This little piggy ...

Bahn mi

This Vietnamese sandwich has become a popular Aussie staple for most pork-loving palates.

Serves 8

280ml white wine vinegar

1/2 cup sugar

1 carrot, julienned

1/2 daikon, julienned

500gm pork belly

1 tbsp sea salt flakes

8 half baguettes, split in half

100g chicken pate

2 Lebanese cucumbers, thinly sliced coriander, red chilli

To pickle carrot and daikon, combine vinegar, sugar and 250ml warm water in a saucepan over medium heat, stir until sugar dissolves, then transfer to an airtight container and set aside to cool. When cool, add carrot and daikon, cover and refrigerate to pickle. Preheat oven to 200C. Score pork skin at 1cm intervals with a small sharp knife. Scatter with 1 tablespoon sea salt flakes and rub all over skin and into cuts. Roast pork for 1 hour or until cooked through and skin has crackled. Set aside. Slice into 1cm slices. Spread rolls with pate, top with pork slices, then cucumber, pickled carrot and daikon, coriander and thinly sliced chilli and serve.

Pork loin with fennel and pear

This simple recipe pretty much makes the oven do all the hard work. Sit back, relax and enjoy the aroma while it cooks.

Serves 6

1.5kg rolled loin of pork — get your butcher to truss this for you

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp sea salt

2 large fennel, cut into 4cm slices

3 pears, peel, cored, halved

Preheat oven to 220C. Place pork in a large roasting pan. Add half cup cold water to pan. Rub pork with oil. Sprinkle with salt. Roast for 30 minutes. Reduce oven to 160C. Roast for 1 hour. Add the fennel slices and pears to the roasting tray and continue cooking for a further 45 minutes. Allow to rest, covered, for 15 minutes. Serve sliced with the roasted fennel and pears.

Pork mince with rainbow chard and fetta

Pork mince is a great way to whip up a quick, tasty and filling dinner for four in no time.

Serves 4

50ml olive oil

500g pork mince

3 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tsp dried oregano

1 cup white wine

1 bunch rainbow chard, finely chopped

1 cup orzo pasta

1 lemon, zest, juice 100g fetta

flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add pork mince and stir occasionally until golden. Add garlic and oregano, stir, then add wine, increase heat to high and cook until wine is reduced by half. Keep warm. Blanch rainbow chard until wilted. Refresh, squeeze and set aside. Cook orzo in a large saucepan of boiling salted water following packet instructions. Drain well, then add to pork along with chard and lemon zest and juice, stir to combine and season to taste. Serve scattered with fetta and parsley and drizzled with olive oil.

Braised pork spare ribs with chilli

The balance of sweet, salty and sour works well with pork ribs. Steam up some rice and it’s a great rounded dinner.

Serves 4

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup fish sauce

1/2 cup crispy shallots

3 chillies, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, finely sliced

2kg pork ribs

2 limes, juice only

2 tbsp rice wine vinegar

mint, coriander, bean sprouts, rice to serve

Preheat oven to 150C. Place sugar and a quarter-cup water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and cook, swirling pan so it colours evenly, until dark caramel. Add another quarter-cup cup water and the fish sauce and simmer for another minute. Add shallots, chillies and garlic, simmer until starting to soften. Place ribs in a large ovenproof dish and pour over the caramel. Transfer to oven and braise for 1-1.5 hours, turning occasionally. Remove from oven, squeeze over lime juice and rice wine vinegar and serve with steamed rice and scattered with herbs and sprouts.