• A pleasant alternative to gammon, this pork joint is cooked like gammon and served with exotic caramelised fruit

    TO DRINK: Pork loves fruity flavours. A dry chenin is full of sweet apples and tropical fruit

    Festive roast pork

    Ingredients

    • Preheat the oven to 190°C.
    • Place the pork joint in a large saucepan. Add onions, celery, carrots, bay leaves and chicken stock to cover the meat, adding more water if necessary. Bring to a boil and simmer gently for about 1 hour.
    • Remove the joint from the stock and allow to cool slightly. Remove the string and, using a sharp knife, carefully ease away the skin to leave an even caramelised layer of fat. Using the tip of the knife, score the fat in lines. Finely slice the ginger and tuck slices into the scores of fat.
    •  Transfer the joint to a roasting tin, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast until it begins to colour, about 30 – 45 minutes.
    • When the pork joint is ready transfer to a serving platter and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
    • For the caramelised fruits, halve the figs and clementines, heat honey and olive oil in a frying pan and place the fruit cut-side down in the pan. Fry the fruit until caramelised, about 2 – 3 minutes.
    • For the sauce, fry the onion in melted butter until soft but not brown, about 2 minutes. Blend the cornflour with the clementine and lemon juices, and season with salt and pepper, stirring, for 3 minutes. Serve in a warm sauce boat.
    • To serve, arrange the caramelised fruit around the pork joint and pour the pan juices from the fruit over the meat.

    Instructions

    1

    1,8kg boned pork loin

    2

    2 red onions, quartered

    3

    2 celery sticks, cut into large pieces

    4

    2 carrots, cut into large pieces

    5

    6 bay leaves

    6

    500ml (2 cups) chicken stock

    7

    15cm fresh ginger

    8

    60ml (¼ cup) olive oil

    9

    salt, to taste

    10

    CARAMELISED FRUIT

    11

    4 fresh figs

    12

    4 clementines or naartjies

    13

    60ml (¼ cup) honey

    14

    45ml (3 tbsp) olive oil

    15

    SAUCE

    16

    1 red onion, finely chopped

    17

    30g (3 tbsp) butter

    18

    10ml (2 tsp) cornflour

    19

    80ml ( cup) clementine or

    20

    naartjie juice

    21

    a squeeze of lemon juice

    22

    salt and freshly ground black

    23

    pepper, to taste