FLOWER POT KITCHEN: MOST EXCELLENT SOFT TACOS WITH BBQ PULLED PORK, SOUR CREAM, GUACAMOLE & PICO DE GALLO SALAD

2 Apr 2012

MOST EXCELLENT SOFT TACOS WITH BBQ PULLED PORK, SOUR CREAM, GUACAMOLE & PICO DE GALLO SALAD

INGREDIENTS PULLED PORK
1kg Pork shoulder joint
3 tbsp BBQ spice
7 squirts of liquid smoke
1 large bottle of coke
Water to top up if needed
1 jar of BBQ sauce, Newmans

PICO DE GALLO
1 onion fine diced
2 spring onions chopped
2 whole jalapenos fine diced
2 lrg toms de-seeded fine chopped
1 handful coriander fine chopped
1 lime squeezed
Seasoning

TACO TOPPINGS
6" flour tortillas
Sour cream
Guacamole
Grated mozzarella
Iceberg lettuce
6 slice spring onions
1 red chillie de-seeded & chopped

BBQ PULLED PORK
Take the pork shoulder, rub in the BBQ spices and place in a small deep roasting tin, spray with liquid smoke several times then pour in the coke, this should almost cover the pork, if not add more coke or some water to top up. Cover with tin foil and pop in a pre heated oven for 3-4hrs. You will want the pork to fall apart when you touch it with a fork. Take off the fat and discard, then the remain coke stock should be reduce down enough to make a sticky sauce, with two forks and no effort pull the pork apart and mix into the sticky sauce.

PICO DE GALLO
Fine dice all the ingredients, add the lime juice and mix well, season to taste, I like to chill this before I eat it, but it is not necessary.

GUACAMOLE
1 ripe avocado
1/2 red pepper fine diced
1 jalapeno chilli pepper fine diced
1 clove garlic fine grated
50-100ml double cream
Salt & white pepper

TO ASSEMBLE THE SOFT TACOS
Warm the flour tortillas in a dry pan or griddle, fold in half, then open and cradle in the palm of your hand and fill with salad first then BBQ pork, cheese, pico de gallo and top off with sour cream, guacamole and chillies.

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LIFE MY PASSION

Welcome to my daily life of cooking, one winters day many years ago my family and I were all inspired by a back to back rainy day of River Cottage this got us to stop talking about and start actually doing, suddenly three weeks later eight vegetable beds were dug, greenhouse erected and our first vegetables were propagating, this was the start to raising and growing our own food, our fabulous son Oscar changed our path in life which lead us to sell our small thriving restaurant of 10 yrs and to start our new life (Terrifying!) a life of the self sufficient in touch with nature and seasons, taking a step back and looking forward to a slower change of pace and making the most of every moment.

My passion for cooking was stronger than ever and having time at home with Oscar I found I had a new direction and I was no longer striving for perfection, I was suddenly very passionate for the enjoyment of the other side of food, something I had not realised, being the Chef/Cook and every other duty of your own small restaurant made me see that I never actually took time to cook what I wanted!

So there I was muddy boots and hands digging deep in more than one sense and I found myself transported back in time to where everyone grew some of their own food, it is a wonderful world with a real sense of achievement and loss, Slugs Snails and Caterpillars! But thats another story! Childhood memories of summers when I lived with my grand parents reminded me of so much that I had learnt about the make do and mend generation that I had forgotten.

Now as a family we love our free wild food days where we gather what nature has provided, have gone from being mini mini garden urban small holders, who did raised pigs at home because we could not wait to find land and supporting ourselves from our garden to now owning a very small farm that allows us to grow more vegetables for the whole of our family and neighbours, raise our own gorgeous Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs, (Sausages!) and pets! Dorset Down sheep, chickens for eggs and pet goats! Suddenly having large quantities of produce started to wake up the Cook in me!

The Cook was awake that part of me that wants to cook for the masses and I found myself setting up Flowerpot Kitchen, a Farmers Market Stall, I wanted to use our honest raised meats and make old fashioned pork pies, rabbit pies and game pies from the local game keeper along with old fashioned techniques and the best hot water crust pastry. This in turn grew to a small cottage industry from home weekly supplying three farm shops and a deli along with also attending three farmers markets A few years later there came a time when my son Oscar's health changed and it was an easy decision to stop.

I still hold the occasional pop up 40 seater restaurant or gourmet lunch which we do for local charities for the love of sharing food and to remind that Cook in me why I love our go slower self sufficient life!

So here I am sitting amoung the vegetables watching the chickens loving that every season nature teaches me something new and that nature is in charge! She has taught me to just go with it and grow. Give it a try from a tray of salad on your windowsill to a few tomato plants it all counts.