British pig farmers are calling for pork to be named the official food of Valentine's Day after Argentina's president dubbed it 'better than Viagra'.
Ms Cristina Fernandez claimed at a recent conference that "it is much more gratifying to eat some grilled pork than to take Viagra", leading pig producers to give her a prestigious 'Banger Award'.
The Award, given in recognition of services to pork and sausages, is the highest accolade pig farmers have to offer. Previous winners include Sir Terry Wogan, Chris Evans, Phil Tufnell, and Christine Hamilton.
BPEX chairman Stewart Houston commented: "We've sent Ms Fernandez a letter to ask her to meet with us and accept one of our prestigious Banger Awards. We have known how tasty pork is and want to thank Ms Fernandez for sharing the love."
If you want to cook up a romantic pork dish this Valentine's Day for your loved one and test Ms Fernandez theory, here are two suggested recipes:
For Him: Twice cooked pork belly with cider, apple and 5 spice
Serves 4
Takes about 2 hours
700g (1½lb) lean piece of belly pork
300ml (½pt) cloudy cider
Seasoning
5ml (1tsp) Chinese 5 spice
2 Star anise
2 Cox's apples, cored and quartered
15ml (1tbsp) honey
Preheat oven to Gas 4-5, 180C, 350F. Take the flat piece of belly, dry the rind and score deeply with a sharp knife. Line a shallow roasting pan with two large pieces of foil. Add to this the cider, seasoning and spices. Place the belly onto the foil and tuck the foil around the joint so that the liquid is against the belly joint, but leave the top dry and exposed. Brush rind with oil and sprinkle with salt. Open roast for about 1 hour then open foil parcel. Add the apples (add more cider if too much has evaporated), cover over the whole joint with foil and return for a further hour. When cooked carefully open foil, drizzle rind with honey and place under a preheated grill. Cook for about 5 minutes to finish off the crackling. Serve cut into thick slices, drizzle with sauce and serve with apples and Chinese steamed vegetables.
For Her: Pork fillet with creamy wine and prune sauce
Serves 2
Takes about 15 mins
225g (8oz) lean pork tenderloin, cut into medallion slices
15ml (1tbsp) oil
1 clove garlic, squashed
25g (1oz) dried prunes, roughly chopped
90ml (6tbsp) white wine
45ml (4tbsp) crème fraîche
30ml (2tbsp) fresh parsley, chopped
Heat oil in shallow pan and cook medallions of pork with garlic, until coloured on all sides about 8-10 minutes. Add prunes and white wine and allow to reduce slightly. Lower heat and add crème fraîche, heat through slowly. Sprinkle with parsley and serve straight away with sautéed potatoes and seasonal green vegetables.
For more information, see the Love Pork website.
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