Pancetta and Fennel Salad

Sweet, fresh, a little bit fancy, this pancetta and fennel salad is a great side to your holiday food!

Slices of pancetta and fennel, coated in garlic, brown sugar substitute, olive oil, salt and pepper, roasted, served with salad leaves and a zingy red wine vinaigrette, this salad is a perfect side to any meat or vegetable dish you're serving during the summer holidays, particularly where your guests have a more sophisticated palate.

To make this salad, preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius, conventional.

To cut the fennel, first remove the green stalks. We won't be using the stalks in this recipe, but you could save them for later to make bone broth! We will use some of the leafy fronds for the salad though, it adds such a pretty visual and are totally edible!

Cut the fennel in half, and cut a V shape into the tough root. Slice the halves into wedges and place into a bowl.

Slice the pancetta into smaller pieces (I cut ours in half but quarters would also work), and add to the bowl with the fennel.

Toss together with olive oil, garlic, brown sugar substitute and salt and pepper.

Spread evenly in a baking dish, and cook for 20-30 minutes. When done, remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes.

During this time, prep the salad leaves and make the vinaigrette.

Mix the red wine vinegar, lemon juice, honey substitute, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Gradually add the olive oil while mixing together until combined.

Toss together the salad leaves with the fennel and pancetta and serve alongside the red wine vinaigrette and additional fennel fronds. Serve immediately.

Pancetta and Fennel Salad

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 bulb fennel

6 slices pancetta

2 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper

Salad greens

Red wine vinaigrette:

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon honey substitute

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.

2. Cut the green stalks off the fennel, reserving a few of the green fronds.

3. Cut the fennel bulb in half, then cutting a V shape into the bottom, remove as much of the root as possible.

4. Cut the remaining fennel into wedges and place into a bowl.

5. Slice the pancetta in half or quarters, and add to the bowl with the fennel.

6. Add brown sugar substitute, olive oil, garlic and salt and pepper to the fennel and pancetta, and mix to combine. Place into an oven dish.

7. Cook for 20-30 minutes, until the pancetta crisps and the fennel softens. Remove from oven and allow to sit for 5 minutes.

8. Arrange salad greens on a serving platter and lightly toss the fennel and pancetta. Top with the green fennel fronds. Drizzle with the vinaigrette or serve alongside.

Red Wine Vinaigrette:

1. Mix together the red wine vinegar, lemon juice, honey substitute, salt and pepper in a small bowl.

2. Gradually add the olive oil while continuing to mix until combined.

1 serving:

Net Carbs: 4g Protein: 5g Fat: 12g

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Maple Glazed Pulled Pork

Sweet, sticky, juicy, melt in your mouth pork, slow roasted to perfection with a gravy to match!

These days it seems Christmas rolls around in a blink of an eye. By the time you've financially recovered from last years holidays, its October again!

This year will be the first year my partner and myself will be having a keto Christmas!

In the past, keto definitely ended before December even began, because Christmas treats aren't limited to only Christmas day, right?

I'm determined to make this holiday season as festive as if it were filled with sugary goodness, except without the guilt!

A personal favourite of mine is a sweet sticky glazed ham for Christmas. I wanted to create something similar, a little bit special. There's just something about having a sweet element to salty meat that feels like a special occasion, be it apple sauce, cherry compote or honey mustard! However this recipe doesn't have to be reserved only for Christmas, have it any time you want!

The flavours on this pork is a combination of rosemary, thyme, sugar free maple syrup, garlic, mustard and soy sauce, slow roasted for 5 hours until it gently pulls away and then coated in a thickened gravy from the pan juices. No one will believe you when you tell them this is sugar free!

The pork we've used is known as a "pork butt", which we ordered from The Meat Box however its not located at the butt of the pig! It's actually on the shoulder - however the pork butt sits higher, where the shoulder is closer to the legs. Either cut will be fine, as they both work best cooked long and slowly.

To start, preheat the oven to 150 degrees Celsius on an conventional oven and place the pork in a roasting dish. Prep your glaze.

