Neven Maguire: nothing beats a Sunday roast

When I think back on the COVID-19 pandemic, there aren’t many good things I could say. It brought misery and loss to so many families in Ireland and throughout the world.

But it was during the lockdowns that I sat down and had a serious think about my priorities concerning work and family life. Up until then, we would open the restaurant on a Sunday to serve lunch and dinner.

We would serve well over 100 guests each week. After the lockdowns, I changed that, and I have never regretted this decision. After saying goodbye to our Saturday overnight guests with a good breakfast, we close the restaurant until Tuesday. This system has worked well for all of us – I love the extra time to spend with family, and so does the team at MacNean.

Now, instead of Sunday lunch being a regular fixture in the restaurant, it has become a regular fixture around my family’s dining room table.

These Sunday dinners are special. They take me back to my childhood, when it was also a special day for my parents. The family always got together for a good meal and we took some well-deserved time away from work.

These days, we are joined by my father-in-law, Brian, each week. He has been so good to me over the years and I have always appreciated his support. We always have a good catch-up and when he heads home, it’s never empty-handed – he leaves with plenty of leftovers for his Monday night dinner, as well.

We have developed a really nice Sunday routine before we sit down to dinner. First, the whole family goes to Mass. Then we take our dogs, Lola and Roxy, for a good walk.

In the afternoon, I might watch a film or some football (I will support Man United until my dying day – and if you have anything to say about that, keep it to yourself!). These last few weeks, I have been keeping up with Dancing with the Stars – what a fantastic production. My friend and fellow chef Kevin Dundon has been doing brilliantly and he always gets my vote, as much for his cheery good humour as his dancing skills.

After a bit of relaxation, the family sits down to a nice dinner. There really is no better way to end the week; catching up on everyone’s news and sharing a great meal.

I know lots of farming families sit down to a regular Sunday lunch, but among many Irish families it has become a bit of a lost art. So, if you are thinking of starting a Sunday lunch tradition, I might make a few suggestions as per our recipes for this week.

Pork belly is one of my all-time favourite cuts of meat and it makes the perfect Sunday roast. This week’s recipe uses an Italian technique. It features a lot of herbs, because pork belly is a cut which can handle a lot of infused flavour. In fact, when done well, a pork belly roast like this one is so moist and succulent, you don’t really even need a sauce. Simply roast, carve and serve with some potatoes and vegetables.

Source your porchetta-style roast from your local butcher. You can ask them to trim any excess fat, but definitely leave some for flavour.

Irish pork is versatile, very good value and perfect for feeding a crowd. All you have to do is make sure the pork is Bord Bia Quality Assured.

The roast is important, but you can’t have a special Sunday lunch without something sweet to end the meal. Cinnamon and apples are a classic flavour combination, aren’t they? This cake is the perfect fusion of sweet and tart with just a hint of warming spice from the cinnamon. The sour cream in the recipe makes the cake deliciously moist.

It is fine to make the day before, but it is best served warm with a generous dollop of fresh custard or lightly whipped cream. This recipe can also make muffins instead of a cake, but if you make muffins they will have a shorter baking time – just about 15-20 minutes in the oven.

Ingredients: Serves 10–12

2 ½ kg piece boneless pork belly, skin on and scored

4 tsp sea salt flakes

2 tbsp fennel seeds

2 tsp black peppercorns

4 fresh rosemary sprigs, leaves stripped off

3 fresh sage sprigs, leaves stripped off

3 fresh thyme sprigs, leaves stripped off

6 garlic cloves, peeled

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Finely grated rind of 1 lemon

½ tsp dried chilli flakes

250ml dry white wine

Method

1 Season the pork all over with a tablespoon of salt, then cover with cling film on a tray and chill.

2 Toast the fennel and peppercorns in a frying pan for 1–2 minutes, then grind coarsely using a pestle and mortar (a coffee bean grinder also works well for grinding herbs and spices).

3 Roughly chop the herbs with the garlic, then add these to the pestle and mortar and pound to a rough paste. Mix in 2 tablespoons of oil, the lemon rind and chilli flakes.

4 Place the pork joint skin-side-down on a chopping board. Using a sharp knife, score the flesh in a criss-cross pattern, then cut away a 4cm strip of the meat along the long side closest to you, leaving the skin exposed. This will make it easier to roll up.

5 Massage the fennel mix into the slashed meat, then place the strip of meat you’ve cut away along the middle.

6 Starting from the longest side that hasn’t been cut, roll up the belly as tightly as you can to enclose the filling. Tie the joint with butcher’s string at 2cm intervals. This is best done 24 hours in advance.

7 When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 170°C. Put the joint on a roasting tin with a trivet. Rub the remaining tablespoon of oil into the skin and season with the rest of the salt.

8 Roast for three hours, basting every 30 minutes for the first hour. Then increase the oven temperature to 230°C and roast for another 20–30 minutes, checking regularly, until the skin is crackled and the meat tender.

9 Rest for a good 30 minutes – porchetta is best served warm. Meanwhile, pour the excess fat off the juices in the pan. Add the wine to the juices and place the pan directly on the hob. Cook for a few minutes until reduced, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to remove the sediment.

10 Carve the porchetta into slices and arrange on warmed plates, along with the gravy.

Ingredients: Serves 10–12

240g butter, plus extra for greasing

2 apples

3 tbsp granulated sugar

2 tbsp ground cinnamon

150g light brown sugar

350g plain flour

4 tsp baking powder

½ tsp sea salt flakes

200g caster sugar

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

100ml milk

200g soured cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

Pouring custard, to serve

For the glaze:

200g icing sugar, sifted

3 tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

Edible flowers and mint, to serve (optional)

Method

1 Preheat the oven to 180°C.

2 Butter a 23cm baking tin and line with parchment paper.

3 Peel, core and dice the apples, then mix in a bowl with the granulated sugar and one teaspoon of the cinnamon.

4 Add the rest of the cinnamon in a bowl with the light brown sugar. Melt the butter in a small pan or in the microwave and, once cooled, stir half into the sugar mix.

5 Sieve the flour and baking powder into a bowl, and stir in the salt and caster sugar. Beat in the eggs, milk, soured cream and vanilla. Using a spatula, stir in the remaining butter, then gently fold in the apples.

6 Transfer the cake batter into the prepared tin, spreading it out evenly. Add small dollops of the sugar and cinnamon butter, and quickly swirl this through the batter using a knife.

7 Bake for 35–40 minutes until the cake is well risen and lightly golden – the apples will still be moist, and the cinnamon swirl should be gooey.

8 While the cake is in the oven, make the glaze. Mix the icing sugar, milk and vanilla together in a bowl until smooth. Pour this glaze over the warm cake, spreading it out evenly.

9 Set aside for 30 minutes to cool in the tin. Then cut into slices and serve warm or cold on plates with some custard, and decorate with edible flowers and mint, if desired.

Read more

Neven Maguire: reel in the fresh flavour

Neven Maguire: nice as pie – a slice of heaven