Fennel pork shoulder recipe by Shari Lowndes

PORK ROAST
based on a 4kg rolled pork shoulder

Ingredients (sourced from local farmers market)
Rolled pork shoulder from McIvor Farm Foods (scored at 1.5cm intervals by butcher)
3 organic Fennel Bulbs (with stalks and fronds still attached)
3 tsp fennel seeds
8 cloves new season garlic (or regular organic is also fine)
3 tsp chilli flakes
small bunch of bronze fennel herb (just use the fronds of the fennel bulbs if not available from your local market)
salt flakes (have a lot at hand
cracked pepper
1/2 bottle dry white wine
1 cup water

METHOD
(Day before cooking)
Remove the porks string as bound by the butcher and place over a colander skin side up. Bring a saucepan of water to the boil and pour over the skin. Pat dry on both sides and rub a handful of salt into the skin and its creases, then place in your baking dish or on a chopping board (skin side up) with baking paper below the meat. Leave in fridge overnight, or until about 1hr before cooking.

(Cooking day)
Remove from fridge 1 hour before cooking.
Preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius. Pat away any moisture on the skin and flesh.
Dry roast the fennel seeds in a pan until you can smell the scent of fennel. Smash the garlic and wedge the all the bits into any creases and cracks in the flesh side. Sprinkle over the chilli flakes, dry roasted fennel seeds, fennel bulb fronds and a handful of the bronze fennel herbs roughly torn. Season with plenty of cracked pepper.
Now roll and tie the pork between every score (as firm as possible to ensure the meat  cooks evenly). Now rub a handful of salt into the skin, massaging into all the cracks, and sprinkle another handful over the top so the Salk flakes are visible.
In your baking dish, add half a bottle of dry white wine and 1 cup of water, and then place a cooling rack over the top. On the cooling rack, cut off all the stalks on your fennel bulbs and line them up to bake a bed for the pork. Place in the oven at 220degrees for 20 minutes to blast the skin. After 20 minutes, reduce the heat to 180degees and every 40 minutes, turn the meat over, starting skin side up.
Cooking time is 40 minutes per kilo.

At the end of the cooking, remove from oven and cover for 30 minutes to rest. All the juices in the pan can be reduced to make a gravy seasoned with pepper, or optionally to thicken a little more, add a desert spoon or two of all purpose flour and whisk.

*serve with salad leaves and lemon juice as well as:

W A R M  R O A S T E D  F E N N E L
 S A L A D

Ingredients
(Using the bulbs from the pork recipe)
3 fennel bulbs
4 big handfuls of broad bean stalks
3 vine ripened tomatoes
4 Dutch cream potatoes (any waxy type)
1/3 or the rind of an orange
3-4 garlic cloves smashed
Big handful of mint leaves
2tbs dry white wine
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt flakes
Cracked pepper
Couple of stalks of tarragon
3tbs white wine vinegar

METHOD
Cut the fennel bulbs into wedges (cut in half, and the halves cut into 3-4). Add to baking dish and add wine, drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, adding orange rind and garlic. Mix through with hands and add to oven in the last 40 minute stage of cooking the pork (at 180 degrees for 40 minutes)

For potatoes, add mint leaves to the bottom of a steamer and place potatoes whole on top, covering with lid and steaming until cooked (ensuring not to over cook as will fall apart on salad). * A tip from my grandmother Sue who steams her potatoes with mint and it gives a lovely subtle mint flavour.
Once cooked and cooled slightly, cut into wedges (the length of the potato) and set aside.

Shell all of the broad beans and place in the water from the water used to steam the potatoes and cook for 3-4 minutes. Drain and cool with water in a colander, and then peel the sling from all the broad beans to revel the lovely tender flesh below.

Put the tomatoes whole in another small baking dish and season with salt and pepper and a drizzle of oil. Place in oven for around 15 minutes and 180 degrees.
The trick is to only warm the tomatoes, somewhere between raw and cooked. When ready, remove from oven and cut up into chunky cubes.

Combine all the cooked ingredients and add the tarragon leaves from the stalks, season with salt and pepper and then drizzle over the vinegar and some olive oil to your taste. Use hands and combine all ingredients.

Now eat!