RECIPES FOR PORK ROAST IN THE OVEN RECIPES

Steps:

• 1. This method of cooking pork stops it drying out and keeps it juicy and soft. You also end up with a wonderful rich sticky sauce!
  2. Preheat your oven to 200ºC/400ºF/gas 6. Heat an appropriately sized casserole-type pan, add a lug of olive oil and sweat the onions and garlic gently until soft. Roll the pork in the seasoning and thyme leaves. Push the onions to one side of the pan, add a knob of butter and brown the pork lightly all over.
  3. Stir the quartered figs into the onions, pour one glass of Marsala over the meat and drop in the rest of the butter. Tear a piece of greaseproof paper big enough to cover the pork comfortably, scrunch it up with your hands and run it under the cold tap. Unravel it and tuck it in the pot over the pork, figs and onions. This will help the pork steam as well as roast and keep it really moist and juicy.
  4. Place in the hot oven. After 20 minutes, lift off the paper, turn the pork in the juices and add the other glass of Marsala. Replace the paper and cook for 30 to 40 minutes more. Check the pork is cooked, remove to a plate and allow it to rest for 15 minutes before slicing.
  5. While the meat is resting, finish the sauce by skimming any fat off the top, adding the chicken stock and simmering for 10 minutes. Check the seasoning and add the crème fraîche if using. Slice the pork as thinly as you want and serve with the delicious sauce.

Steps:

• 1. Preheat your oven to 240ºC/475ºF/gas 9. First, score the skin of the pork in a criss-cross pattern every 1cm/½ inch with a sharp knife, trying not to cut into the meat itself. Mix a little salt with a teaspoon of paprika, the lemon juice and a little olive oil, then rub this over the meat and into the score lines. Put the meat in a high-sided roasting tray and cook in the preheated oven for 30 minutes to start the skin crisping up.
  2. Remove the meat from the oven, turning the heat down to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4. Take the pork out of the tray and put it to one side, then spoon out half the fat and discard it. Place the tray on the hob, add the onions, whole chillies, chorizo, bay leaves and rosemary with the remaining paprika, and fry gently until the onions are soft. Add all the tomatoes, the beans, garlic, parsley and a wineglass of water to the tray, stirring and scraping up all the lovely sticky bits from the bottom. Place the pork on top, return to the oven and cook for another hour or so or until the skin is crispy and the meat is meltingly tender.
  3. When cooked, remove the pork from the tray and allow to rest. Taste the sauce and season with salt, pepper and a few swigs of red wine vinegar to give it a twang. Then remove the chillies and control the heat by chopping up as much chilli as you like and stirring it back into the sauce. Lovely served with soured cream.