All-night Roasted Shoulder of Organic Pork with Green Apple, Scallions and Almonds
Sourcing organic protein and working with large cuts is both responsible and delicious, yielding unsurpassed flavour and value. The only way for the choice of protein to be improved is through consumer voice, so don’t be bashful with your butcher.
10 lb (4.5 kg) organic pork shoulder, bone in and skin on (ask for skin to be scored)
1/2 cup (125 mL) salt
1/4 cup (60 mL) black pepper, crushed
3 green apples, cut into quarters
1 green apple, a tart variety
1/2 cup (125 mL) almonds, whole, skin on, toasted in 350 F (180 C) oven for 10 minutes
2 shallots, minced
1 bunch scallion, washed, trimmed, and cut into julienne
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup (60 mL) almond oil
2 lemons, zested and juiced
Mix together salt and black pepper. Rub over pork shoulder and let marinate, covered, in refrigerator overnight. Take pork out of fridge 2 hours before you plan to roast it.
Wash excess marinade from pork and dry with paper towels. In roasting pan, make a layer of the 3 quartered apples; place pork atop. Cover pork with parchment paper; cover whole pan with foil. Place into preheated 190 F (95 C) oven and cook for 12 hours. This is best done overnight; as long as you set the temperature correctly, you have nothing to worry about. When done, remove from oven, remove foil, and let rest for an hour. Remove pork from pan and place on platter; keep warm.
Pour pan juices through strainer and push cooked apple through. Skim off as much grease as possible and bring to boil. In a pot over medium-high heat, cook until slightly syrupy and reduced in volume by 50 percent. Taste sauce for seasoning and adjust as necessary.
While pork is resting, slice remaining apple as thinly as possible and toss with almonds, shallots, scallions, almond oil, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Season to taste with salt and black pepper; set aside. Serve on 6 warm dinner plates with slices of pork drizzled with sauce and topped with apple salad.
Serves 6.
Source: "Fuel Restaurant", alive #307, May 2008
All-night Roasted Shoulder of Organic Pork with Green Apple, Scallions and Almonds
Directions
READ THIS NEXT
SEE MORE »
Fennel, Apple, and Radicchio Slaw
Licorice-flavoured fennel, tart apple, and a hint of pleasant bitterness from radicchio combines with a touch of sweet dressing for a refreshingly delicious salad. Fennel contains a number of vitamins and minerals known to be involved in digestion, including vitamin C, manganese, and niacin which helps transform the food you eat into energy. Apple adds sweet crunch and all-important fibre. Know your fennel The fennel bulb we buy at the market is a cultivar variety known as Florence fennel. Fennel seeds, which are sometimes eaten after a meal to ease digestion, and which are also used for cooking, come from the common fennel, which grows wild in southern Europe, Australia, and parts of the US.
Farro, Lentil, and Vegetable Soup
Adding farro, with its nutty bite, is a delicious and convenient way to increase your soup’s fibre and nutritional value. This hearty soup is the perfect remedy to a cold January day. Lemon and chervil add a bright contrast to the fibre-packed earthy flavours. Farro timesaver With a long cooking time, it’s worth it to cook a larger amount of farro and freeze it in small-portioned batches which can be thawed quickly. Using a ratio of 1:4 farro to water, cook on medium-high heat until farro is al dente, in a similar manner to the way you would cook pasta. Drain, rinse, portion, and freeze for later use. To thaw, simply run frozen farro under water or add directly to soup.
Arugula Salad with Roasted Delicata Squash, Pomegranate Molasses, and Pine Nuts
Oven-roasted delicata squash makes a crispy treat atop this green salad. As its name suggests, this squash has a thin, delicate skin that’s tasty when cooked. Pomegranate molasses, an ingredient common in Lebanese and Middle-Eastern cuisine, brings a sweet and sour flavour to the dressing. No pine nuts? Use squash seeds! Simply collect about 1/4 cup (60 mL) seeds from cleaned squash, rinse, and mix with 1/8 tsp (0.5 mL) of the spice mix used to roast the squash and 1/2 tsp (2 mL) olive oil. Roast at 425 F (220 C) on parchment-lined baking sheet for 20 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.
Cardamom and Ginger Scented Farro Breakfast Porridge
Look for whole grain farro, which leaves the germ and bran intact, for this satisfying porridge that’s sure to kickstart your day. While the cooking time is longer than for pearled or semi-pearled varieties, you’ll get more nutrition. Take the time to enjoy the delicate scent of cardamom and ginger wafting through your kitchen as you prepare this. Ancient grain Farro (also referred to as emmer or einkorn) is a variety of wheat known as an ancient grain, which means that it hasn’t changed over time through breeding as is the case with many varieties of modern wheat.