This Iberico pork with chorizo paella is a nice Spanish twist on a pork dish.

Iberico is nice for a change and a bit of a treat, but you could, of course, use Irish pork steak instead and it will be delicious.

A fresh green salad would also make a great accompaniment.

The patatas bravas is an interesting way to cook potatoes in a spicy tomato sauce. This sauce is also very good with pasta, chicken or grilled fish. The chilli gives it a bit of a kick.

Sobrasada is a speciality in Majorca. It is softer than chorizo, very tasty, and you will get it in speciality food shops. Or you could use chorizo.

This panna cotta is a delicious Italian set cream dessert that you can make ahead. The macerated strawberries give great flavour in a pavlova or pancakes. It has been a fantastic strawberry season and we have served Pat Clarke’s consistent sweet delicious strawberries throughout.

I am back recently from filming in Portugal for my Food Trails show on RTÉ 1. Keep an eye out for the new series. It was a wonderful country to film and eat in.

Happy Cooking,

Neven

Iberico Pork and Chorizo Paella

2 tbsp rapeseed oil

1 onion thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 large vine tomatoes, grated with skin discarded

1 red pepper thinly sliced

225g Iberico pork steaks, cut into bite-sized pieces

100g fresh chorizo, casing discarded and chorizo roughly crumbled

1tbsp tomato purée

225g paella rice

A good pinch of saffron soaked in a little just boiled water

1tsp smoked paprika

Half tsp fresh thyme leaves

600ml hot chicken stock

1 x 290g jar of grilled artichokes in olive oil, drained and quartered

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

TO GARNISH

1 tbsp chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

Lemon wedges

1 Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/gas mark 4).

2 Put the oil in a flat-lidded shallow casserole (a regular roasting tin will also work with a double layer of foil as the lid).

3 Add the onion, grated tomatoes, red pepper, pork, chorizo and tomato purée.

4 Stir with a spatula until evenly combined, then roast for 20 minutes, until sizzling.

5 Remove the casserole from the oven and stir in the rice, saffron, paprika and thyme.

6 Pour in the hot stock and season generously, stirring to combine.

7 Arrange the artichokes on top in an attractive pattern.

8 Reduce the oven temperature to 160°C (325°F/gas mark 3) and cover the casserole with a tight-fitting lid/foil.

9 Bake for one hour more, until all the stock has been absorbed and the paella has started to catch a little around the edges.

10 Scatter over the parsley and garnish with the lemon wedges to serve straight to the table.

Tapas: patatas bravas and baked mushrooms

Serves 4

For the patatas bravas

1 tbsp olive oil

4-6 large rooster potatoes, skin on and cut into wedges

3-4 rosemary sprigs

3 cloves of garlic, skin on

2 tbsp olive oil

1 large shallot, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, crushed

¼ tsp chilli flakes

3-4 roasted red peppers, scraped and cleaned

1 tbsp tomato puree

1 tsp smoked paprika

200g chopped tomatoes

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp mayonnaise

For the baked mushrooms

4 large portobello mushrooms, clean and stalk removed

120g sobrasada sausage/chorizo sausage

25g pine nuts

1 lemon, zest only

20g dried panko breadcrumbs

2 tbsp flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

Olive oil

Black pepper

1 Pre heat the oven to 180°C ( 350°F/Gas Mark 4).

2 Place the cut potato wedges on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.

3 Drizzle with olive oil and scatter over the rosemary sprigs and garlic.

4 Bake in the oven for 15 minutes and turn over and cook for a further 10-12 minutes until cooked through and golden.

For the spicy tomato sauce

1 Heat a pot over a medium heat and add the olive oil.

2 Add in the diced shallot and crushed garlic followed by the chilli flakes.

3 Mix well and add in the roasted red peppers and the tomato puree and increase the heat.

4 Sprinkle in the smoked paprika and the chopped tomatoes.

5 Stir to combine everything and break up the roasted red peppers using the back of the spoon.

6 Allow to cook for 12-15 minutes on a low heat.

7 Season with sea salt and ground black pepper.

8 If the sauce begins to dry, add a spoon of water.

9 Once cooked, remove from the heat and allow to cool.

10 When serving the patatas bravas, mix two spoonfuls of the tomato sauce along with the mayonnaise.

11 Serve the cooked potatoes in a bowl alongside the tomato dip.

For the baked mushrooms

1 Pre heat the oven to 180°C ( 350°F/Gas Mark 4).

2 Place the mushrooms on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.

3 If using the sobrasada sausage, using a fork break it up and mash. If using chorizo, dice it into bite-sized pieces.

4 Carefully divide the sausage among each of the mushrooms, pressing down firmly.

5 Scatter over the pine nuts and grate the lemon zest over each one.

6 Drizzle over a little olive oil and sprinkle over the panko breadcrumbs followed by the chopped parsley.

7 Finish with freshly ground black pepper.

8 Place in the oven to bake for 18-20 minutes, until the mushrooms are cooked through.

Milk panna cotta with macerated Pat Clarke’s strawberries

Serves 4-6 (depending on size of moulds used)

For the panna cotta

5 gelatine leaves (a scant 15g)

600ml whole milk

75g caster sugar

1 vanilla pod, split and seeds scraped out

Zest of 1 lemon

For the macerated strawberries

225g strawberries, cut in a large dice

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp chopped basil/mint

amaretti biscuits, crushed up, to serve

mint leaves, to decorate

For the panna cotta

1 Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water for approximately 10 minutes.

2 Place the milk, caster sugar and scraped out vanilla seeds in a saucepan and slowly bring up to the boil.

3 Add in the lemon zest.

4 Remove from the heat, gently squeeze the soaked gelatine leaves and add to the saucepan, whisking continuously until they have dissolved.

5 Divide the mixture between dariole moulds/ramekins, leave to set in a fridge for at least three hours or up to two days is fine.

6 To unmould the panna cotta, gently dip the mould in a dish of hot water for five seconds, make sure the water doesn’t go into the mould, and place your hand on top and shake. The panna cotta should unmould into your hand.

For the macerated strawberries

1 In a bowl, pour the balsamic vinegar and vanilla extract over the chopped strawberries.

2 Add in the basil/mint and cover with cling film and shake.

3 Leave to infuse, overnight is best.

4 Serve the panna cotta with macerated strawberries, the amaretti biscuits and mint leaves.