Ingredients
| FOR THE PORK | |
| 1.6-2kg pork shoulder, skin removed (use to make crackling) | |
| 2 tablespoons olive oil | |
| 1 tablespoon butter | |
| 6 cloves garlic, peeled | |
| 1 tablespoon fennel seeds | |
| 20 sage leaves | |
| peeled rind of 2 lemons and juice of 1 | |
| 800ml full-fat milk, heated | |
| FOR THE SOFT POLENTA | |
| 1.2 litres vegetable stock | |
| 1 teaspoon salt | |
| 200g instant polenta | |
| 50g butter, cut into pieces | |
| 50g freshly grated parmesan |
This is not the most attractive dish as the milk curdles into rich dark nuggets, but it is flavoursome and homely. It’s usually cooked with a loin, but I prefer to use a shoulder cut. If it comes with skin I usually remove it and make some crackling. Depending on the coarseness of the grain, the polenta can use more liquid than most instructions specify. I use a rough ratio of 1 part polenta to 5-6 parts water, but if you keep some boiling water on hand you can adjust the consistency if necessary. I’ve used a vegetable stock for the polenta but you can use chicken stock or milk if you prefer.
I consider the gatherings where friends or relatives sit down to share a meal as integral to the consideration of family.
Instructions
| 1. | FOR THE PORK |
| 2. | Season the pork generously with salt and pepper. |
| 3. | Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and brown the meat on all sides to a rich dark brown. |
| 4. | Take your time here as this is where the meat and sauce take their colour. |
| 5. | Remove the pork from the pan and pour off the fat. |
| 6. | Melt the butter in the pan, add the garlic, fennel seeds and sage leaves and cook until fragrant |
| 7. | Add the pork to the pan along with the lemon juice, rind and milk. |
| 8. | lace the lid slightly askew on the pan and cook for 1½-2 hours or until very tender, turning the meat every 30 minutes. |
| 9. | The milk will have reduced and curdled into rich dark nuggets. |
| 10. | Turn off the heat and allow the meat to rest for 15 minutes in the milk before slicing across the grain or pulling apart into chunks to serve. |
| 11. | FOR THE SOFT POLENTA |
| 12. | Bring the stock to the boil in a medium saucepan then add the salt. |
| 13. | Make a whirlpool in the water with a whisk. |
| 14. | Use a jug to pour in the polenta in a thick stream, then bring to a boil, whisking constantly to ensure there are no lumps. |
| 15. | Cook for another 5 minutes, whisking regularly, until the polenta is coming away from the sides of the pan and is smooth in texture. |
| 16. | Add the butter and parmesan and adjust the seasoning if necessary. |
| 17. | If you aren’t serving it straight away, pour the polenta into a stainless bowl, dot with butter (which helps prevent a skin forming) cover with baking paper and foil and keep warm over a water bath. |
| 18. | Stir well before using. |
Recipes & Food Styling Ginny Grant / Photography Aaron McLean / Styling Ellen J Hemmings
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