I recently spent a day learning how to make delicious things from a pig - think bacon, prosciutto, salami, chorizo, sausages. I had read an article about the Pig in a Day workshop in the June/July Dish magazine and loved the sound of it. The workshop was held in the old schoolroom at Orton Bradley Park in Charteris Bay, about 30 minutes from Christchurch. I had wrapped up warmly but was delighted to arrive to find the open fire had been cranked up and the room was lovely and cosy. Pig in a day was most definitely a family affair, with Anna running things, ably assisted by her husband John and 3 charming (and most capable) children.
Here is a leg of pork destined for homemade prosciutto being thoroughly salted. Next it will be put to bed in a box of salt for a few weeks to start the curing process.
Anna talking through how to make prosciutto, holding one she had prepared earlier (approximately 12 months earlier!) While the hands-on time to make your own prosciutto is fairly minimal, there is a bit of patience required, as after salting the pork needs to hang for a year or so to air dry. No such thing as instant gratification here....but the results we tasted below, along with the homemade salami definitely impressed.
A rustic lunch was then served by the children - a starter of bruschetta with mushrooms and chorizo, followed by a delicious soup starring chunks of homecured bacon, and a lemon tart to finish.
After lunch it was time to get stuck into sausage-making, something Mike and I had tried a few times. I am definitely feeling inspired to get my mincer out again, homemade sausages are the way to go.
Anna demonstrating salami making...
Little hands helping...
A table was laid for us all to have a go creating our own sausage recipe, I went for a bit of a chorizo theme, and we enjoyed them served up with homemade baked beans for Sunday night dinner. I have started a piece of pork loin curing today to make some bacon, so watch this space!