Here we have our soy sauce, sugar-free maple syrup, garlic, fresh rosemary and thyme, lightly chopped and Dijon mustard.

Combine all ingredients for the glaze into one bowl. Add salt and pepper.

Using a pastry brush, cover the pork with a layer of the glaze, ensuring all areas are coated.

When finished, pour the remaining glaze all over the pork.

Cover with tin foil and pop into the oven for 5 hours. The internal temperature of the pork should be no less than 71 degrees Celsius when done.

After 4.5 hours, carefully remove the pork from the roasting dish and pour the juices from the pan into a saucepan. Alternatively a turkey baster could come in handy for this process as the meat will be super tender! Return the meat to the tray and pop back into the oven, uncovered for another half an hour.

Put the saucepan on the stove and heat the gravy on a medium heat to reduce the liquid. To get a desired consistency, add 1/4 tsp xanthan gum at a time, stirring well in-between. Space this process out over the half an hour as the gravy will thicken further as it cooks.

Serve this pork with a fresh salad, or our Pancetta and Fennel Salad for more festive flare!

Maple Glazed Pulled Pork

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

1.6kg pork butt (or shoulder)

2/3 cup sugar-free maple syrup

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 teaspoon dijon mustard

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped

2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped

Salt and pepper

Xanthan gum to thicken gravy

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 150 degrees C, conventional.

2. Place pork in a roasting dish.

3. In a small bowl, mix maple syrup, garlic, dijon mustard, soy sauce, thyme, rosemary and salt and pepper until combined.

4. Using a pastry brush, coat the pork in the glaze until fully covered. Pour the remaining sauce over the pork.

5. Cover with tinfoil and cook for 5 hours.

6. After 4.5 hours, carefully remove the pork from the roasting dish, and pour the pan juices into a saucepan. Return the pork back to the pan and back into the oven uncovered for the remaining half an hour. (Alternatively use a turkey baster for this process to avoid removing the pork.)

7. Place the saucepan on the stove on a medium heat to reduce down the gravy.

8. If a thicker consistency is required, use 1/4 teaspoon of Xanthan Gum at a time, stirring well in between.

9. Serve partially shredded on a serving platter, with fresh rosemary sprigs for that extra pizazz!

Serving based off 6 serves:

Net Carbs: 1g Protein: 62g Fat: 50g

Have you made this recipe?

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Feta, Pistachio & Honey Dip

Looking for a crowd pleasing bread dip to impress your friends and family? Look no further.

Keto or not - this bread dip is our go to when we're entertaining friends! The only difference here is the type of honey you use - In our case (for keto purposes) we've used a honey substitute which I bought from Low Carb Haven.

This dip is as simple as throwing feta, cream cheese, olive oil, garlic and fresh basil into a food processor and whizzing it up until its whipped and creamy! Then using the back of a spoon, make a well in the center and pour in your honey or honey substitute, and then top with chopped pistachios, fresh basil and cracked pepper.

Served alongside your favourite bread, or give our Olive and Rosemary Focaccia recipe a go here!

Feta, Pistachio & Honey Dip

Serves 4-8

Ingredients

114g Feta

114g Cream Cheese, room temp

1 tablespoon Olive Oil

1 garlic clove, fresh

Fresh basil

Toppings:

2 tablespoons Honey (or honey substitute)

1 tablespoon Pistachios, chopped

Fresh basil, chopped

Salt & pepper

Method:

1. In a food processor, add feta, cream cheese, olive oil, garlic and basil. Whizz until completely combined and whipped together.

2. Spoon into a serving bowl, and using the back of a spoon, create a well in the center.

3. Pour honey into the well, and sprinkle chopped basil, pistachios and cracked pepper on top.

4. Serve surrounded by bread and enjoy!

1 serving based off 4 serves:

Net carbs: 4g Protein: 6g Fat: 20g

Have you made this recipe?

Let us know by tagging us on our Instagram! @ohmygoodness_nz