Slow-Roasted Pork Shoulder with Polenta and Quick Carrot Pickle

by Leah Halmagyi

Ingredients

  • 1.8kg boneless pork shoulder
  • sea salt flakes and freshly-ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp dried sage
  • 1 tsp sweet paprika
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper
  • 750ml chicken stock
  • ½ cup fine polenta
  • 1 cup vintage cheddar, grated
  • 4 carrots, peeled and finely sliced
  • 4 eschalots, finely sliced
  • 12 curry leaves
  • 8 cardamom pods
  • 500ml cider vinegar
  • 100g caster sugar
  • 50g fine salt
  • greens, to serve

Instructions

1 Preheat oven to 210°C. Untie the pork and pat dry all over. Season generously with salt and pepper. Mix the spices, then rub on the inside. Roll up, tie to secure, then arrange on a wire rack over a roasting pan. Bake for 30 minutes, reduce temperature to 150°C and bake for 2 hours, then increase to 200°C and bake for a final 30 minutes.
2 Meanwhile, pour the polenta into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Scatter in the polenta, boil briefly, then transfer to a heat poof bowl and set over a saucepan or barely simmering water and cook for 1 hour. Beat in the cheddar.
3 Place the carrots, eschalots, curry leaves and cardamom pods in a glass jar. Boil the vinegar, sugar and salt, pour over, then stand for 1 hour. Carve the pork and serve on polenta and greens, topped with pickle.