Mid-loin pork chops with orange, fennel and rosemary.

This is one of my new favourites on my book shelf

Ingredients

2 tablespoons fennel seeds

1 tablespoon black peppercorns

2 tablespoons orange zest

3 sprigs rosemary, leaves picked and finely chopped

4 organic rindless pork loin chops

salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 oranges, juiced

600ml beef stock

100g butter, chopped

mashed potato, to serve (we also added our garlic lemon beans)

Method

Preheat oven to 180C. Combine fennel seeds, peppercorns, orange zest and rosemary leaves in a mortar and pestle and grind to a fine powder. Press fennel mixture into chops and set aside to rest for 30 minutes.

Season chops with salt. Heat olive oil in a heavy-based ovenproof frying pan over high heat. Add chops and brown for 4 minutes on each side. Add orange juic and stock. Cover with foil and bake for 10 minutes. Transfer chops to another dish and keep warm. Boil juices in pan over high heat for 2 minutes or until sauce is reduced. Check seasoning, add butter and stir to combine. Serve chops with sauce spooned over. Serve with creamy mashed potato SERVES 4

Karen Martini's Lamb Shanks braised with cinnamon, garlic and thyme.

This dish has strong Middle Eastern overtones, with a heady scent of cinnamon and cumin and slight heat from the chilli. Karen suggests serving this dish with a fresh, leafy salad  It's the perfect do-ahead dish for a small dinner party. (we just has fresh bake at home rolls with ours - so so filling)

YOU WILL NEED

• 4 lamb shanks, knuckles removed
• Salt flakes and freshly ground pepper
• 1/3 cup (80ml) olive oil
• 4 sticks celery, finely sliced
• 80g pancetta, sliced
• 4 golden shallots, peeled and cut in half
• 10 cloves of garlic cut into quarters
• 6 sprigs of thyme
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 2 small red chillies split
• 2 large green chillies split
• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into 3cm pieces
• 3 Desiree potatoes, peeled and cut into 3cm pieces
• 2 parsnips, peeled and sliced
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 4 cups (1litre) chicken stock

Method

1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius.
2. Season shanks with salt and pepper.
3. Heat oil in a large, heavy-based oven proof casserole dish over high heat.
4. Add the shanks and cook for a few minutes, until browned.
5. Remove shanks from dish.
6. Add celery, pancetta {I used diced bacon}, golden shallots {I used one large brown onion sliced}, garlic {seems a lot but no after taste so use it}, thyme, cumin {I only had ground} and cinnamon {the best part of the dish the smell was amazing} and stir well.
7. Add Chillies {working from my cupboard I only had the diced in the jar in the fridge so added about 2 teaspoons – and it was a nice warmth not too spicy}, remaining vegetables {ok no parsnips in my fridge so it was 4 carrots, and I had small chats so added 8 and only cut them in half} and tomato paste and stir again.
8. Return shanks to the dish, pour on the stock and simmer for 2 minutes, check seasoning and adjust if necessary.
9. Cover dish and bake for 2 ½ hours or until the meat is very tender and falling off the bone. Serve Immediately.
10. {I decided I wanted some fresh beans – so dished up the shanks with large portions of the vegies, and then popped the remaining vegies and sauce back on the stove and tossed in my beans for about 2 minutes – the sauce reduced to a nice thick one and the beans were cooked to our liking – still crunchy, then ladled over the sauce and beans. This was a simple easy to cook and delicious meal we will definitely be having this one again.}

Recipe by Karen Martini from Where the heart is Serves 4