Recipes from Food + Beer, by Ross Dobson

Serves 6

1kg pork scotch fillet
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp Chinese rice wine
1 tsp sugar
small coriander sprigs to garnish
steamed rice and Asian greens to serve

Barbecue sauce:

250ml tomato sauce
60ml plum sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
220g sugar
1 tsp Chinese five-spice
¼ tsp ground white pepper

Cut the pork lengthways into long, sausage-like fillets about five centimetres thick, then place in a bowl. Stir together all the barbecue sauce ingredients to dissolve the sugar, then pour over the pork. Rub the sauce into the pork, coating the meat evenly. Cover and refrigerate for three to six hours, or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 220C. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Lay the pork on the baking tray, reserving the barbecue sauce for basting.

Roast the pork for 20 minutes, or until the edges are just starting to char. Turn and cook for another 20 minutes. Turn the oven down to 160C and roast for a further two hours, brushing with the reserved sauce and turning every 20 minutes, until the pork is very tender and deep red. Remove from the oven and set aside to rest for 30 minutes.

Combine the soy sauce, rice wine and sugar in a bowl. Pour in 125ml water, stirring to dissolve the sugar.

Slice the pork on a serving platter. Drizzle with some of the soy sauce mixture and garnish with coriander. Serve with steamed rice and Asian greens.

Mussels with fries

Serves 4

1kg mussels, scrubbed, hairy beards removed
2 tbsps unsalted butter
1 tbsp olive oil
2 spring onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
½ tsp sea salt
330ml Belgian beer
small handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
mayonnaise, to serve

Fries:

1kg desiree potatoes, cleaned, skin on, cut into chips 2cm wide
vegetable oil for frying
sea salt to serve

Preheat the oven to 160C. To make the fries, put the potato chips in a colander and rinse under cold water to remove some of the starch. Tip onto a clean tea towel (dish towel) and pat completely dry. Place in a heavy-based saucepan, then pour enough vegetable oil over to cover. Heat over high heat. Use tongs to separate the chips and move them around in the pan as they slowly start to cook in the oil. When the oil starts to boil, cook for about five minutes, or until the fries are golden and crisp.

Drain in a colander set over a clean, dry saucepan. Spread the fries on a lined baking tray and bake for 15–20 minutes while you cook the mussels.

Discard any broken mussels, or open ones that don't close when tapped on the bench. Heat the butter and oil in a large heavy-based saucepan over high heat. Stir-fry the spring onion and garlic for just one minute, or until softened and aromatic. Add the salt and beer and bring to the boil.

Add the mussels, stir a few times, then quickly cover the pan. Cook until the mussels have opened, which should only take a few minutes. Discard any unopened mussels, stir in the parsley, and serve with the fries and mayonnaise.

Slow-cooked lamb shoulder with stout

Serves 4

2 tbsps olive oil
1 lamb shoulder, about 2kg
2 onions, halved and sliced into wedges
4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 large rosemary sprig
1 bay leaf
250ml stout
60ml malt vinegar
250ml chicken stock
1 tbsp brown sugar
steamed greens, to serve

Preheat the oven to 160C . Heat the oil in a flameproof, heavy-based casserole dish over high heat. Cook the lamb, skin side down, for five minutes, or until the fat is golden brown. Turn over and cook for another five minutes.

Strew the onion, garlic, rosemary and bay leaf over the lamb, then season well with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Use a large spoon or tongs to push the ingredients around in the pan, so the onion starts to sizzle in the oil. Cook for five minutes, or until the onion smells sweet and just starts to colour.

Add the stout, vinegar, stock and sugar. Give the pan a shake to loosen any bits that are stuck. Turn the lamb over a couple of times so the ingredients are well combined.

Cover with a tight-fitting lid, then transfer to the oven and bake for 2½ to three hours, or until the lamb easily pulls away from the bone. Remove from the oven, leave to rest for a while, then serve with steamed greens.

Food + Beer: Great good to eat with beer, by Ross Dobson. Murdoch. $45.