A pleasant alternative to gammon, this pork joint is cooked like gammon and served with exotic caramelised fruit
TO DRINK: Pork loves fruity flavours. A dry chenin is full of sweet apples and tropical fruit
Festive roast pork
Ingredients
- Preheat the oven to 190°C.
- Place the pork joint in a large saucepan. Add onions, celery, carrots, bay leaves and chicken stock to cover the meat, adding more water if necessary. Bring to a boil and simmer gently for about 1 hour.
- Remove the joint from the stock and allow to cool slightly. Remove the string and, using a sharp knife, carefully ease away the skin to leave an even caramelised layer of fat. Using the tip of the knife, score the fat in lines. Finely slice the ginger and tuck slices into the scores of fat.
- Transfer the joint to a roasting tin, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast until it begins to colour, about 30 – 45 minutes.
- When the pork joint is ready transfer to a serving platter and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
- For the caramelised fruits, halve the figs and clementines, heat honey and olive oil in a frying pan and place the fruit cut-side down in the pan. Fry the fruit until caramelised, about 2 – 3 minutes.
- For the sauce, fry the onion in melted butter until soft but not brown, about 2 minutes. Blend the cornflour with the clementine and lemon juices, and season with salt and pepper, stirring, for 3 minutes. Serve in a warm sauce boat.
- To serve, arrange the caramelised fruit around the pork joint and pour the pan juices from the fruit over the meat.
Instructions
1
1,8kg boned pork loin
2
2 red onions, quartered
3
2 celery sticks, cut into large pieces
4
2 carrots, cut into large pieces
5
6 bay leaves
6
500ml (2 cups) chicken stock
7
15cm fresh ginger
8
60ml (¼ cup) olive oil
9
salt, to taste
10
CARAMELISED FRUIT
11
4 fresh figs
12
4 clementines or naartjies
13
60ml (¼ cup) honey
14
45ml (3 tbsp) olive oil
15
SAUCE
16
1 red onion, finely chopped
17
30g (3 tbsp) butter
18
10ml (2 tsp) cornflour
19
80ml ( cup) clementine or
20
naartjie juice
21
a squeeze of lemon juice
22
salt and freshly ground black
23
pepper, to taste