WOODEN SPOON WITH HOLE IN CENTER RECIPES

Steps:

• Pour 300ml warm water into a large bowl and stir in 2 tsp salt, the sugar, yeast, oil and half the flour. Keep adding the remaining flour, mixing with your hands or in a mixer with a dough hook until you have a soft, pliable dough. Knead for 10 minutes until the dough feels smooth and elastic and a finger indent pressed into it pops out quickly. Shape into a ball and put in a cleaned, lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a tea towel and leave in a warm place until doubled in size, or put in the fridge to prove slowly overnight.
• Heat the oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 10, each about 85g. Start to shape each piece by pulling it down and tucking under to form a rough ball.
• Cup your hand over and move your hand and the dough around in a circular motion to further shape the ball.
• Take a wooden spoon and use the handle to make a hole in the middle of each ball.
• Slip the end of the spoon into the hole, then twirl the bagel around the spoon to make a hole about 3cm wide – it needs to be this wide as it will shrink as the dough expands again. Cover loosely with clingfilm while you shape the rest.
• Bring a large pan of water to the boil and tip in the bicarb of soda – it will fizz madly. Slip the bagels into the boiling water – no more than four at a time. Cook for 1 minute, turning over in the water until the bagels have puffed slightly and a skin has formed – if you cook them for longer they will get chewier and look a bit bobbly after baking. Remove with a flat slotted spoon and drain away any excess water. Put on an oiled baking tray.
• Glaze with the egg and add any toppings you like. Bake for 15-18 minutes until golden and crisp. Cool on a wire rack.

Steps:

• Pat the pork loin thoroughly dry with paper towels. Using a long handled wooden spoon, pierce a hole lengthwise through the center of the roast. Using your fingers and the wooden spoon handle, stuff 3 Tbsp. of the herbed salt into the hole. Insert a rosemary branch in each end of the hole. Mix remaining 1 Tbsp. herbed salt with 1 1/2 tsp. coarse salt and rub it all over the roast. Cover with pancetta and top with remaining 2 rosemary branches. Tie the roast and 1 inc intervals to give it a neat shape.
• Transfer to a platter, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours. Let come to room temperature before cooking, at least 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 450. Set rack of rib bones in a large roasting pan. Unwrap the roast, pat it dry and rub it with the olive oil. Put the roast on the rack and roast for 15 minutes. Remove the pan from oven,turn the roast over (don't worry if you can't turn it over. Don't bother. It will be fine with no turning)and baste it with a few tablespoons of the wine.
• Return roast to oven, reduce temperature to 350 and cook for about 1 1/2 hours, turning roast and basting it with wine every 20 minutes. reserve 1/2 cup of the wine for the sauce. The roast is done when an instant read thermometer inserted in center reads 145 degrees.
• Transfer roast and rack to a platter and pour the pan juices into a glass measuring cup. Skim off as much fat as possible. Set roasting pan over two burners at medium heat. When it starts to sizzle, add reserved 1/2 cup wine and cook for 2 minutes, scraping up drippings from bottom of pan.
• Pour pan juices into juices in the measuring cup and let fat rise to the surface. Skim off fat again and season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste. Remove strings and carve the roast into thin slices. Serve pork with warm pan sauce
• Tuscan Herbed Salt: 1 garlic clove 1 Tbsp. sea salt 30 fresh sage leaves Chop garlic with the salt. Chip herbs together, then chop again with the salt Use the salt right away or let it dry out and store for up to 1 month in an airtight container at room temperature. The salt is a delicious seasoning for pork, veal or vegetables such as potatoes or green beans.