It’s not just easy, it’s a knockout too, but it’s a casserole really
You can use several cuts of pork for this dish, as long as they have a certain amount of fat: a boned pork neck or pork shoulder, and even the cheaper end of a pork loin. The cooking time depends on the kind of cut you get and how tough or tender it is. We used a cheap piece of pork loin.
I always forget to take a photo when I’m cooking – this is courtesy of www.BBCgoodfood.com
This dish isn’t difficult but I need to explain the method a little. The idea of a pot roast is that the meat cooks in its own juices, as do the veggies you throw into the mix, and you keep it moist by spooning the juices over the roast at regular intervals. Last time I did it that way, the pork shrivelled up and dried out so this time I used a different approach.
Our piece of loin was pretty small (less than a kilo) and I didn’t want to overcook it so this is what I did: started with the veggies and added the meat later. The other thing I did was to cut the loin into four thick steaks, covered them with herbs and seasoning, fried them for a couple minutes each side, then placed them into the roasting dish with the veggies, added the wine and stock and made sure they were just above submerged.
The result was the best pork I’ve ever served: really flavoursome, tender and juicy. Here’s the rest of the story:
- 2 – 3 fennel bulbs, the tough bottom cut out, sliced but not too thin
- 3-5 spring onions, chopped in half, the green ends chopped into inch-long pieces
- You can use small Spanish onions instead, and add some think shallots
- A couple of cloves of garlic
- Green capsicum
- 2 x sweet chili peppers
- 2-3 zucchinis sliced
- Field mushrooms
- Seasoning
- Fennel seeds, coriander and thyme
- Sacla Capsicum and Eggplant stir-through – get it HERE
- Olive oil or or butter or both
- Glass or 2 of white wine
- Cup of vegetable stock
The Sacla sauce is somewhat of a secret ingredient here
Cooking the dish
- Fry the fennel, onions, shallots, garlic, capsicum, sweet chili, zucchinis in a big pan until brown, add seasoning and herbs plus all of the wine and some of the stock
- Pour it all into casserole dish and put it in the oven for 30 minutes before you add the mushrooms. Add more stock if needed – the sauce in this dish is not meant to be thick.
- Cut and fry the pork as described above, and don’t forget the herbs and seasoning
- Add to the casserole and make sure they’re mostly covered in liquid.
- Add the Sacla stir-through sauce and mix in.
- Put the casserole back in the oven for 20 minutes, adjusting fluid, seasoning and herbs as needed.
Cooking time will depend on the cut of pork you’re using – shoulder and neck will take a bit longer so add these earlier. You can serve the dish on its own, or with with rice, potatoes or pasta.