Family (F)Easter (1): Roast Pork with Fennel Salt

Scott actually adapted this recipe, stuffing the rolled loin of pork with a compote of apple, fennel, onion, walnuts, breadcrumbs and seasonings … but of course he didn’t write the mixture down, so we’ll have to leave it to you to experiment! Personally I’d think about leaving out the breadcrumbs, as the stuffing is not really like a stuffing you’d add into a chicken or turkey.

Now as I mentioned in my last entry, the above photograph isn’t ours. Instead it’s “borrowed” from Taste.Com.Au, which is where we start our recipe search these days. Nor did we roast apples to serve the dish with – there were well and truly enough sides without adding fruit as well.

The big challenge of the day was the crackling, which as everyone knows is the critical component of any roast pork. My Dad makes the best crackling I’ve ever had – something I just happened to share with Scott, which of course meant the competition was well and truly on. Not that he’s competitive or anything, but I did catch him regularly checking on the crackling and patting it with a paper towel every five minutes of cooking to soak up any moisture that could possibly prevent the crackling from developing perfectly.

The recipe follows after the jump.

Roast Pork with Fennel Salt

• 1.5  tbs sea salt flakes
• 2 tsp dried fennel seeds
• 2kg boned rolled loin of pork
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 10 small red Gala apples, halved lengthways

Cider Gravy

• 50g (1/3 cup) plain flour
• 500ml (2 cups) chicken stock
• 250ml (1 cup) apple cider

1. Preheat oven to 230ºC. Combine salt and fennel in a bowl.
2. Place the pork, rind-side up, in a roasting pan. Drizzle the oil over the rind. Rub the salt mixture over the rind and into the cuts.
3. Roast for 45 minutes or until the rind crackles. Reduce oven temperature to 200ºC.
4. Arrange apple around pork and roast for a further 1 hour 10 minutes or until pork is just cooked through and apple is tender.
5. Transfer to a serving platter. Cover with foil and set aside for 10 minutes to rest.
6. Meanwhile, to make the cider gravy, drain the juices from the pan.
7. Place the pan over medium-high heat.
8. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until the mixture bubbles.
9. Gradually add the stock and cider, scraping the pan with a wooden spoon to dislodge any bits that have cooked onto the base, until the mixture boils.
10. Boil, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes or until the gravy thickens.
11. Serve with potato and pumpkin roasted in duck fat.

~ by swalloworspit on April 25, 2011.