Anthony and Amanda Kumnick from Greenvale Farm share their delicious recipe for slow roast fennel pork shoulder with red cabbage and beet chips.
Slow Roast fennel pork shoulder with red cabbage and beet chips
Pork
2kg Pork Shoulder
2 bulbs fennel cut into 1/4
1 tbsp fennel seeds
2 carrots, halved length ways and 1/4 again
2 onions, quartered
1 bay leaf
600 ml stock
salt and pepper
1 tbsp flour
Red cabbage
You won’t need all this but what else will you do with 3/4 or 1/2 red cabbage. We freeze the rest and heat it when required. It’s also great with steak
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium red cabbage
2 medium onions, peeled and sliced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1 cup brown sugar
6 slices smoked bacon
2 quinces, peeled and diced (optional)
parsley, a handful, chopped
Beetroot chips
4 heritage (multi coloured) beetroot, peeled, cut into 2cm chips
1/2 tbsp fennel seeds
rendered pork fat and roast
salt and pepper
Side
Silverbeet, shredded enough for everyone
Pre-heat oven to 220 to 250.
If not already scored, score pork rind and rub all over with salt, pepper and fennel seeds. Arrange prepared carrots, onion and fennel on a single layer in a roasting pan that comfortably fits the joint of pork.
Place joint in the roasting pan on top of the fennel, carrot and onion and roast on high heat for 30 mins. This ensures the pork get a good crackling start.
Turn the oven down to 170 cover the roasting pan with foil and cook for a further 4 hours
Lay the beetroot chips in a single layer and separate roasting pan. Remove pork from oven and remove foil cover. Spoon some of the fat from the pork roasting pan over the beetroot chips and toss with fennel seeds, salt and pepper. Place pork and beetroot chips back in the oven and cook for a further hour. Take care that the beetroot chips don’t burn.
Meanwhile make the caramelised red cabbage. In a heavy bottomed large saucepan heat oil on medium, add bacon and remove when cooked chopping into small pieces. To the pan add onion and garlic, cook until soft and then add to red cabbage and quince for 5 minutes and stir. To the cabbage add vinegar, sugar, stir and reduce heat, cover and cook for 45 minutes to an hour. Once done add chopped bacon and parsley.
Remove pork from oven and cover with foil to rest, drain all but a tablespoon of fat and make gravy by sprinkling flour, salt and pepper, in roasting pan and cook on medium heat stirring flour into juices. Gradually add stock, scaping pan with wooden spoons. When cooked to desired consistency strain through sieve. While gravy is cooking, steam or wilt the greens silverbeet in a fry pan wiht a bit of butter and water.
About Greenvale Farm
Anthony and Amanda Kumnick are passionate about pigs. Their 1,100 acre property located near the Grampians, Greenvale Farm, provides plenty of outdoor space to free-range on and the animals receive the best of care and attention, receiving plenty of apples in their feed. The Kumnicks specialise in Berkshire, Tamworth and Wessex Saddleback pigs, rare breeds that not only taste delicious but are in danger of dying out. Pork belly, mince, chops, roasts – complete with crackling, of course – ham and bacon are all available at either the Golden Plains Farmers’ Market in Bannockburn or Veg Out Farmers’ Market in St Kilda (both on the first Saturday of each month).
You can also join Anthony and Amanda at Homage to the Pig at Greenvale 17-18 March featuring chef Matt Wilkinson and food writer Richard Cornish.
