Ontario Pork took on the task of educating the public and pork consumers but not in the usual manner. Yes, they have a fabulous website and their events are fun and engaging…but how does the local pork farmer get his carefully produced product to your table? After talking with over 200 pork producers throughout the province, Ontario Pork took all their expertise on pork production and how to best use this meat in recipes and put them into a beautiful book. https://shop.ontariopork.on.ca/
There’s something special about an ingredient you are using when you’ve learned the back story of how it made its way to your kitchen. The insights of pig farmers and their families will ensure you feel good about where your meat is coming from. Here at Canadian Cookbooks, we advocate for sourcing local and fresh products found in our backyards. This book will help you find ethically managed farms and treatment of the animal is foremost in those farmer’s minds. On the Van Raay farm in Huron County, farmer Phil tells us that working with a pig nutritionist and the local feed mill produces a top-notch end product for the consumer. Check out Emily Miller, swine nutritionist, who educates us on the subject and recommends the Classic Italian Meatball recipe. https://gowholehog.ca/community/
Looking for education materials for your kids or to share with schools and their teachers? You’ll find resources like recipe cards, activity books, and nutrition guides at https://www.ontariopork.on.ca/free-resources
We also have stories from award winning chefs that like to source their meat locally and have a relationship with the farmers. Their advice on how and where to purchase the best pork, how to use this meat in many different ways, gives us the confidence to “think outside the chop” like Chef Michael Olson encourages us. He recommends the Crispy Pork Belly or Sausage Stuffed Jalapeno Peppers. Feel queasy about trying “odd” parts of pork? This cookbook will hold your hand through recipes like Oven Barbecued Pig Tails and Chef Eva’s Grilled Pork Jowl! https://www.ontariopork.on.ca/recipes/
To whet your pork appetite, we bring you Emily Richards’ Red Pepper & Prosciutto Stuffed Pork Roast in our Recipe section. In her words, “Pork roasts are a wonderful entertaining dish to feed a crowd. They are lean and soak up all the flavour they are given. I’ve had the chance to visit many pork farms, and farming is something I think I would have liked to do. For now though, I am happy to support local farmers and keep cooking!” With Easter around the corner, this is the perfect centerpiece for your celebration!
Purchase a copy of this wonderful resource at https://shop.ontariopork.on.ca/ and know that proceeds from all sales will be donated to Feed Ontario’s network of food banks. https://feedontario.ca/ Then go to our Giveaway section to win a copy of the book!
Contents and images used with permission by Ontario Pork. https://shop.ontariopork.on.ca/
