SPRING // Recipe for four
Suckling pig from Redleaf Farm with warm milk bread
The Sparke family at Redleaf Farm has been raising some of the best pigs I have ever eaten. At Biota Dining we take the pigs at varied sizes, depending on the time of the year and our specific demands. The first suckling pig we took from Katrina and Sam weighed about 11 kg (24 lb). I cooked it whole, as I do with most of them, and the skin was like glass. From that day on it has been a personal quest to cook the most perfect piece of pork with the ideal meat to fat to skin ratio. The pigs roam the paddocks, and even the house paddock, eating plants, bugs and sometimes the plums from our plum trees. So, with this recipe we serve a salted plum – wonderful with the soft meat and the lactose-rich milk bread.
SUCKLING PIG
1 young suckling pig (usually around 4–8 kg/9–18 lb)
200 g (7 oz) salt
Splash of vinegar of barley grain
I prefer to cook the whole suckling pig on the bone and remove the joints once it’s cooked. To do this, you will need a large oven (if not, ask your butcher to portion the pig for you). Crack the spine of the pig so that it lies flat. Rub the salt into the pig skin, leave for 2 hours and then rub off gently. Preheat the oven to 160°C (315°F) and cook for about 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours, or until the meat is soft. About 15 minutes before the end of cooking, increase the heat to 190°C (375°F) to crisp the skin. Once cooked, splash the meat side with vinegar before slicing.
WARM MILK BREAD
600 ml (21 fl oz) full-cream cow’s milk
4 eggs
60 g (2¼ oz) glucose
150 g (5½ oz) biodynamic flour
10 g (¼ oz) baking powder
10 g (¼ oz) salt
Put the milk in a saucepan over high heat and simmer until reduced to 150 ml (5 fl oz). Preheat the oven to 165°C (320°F) and line a 20 cm (8 in) loaf tin with baking paper.
Beat the eggs and glucose for a couple of minutes until frothy. Add the dry ingredients and mix well. Transfer to the tin and bake for 40 minutes until firm. Cool in the tin in the fridge, then pour the reduced milk over the top. Allow the bread to soak up all the milk before cutting.
ALSO ON THE PLATE
PLANTS TO FINISH
Redleaf Farm
Katrina and Sam Sparke
We certainly didn’t imagine we would ‘grow up’ to become pig farmers, it just happened along the way. We moved from Sydney and bought what was then a fairly run-down farm in a magnificent spot in the Southern Highlands.
The hard (but rewarding) work began then. Fencing, soil testing, learning about farming different animals and experimenting with organic ways to improve our lot occupied the first few years. As our family grew, so did our knowledge and desire to do something worthwhile with our farm. We love our food and strive to live healthily and sustainably, while supplying the finest quality free-range produce to a discerning local market. We are fortunate to have found, and built, a perfect backyard ‘playground’ at Redleaf that enables us to farm ethically and protect our local native wildlife. The useable land adjoins 200 acres of bush that becomes state forest and national park. It is a magical spot, one we are proud to tread lightly on and return back to the farm what we take out.
We discovered an area under old pine trees that had been used several decades earlier for pig grazing, so we started researching heritage breeds. We decided on Saddlebacks, and purchased our first two sows, Pepper and Ginger, as cute little pets. They grew, and it was after their first litters that we first met James. Sam called in to the newly opened Biota Dining to ask if he might be interested in buying local pork. James was on our doorstep at the crack of dawn the next day and bought the lot, there and then.
A happy collaboration ensued. James also tried our lamb, and picked herbs from the grazing paddocks to serve with the lamb. Paddock rotation, stock rotation and organic principles help to maintain our lush, high-nutrient pastures. A crop of pea and oats planted to improve a paddock also provided flowers and peas for James, and a high-nutrient silage to see cattle through the winter. James often comes out to forage through the paddocks for all manner of things – from mallow and pine needles to red sorrel or goose eggs.
‘We firmly believe that the best-tasting meat is from happy animals. Treating our animals well is paramount to us, and that extra love definitely comes across in the taste of our meat.’
We firmly believe that the best-tasting meat is from happy animals. Treating our animals well is paramount to us, and that extra love definitely comes across in the taste of our meat. Extending our product to some of Sydney’s most awarded chefs has been most rewarding. As a small family farm, our stock numbers are low so we can manage our hands-on approach – hence our produce is very seasonal. We like it that way; it seems far more natural. It means we can’t guarantee a steady supply for a menu item, but when our pork or lamb is available, it is a ‘special’ treat.
Allowing our pigs to roam and graze and mate at their leisure means that sometimes we have a lot of piglets at once, and sometimes we have none for a few months. Our sows have shelters, but often prefer to build their own ‘nests’ to birth in. It’s great to see them living as naturally as possible, and following their instincts. Our neighbours were horrified to see that we let them dig the paddocks, but they are wonderful ploughs. With a strategic plan, we utilise their ploughing talent to help with preparing land to be rejuvenated.
Pigs are intelligent animals and most come running by name for a home-made muesli of mixed grain. They love an ear scratch or belly rub. The piglets don’t get names – it is sad to see them go at 10 weeks, but as a farmer I rest soundly knowing they have had the best short life a pig could have, and that they will be appreciated for their superior taste and lack of chemical input. Raising animals ethically is important to us; there is no need for cruelty in sustainable farming.
Growing up with nutritionist Rosemary Stanton as my mother, I have always appreciated real food. We feel it is vital to educate our children in food and its provenance – a bigger picture than just visiting the supermarket. I endeavour to use every part of an animal possible, and respect it, so that its life is not taken in vain. If it’s a suckling pig bred for purpose, we will eat every bit. If it’s a wild deer I have hunted in my paddock, we will eat the better cuts, mince the tough bits and tan the hide. If it is a feral introduced species such as a fox, we will take its life to protect our stock and the native wildlife, and then skin and tan its lush pelt. In this way I feel no guilt in taking my natural place in the food chain and providing for my family.
There are more and more people who want to understand their food provenance. We took on board ‘you are what you eat’. Now, we’ve realised ‘you are what your food eats’. I like to know what that is. I’d encourage people to read labels or ask the producer. Make the choice that feels right, not just for you, but for the food you are eating. Support farmers’ markets, local growers, seasonal produce and restaurants that do the same. And, most of all, take the time to savour and enjoy every bite of whatever it is you have chosen to eat.
