their heat. These are great sprinkled with
smoked paprika or freshly ground black
pepper, drizzled with honey or coated with
hot sauce, but my preferred option is to
smother the lot in ranch.” You will need a
kitchen thermometer for this recipe.300ml apple cider vinegar
1 tbs extra virgin olive oil or melted
lard, plus extra to deep-fry
6 medium green tomatoes, cut into
1cm-thick slices
200ml buttermilk
360g coarse polentaCombine the vinegar, olive oil or lard with
a pinch of salt and pepper in a large
bowl. Add the tomato slices and set aside
to pickle for 1 hour 30 minutes.
Pour the buttermilk into a bowl. Add the
polenta to a second bowl.
Once pickled, drain the tomato slices.
Dip a tomato slice first into the buttermilk,
then remove and shake off the excess
before placing in the bowl with the polenta
to coat all over. Transfer the coated slice to
a tray and repeat with the remainder. Set
aside in the fridge until needed (they will
keep like this for up to 1 day before frying).
When ready to cook, half-fill a heavy-
based large deep saucepan or deep-fryer
with oil or lard and heat to 180ºC. Working
in 2 or 3 batches, carefully lower tomato
slices one by one and fry for 3-4 minutes,
turning halfway through cooking. Drain on
paper towel and season before serving.GOOD PICKLES
MAKES 2 × 750ML JARS
“No matter what the occasion, a good
pickle just can’t be beaten. Hungover on
the couch? Have a pickle. Salad not quite
working? Chop up a pickle and toss it
through. A piece of white bread, cheese
and pickle is the best quick lunch you
could hope for and, let’s not forget, fried
pickles drowned in ranch is as close to
godliness as a bar snack can get. Oh, and
here’s an unnecessary but helpful note:
if you have access to vine leaves, try
adding one to each jar – the tannins in
them will help keep the pickles crunchy.”
Begin this recipe 1 week ahead.PORK AND BEANS
SERVES 4-6 AS A SIDE
“A rich stew of two of my favourite things,
braised smoked pork and preserved
beans. This makes a hearty side or a meal
all of its own.”
100ml extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
400g smoked pork hock
80g tomato paste
1 cup (250ml) good-quality chicken stock
50ml Worcestershire sauce
(^1) / 3 cup (80ml) molasses or black treacle
1 tbs brown sugar
1 tbs Dijon mustard
500g canned white beans, drained
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, roughly
chopped
Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-based
saucepan with a lid over low heat. Add the
onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for
5-6 minutes until beginning to soften.
Add the pork hock, cover with lid and
cook, stirring onion frequently, for
30 minutes. Add a splash of water to keep
onion from burning.
Meanwhile, whisk together the tomato
paste and chicken stock in a bowl. Add the
Worcestershire sauce, molasses, brown
sugar and mustard to the pan. Stir in stock
mixture, season, increase heat to medium
and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low,
cover and simmer for 2-2 hours 30 minutes
until the meat comes away from the bone.
Shred meat and place in a bowl with
braising mixture. Discard bones and skin.
Preheat oven to 180ºC.
Transfer the beans to a 3L-capacity
ovenproof dish. Spoon the shredded pork
mixture over the beans, transfer to the
oven and cook, uncovered, for 30 minutes
or until thickened and sticky. Stir through
the parsley and season with salt and white
pepper. Serve immediately.
GAS STATION FRIED CHICKEN
SERVES 4-6
“When breaking down the chicken,
separate dark meat into legs and thighs
and cut the white meat in two, leaving the
wings and the breast plate attached. The
crust coating the chicken should be soft
with just a little crunch, and the chicken
warm or at room temperature when
serving.” Begin this recipe 1 day ahead.
You will need a kitchen thermometer.
250g rock salt
1.2 kg chicken, chopped into 8 pieces
2 cups (500ml) grapeseed oil
400ml canola oil
COATING
2 cups (300g) plain flour
180g coarse polenta
1 tbs fine table salt
1 tbs celery salt
2 tbs ground black pepper
2 tbs dried oregano
To brine the chicken, place the rock salt
and 10 cups (2.5L) warm water in a large
bowl and stir to dissolve. Place the
chicken pieces into the brine and
refrigerate for 3 hours.
Meanwhile, for the coating, mix together
all the ingredients in a large bowl.
Remove chicken from the brine and
transfer to a container. Pour over the
coating mixture and push down to pack
tightly, covering the surface of the chicken.
Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Remove the chicken from the fridge and
stand for 2 hours to come to room
temperature.
Preheat oven to 100ºC. Heat the
grapeseed and canola oils together in a
large heavy-based saucepan to 180ºC.
Gently lower chicken pieces into hot oil,
maintaining the temperature as best you
can, and fry, in batches, for 5-6 minutes
until a golden crust starts to form around
the chicken pieces. (At this stage the
chicken won’t be cooked through.)
Remove chicken from hot oil, transfer to
an oven tray and bake in the oven for
35-40 minutes until the chicken is cooked
through. Season and leave to stand on the
bench for 20 minutes before serving.
FRIED GREEN TOMATOES
SERVES 4-6 AS A SIDE
“Though it’s tempting to dive right in after
making these, be warned – they really hold
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