Oh DUDES – I’ve had one magnificent day in the kitchen. It’s been me and Nigella all the way baby. I must go to bed as have been in the since about 10 this morning doing bits and pieces (it wasn’t just cooking) and as it’s now 10 at night I gotta rest these legs. But here’s what will be coming over the next few days:
Rolled loin of pork “cinghiale”
“Heaven and earth” mash
Gingerbread
Gingerbread stuffing
Custard
Oy. So good, all so very very good.
Rolled loin of pork “cinghiale”
- 1tbsp pink peppercorns
- 1tbsp juniper berries
- 1tbsp allspice berries
- 1 clove
- 4 cloves garlic, bruised
- 1tbsp molasses
- 125ml extra virgin olive oil
- 2tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2tbsp dark brown sugar
- 80ml Marsala
- 500ml red wine
- 2.25kg tied pork loin, weighed without bones and rind
- Crush the peppercorns, juniper and allspice berries with the clove in a mortar and pestle
- In a large snaplock bag combine with all the other marinade ingredients
- Add the meat and marinade ideally for a couple of days or at least overnight
- Let the meat and bones come to room temperature
- Preheat oven to 200C
- Line a roasting tin with foil as the sugar in the marinade will make the pan burn
- Lay the bones in the bottom of the pan and place the meat on top of them
- Pour in about 500ml of the marinade, reserving the rest for making the gravy
- Be prepared for the meat to shrink enormously
- Roast meat for 13/4 to 2 hours, basting every now and then
- After the pork has been in for an hour, put the rind on a rack in a shallow roasting pan on the shelf under the pork
- When the meat is done, take it out and cover tightly with foil to keep warm and to rest
- Turn the oven up to as high as it will go and let the crackling get cracking
- For the gravy, pour any juices remaining in the pan into a small saucepan along with the rest of the marinade and a cup of water of water and taste to check it is how you want it.
Notes: – I used a boned shoulder of pork from Southern Highland Pork – the flavour was sublime
– I didn’t have and couldn’t find anywhere on the Northern Beaches in the timeframe we had pink peppercorns, so these were very regrettably omitted
– I used treacle instead of molasses
– I used dry sweet sherry instead of Marsala
– I cooked it in a low oven for four hours
– I didn’t add any water when I made the gravy and I drained some of the oil off the pan juices
Now, it’s probably best for the vegetarians to look away. I am not a big meat eater. But I adore the butcher’s and see such beauty in all those cuts of meat. To me, while my photography doesn’t do it justice, this is pure art:
