Christmas Countdown Recipes: Roast Pork

Slow-roasted pork is a dish that we prepare for Christmas Day.

Kathy Tsaples

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and what better way to celebrate than with our second Christmas Recipe Advent Countdown! 5 days to go…

I wake up early and cook it in the oven very slowly for about 3–4 hours. It is truly worth the effort.

When preparing this dish with this particular recipe, I like to use the Berkshire variety of pork. However, any free-range or organic variety will do. It is important to use the best-quality meat to get the best end result.

Gather around the table – it's time for Roast Pork. Follow our recipe here-

Ingredients

• 1 shoulder of free-range or organic pork
• 3 onions
• 1 whole lemon, skin and pith removed, leaving just the flesh
• rind of 1 orange
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 tsp celery salt
• 1 tsp cooking salt
• Pepper, freshly ground

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200 ̊C. Pat the meat dry.
2. Toast the fennel seeds and gently grind them using a mortar and pestle.
3. Slice the onions and assemble them on the bottom of the baking dish. Slice the lemon and spread it over the onions.
4. Drizzle a little olive oil on the onions and sprinkle with salt.
5. Place your meat on top, and carefully but thoroughly rub the salt, celery salt and pepper on it. It is important to season your meat well.
6. Ensure that the skin is scoured and rub in some olive oil, fennel seeds, orange rind and salt. Add 1 cup of water to the baking dish. Bake in the oven uncovered for about 30 minutes.
7. Take your pork out, reduce the temperature of the oven to 150 ̊C, cover the dish with foil and bake for a further 2 hours. Check the meat after the first hour to make sure there is enough liquid on the bottom, and add a little more if necessary.
8. After the final hour of cooking, take off the foil, increase the oven temperature to approximately 200 ̊C and continue to bake until the meat browns and forms cracks.

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Christmas Countdown Recipes:

• Galaktoboureko
• Almond Pears
• Melomakarona
• Vissino and Mastiha Trifle
• Potato Salad