

PATTIES 
• 1 small onion, chopped 
• 1 clove garlic, crushed 
• oil
• 800 g pork mince 
• 20 g parsley, chopped 
• 1 egg 
• 5ml (1t) paprika
• 2,5ml (1/2t) ground coriander 
• 15ml (1T) Worcestershire sauce 
• 60ml (¼c) oats 
• Grated rind of 1 lemon
• Salt and pepper to taste

SAUCE 
• 1 red onion, sliced
• Salt
• Juice and zest of 1 lemon
• 125 ml (1/2 c) capers
• 3 large gherkins, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 80 ml (1/3 c) each mayonnaise and full-cream yoghurt
• Pepper to taste 

THE HAMBURGER
• Sesame brown buns or plain hamburger buns 
• Salad leaves
• Slices of pineapple 
• Extra red onion rings

TO SERVE 
• Sweet potato chips

1 PATTIES  Fry the onion and garlic in the oil till soft. Cool. 
2 Place the mince in a large glass bowl, add the onion mix as well as the rest of the patty ingredients. Mix well, but lightly with your hands.
3 Form patties and place on a baking sheet. Cool for at least half an hour.
4 Just before serving, heat a griddle pan, brush the patties with oil and fry till brown outside. No need to be fully cooked inside - depending on your preference. 5 SAUCE Sprinkle the onion with salt, set aside for an hour, then rinse under cold, running water and pat dry.
6 Add the rest of the ingredients.
7 TO ASSEMBLE Place the bottom part of the buns on a plate, top with salad leaves, pineapple slices and a patty. Finish with a good scoop of sauce and top with the topside bun. Serve with sweet potato chips on the side.