There are just a few simple steps in making this delicious pork roast. The spices add great flavour to both the pork and the gravy.
Serves six. Preparation time: two hours 45 minutes.
Ingredients
2kgs pork shoulder, well-trimmed and tied
1 onion, peeled and quartered
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 tablesp rapeseed or olive oil
1 tablesp flour
500mls water or stock
For the dry spice rub
1 tablesp brown sugar
2 teasp ground cumin
2 teasp ground paprika
1 teasp ground coriander
1 teasp fennel seeds
1 tablesp fresh thyme leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
To serve
Mashed potatoes and a selection of roasted root vegetables such as parsnips, carrots, celeriac, and butternut squash.
Method
Heat the oven to Gas Mark 6, 200°C (400°F ).
To cook the pork: Place the onion and carrots in the base of a roasting tin. Place the pork on top.
Mix the dry spice rub ingredients together and then rub all over the pork. Drizzle over a little oil.
Place the roasting tin in the hot oven and roast, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Then reduce heat to Gas Mark 4, 180°C (350°F ). Cover the meat with tin foil and roast for a further two hours.
When the pork is cooked remove it from the oven and place on a large plate or board. Cover with tin foil and allow to rest while you make the gravy.
To make the gravy: Remove the large vegetables from the roasting tin and discard. Strain off some of the fat then stir the flour into the remaining juices. Place over a medium heat and continue stirring with a wooden spoon. Gradually add in the stock or water and bring to the boil. Simmer for a couple of minutes, taste and season. Then strain through a sieve into a serving jug.
To serve: Slice the pork and serve with the gravy, mashed potatoes, and roasted seasonal vegetables which can be cooked in the oven at the same time as the pork.
Nutritional analysis per serving: Energy 746kcal; protein 54g; fat 29g (10.1g saturated ); iron 3.4mg; carbohydrate 71g.
