Last year we reared eight pigs at Stepney City Farm in east London. They were fed entirely on legally permissible food waste to highlight how we throw away 15m tonnes ayear in the UK alone – food that we could be feeding to pigs. Changing our approach to food waste would alleviate pressure on precious ecosystems and help bring down food costs for animals and humans alike. Six of our pigs were turned into 5,000 plates of food that we handed out at Trafalgar Square last November. Here's hoping The Pig Idea captures imaginations and encourages the government to change legislation.
Creamy bacon and two onion tart
Lard makes such exquisitely flaky pastry that, once tried, it's hard to go back to making it with just butter. The secret of this tart is to use only egg yolks in the filling (use the whites for meringues). The result is a deliciously creamy filling in which the sweet onions contrast with the salty bacon. Serves six to eight.
For the pastry
340g plain flour
100g cold butter
50g cold lard
2 eggs, separated
For the filling
30g butter
3 onions, peeled and finely chopped
6 sprigs fresh thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
10-12 rashers streaky bacon
7 egg yolks
450ml double cream
About 3 tbsp finely chopped chives
60g gruyère, finely grated
For the pastry, put the flour in alarge bowl, and lightly rub in the butter and lard until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Stirin both egg yolks and one white,then very briefly knead the pastry until it just comes together (add a tablespoon or two of iced water if it needs it) – the less you work it, the lighter it will be. Bring together into a ball, flatten into a thick disc, wrap in clingfilm and chill for half an hour.
Put a baking sheet in the oven and heat to 190C/375F/gas mark 5. Melt the butter in a large frying pan and add the onions and thyme. Season generously and cook on a medium heat for 25 minutes, until the onions are soft and turning a light, translucent brown (turn down the heat once they soften, so as not to burn them). In a separate frying pan, fry the bacon until crisp.
Grate the cold pastry across the base of a lightly greased loose-bottomed 28cm-wide tart case, then press down around the base and edges so the pastry is 3-4mm thick all over. Flour the surface and roll aglass across it to smooth it flat. Prick all over with a fork, line with greaseproof paper and fill with baking beans. Freeze for 15 minutes, to avoid shrinkage, then blind bake for 10 minutes. Remove the beans, brush with the reserved egg white and bake for 15minutes more, until golden.
For the filling, beat the yolks and whisk in the cream, chives and soft onions. Season with black pepper and a touch of salt (the bacon is already salty), pour into the pastry case, top with the bacon and grate over the gruyère. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden. Serve warm or at room temperature, perhaps with a green salad.
Salt and pepper tofu
Our pigs ate vast quantities of okara, a tofu byproduct generously donated by Clean Bean, London's only tofu producer. Not only is tofu healthy and full of protein, but it's also easy to cook, absorbs flavour beautifully and has an intriguing, slippery texture. I like it fried crisp and golden, doused in fragrant spices and tossed in slurpy sesame noodles. Buy the freshest tofu you can find (the silken variety you get in cartons comes a good second). Ifyou can't find white peppercorns, use Sichuan instead or, at a pinch, ordinary black. Serves four.
300g tofu
1 red chilli (optional)
5-6 spring onions, trimmed
1 tbsp white peppercorns
1 big handful coriander, roots and all
2 tbsp finely chopped garlic
2 tbsp soy sauce
2-3 slugs manzanilla sherry
A few good pinches brown sugar
Vegetable or peanut oil, for frying
Drain the tofu, cut it into 2cm cubes and put in a bowl. Cover with salted, boiling water and leave for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, finely chop the chilli and spring onions (keep the green and white separate). Grind the pepper, finely chop the coriander stalks and roughly chop the leaves.
Drain the tofu and pat dry with kitchen paper. Heat a wok and add enough oil to come 3cm up the sides (you can shallow-fry the tofu, but it's much easier to deep-fry it). Fry over a high heat in two or three batches, until pale golden and crisp all over, turning carefully as required. Drain on kitchen paper.
Pour away enough oil to leave about three tablespoons in the wok. Over a high heat, stir-fry the garlic, chilli and white parts of the spring onion with the pepper and coriander roots for a few minutes, until fragrant – take care not to burn the garlic. Add the soy, sherry and sugar, stir in the spring onion greens and coriander leaves, leave to bubble for a minute or two, then stir in the tofu. Serve over hot noodles (100g per person), which you have tossed in a couple of tablespoons of sesame oil, with some greens on the side.
Little carrot and vanilla pots
I nearly lost fingers on several occasions discovering how much our pigs loved carrots. This recipe is in homage to them. It was in Mexico that I came across the combination of vanilla and carrot; the vanilla brings out the natural sweetness of the carrots. At a time when we are soshort on local, seasonal fruits, these little pots of carrot cream are awelcome treat. Serves four.
200g carrots, peeled and finelysliced
15g butter
40g golden caster sugar
Juice and zest of an orange (a blood orange, ideally)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 vanilla pod
175ml double cream
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
Heat the oven to 150C/300F/gas mark 2. Put the carrots in a saucepan with the butter, a tablespoon of sugar and the orange zest, and add water to cover. Cover and cook on alow heat for 15 minutes. Remove the lid, raise the heat and cook until all liquid boils off – the carrots should be tender and glazed. Add the orange juice and vanilla extract, and whizz to a fine purée with a stick blender.
Cut the vanilla pod in half and scrape out the seeds into a clean pan. Add the cream, scraped pod and remaining sugar, bring to just below a boil, remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly, then pour the warm cream into the carrot purée. Add the whole egg and egg yolk, and whizz with the blender.
Fill four ramekins with the mix. Place the ramekins in a baking tray and pourin enough boiling water tocome halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until just set. Remove, set aside to cool and serve at room temperature withcold pouring cream.
Thomasina Miersis co-founder Wahaca group of restaurants.
