Serves: 8
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Oven temperature: 240°C
Cooking time: 12 hours

• 1 pork shoulder (about 3 kg) with a generous layer of fat, scored
• grated peel and juice of two lemons
• 30-45ml fennel seeds
• 30-45ml coriander seeds
• 2-4 red chillies, chopped and deseeded if preferred
• 4 large garlic cloves, sliced
• olive oil
• salt and freshly ground pepper

 

 

1 Preheat the oven. You can ask your butcher to score the shoulder for you, or do it yourself; it’s quite easy: use a sharp knife to cut a diamond pattern 1cm apart and 1cm deep into the fat.

2 Finely grind the lemon peel, fennel, coriander, chilli and garlic with a mortar and pestle. Add a dash of olive oil to create a paste and rub into the fat layer. Drizzle the lemon juice over.

3 Place the pork on the grill rack of a roasting pan.

4 Place in the oven for 30 minutes, to produce crisp crackling. Remove and reduce the heat to 120ºC.

5 Season the pork shoulder with salt and pepper, and return to the oven for 12 hours, or until the meat is so soft that it falls off the bone. TIP Allow the meat to stand for at least 10 minutes before carving, giving the juices a chance to spread through the meat. Apple and herbs such as sage, thyme and rosemary complement pork.

How to score and crust the joint

Make sure the knife you use is sharp

Grind your seasoning finely

Rub the paste well into the fat layer

Stuffed apples: Make one for each guest

Makes: 8 portions
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Oven temperature: 120°C (alongside pork shoulder)
Cooking time: 1 hour

• 8 apples
• 2 handfuls sage leaves
• 250g rindless bacon, chopped and crisply fried
• 2 slices white bread, crusts removed
• 100ml chicken stock
• 2 large garlic cloves, bruised
• grated rind of one lemon

1 Make a horizontal incision around each apple to prevent it from bursting, then remove the core.

2 Mix the remaining ingredients and fill the apple cavities. Place the apples in the roasting pan alongside the pork shoulder for the last hour of the cooking cycle. Bake until soft and cooked through.

Text and image source: Home magazine