Recipe: Baby-marrow noodles with sun-dried tomato, walnuts and olives

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, add 350g baby-marrow noodles to the pot and blanch, 1 minute.

Drain and drizzle with olive oil, before tossing with 140g sun-dried tomato pesto, 2 handfuls sliced sun-dried tomatoes, a handful roughly chopped walnuts and a handful green olives.

Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and serve sprinkled with basil leaves and microherbs, if desired.

Add a lemon cheek for squeezing.

GOOSEBERRY-ROASTED PULLED PORK BUNS

The gooseberries disintegrate during the slow-roasting of the pork, leaving behind a lovely sweetness that is deliciously complemented by the addition of smoky hickory flavouring.

Serves 4 EASY 6 hrs

THE FLAVOUR COMBINATIONS

1,2kg pork shoulder, skin removed

olive oil, to drizzle

10ml (2 tsp) fennel seeds, roughly crushed in a pestle and mortar

10ml (2 tsp) coriander seeds, roughly crushed in a pestle and mortar

400g gooseberries, roughly crushed with a fork

handful fresh sage leaves

handful fresh thyme sprigs

1 onion, peeled and quartered

5 garlic cloves, peeled

sea salt, to taste

125ml red wine

125ml water

6 baby rainbow carrots, shaved into ribbons using a vegetable peeler

small handful crimson microherbs

small handful fennel leaves, roughly chopped

250ml (1 cup) barbecue sauce

4 drops hickory liquid smoke flavouring (available at woolworths.co.za)

4 sesame buns, sliced open and toasted, to serve

crème fraîche, to serve

HOW TO DO IT

1. Preheat the oven to 140°C.

Place the pork in a deep roasting dish and drizzle with olive oil.

Rub the spices onto the pork and place the gooseberries on and around the meat.

Sprinkle the meat with the herbs and scatter the onion quarters and garlic cloves around.

Season the meat generously with sea salt and pour the wine and water into the roasting tin.

Cover tightly with foil and roast in the oven, 6 hours – the meat is ready when it can easily be pulled apart with a fork.

2. While the meat cooks, toss the baby carrot ribbons with the microherbs and fennel leaves.

Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt.

Set aside in the fridge until needed.

3. When the pork is ready, pull the meat using 2 forks.

Crush the pulled pork, garlic cloves and any remaining gooseberries together, but discard the onion and any thyme stalks.

Combine the pulled pork with the barbecue sauce and liquid smoke (you could add a drop at a time and taste as you go – a little goes a long way!).

Taste the mixture and season with salt to taste.

4. To serve, generously spread the bases of the buns with crème fraîche.

Top with a generous amount of smoky pulled pork and baby-carrot salad and serve immediately.

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