Stewed Pork Shoulder, Greens and Butter Bean Recipe by Georgina Hayden
This low-maintenance roast is my favorite kind of Sunday lunch. After the initial flavor rub, it requires little interaction, yet guests will ask for the recipe. It's also brilliantly versatile, depending on the season and the vegetables you have available. Carrots, fennel, and cabbage would all make great additions or swaps, as would most canned white beans. oregano 1 teaspoon rosemary ½ bunch olive oil sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 kg pork shoulder rolled, skin and cut onions 3 celery 4 sticks white wine 150 ml beans butter 2 x 400 g chicken stock 300ml bay leaf 2 cavolo nero 300g (or kale) additional lemon juice and parmesan cheese to serve (optional)
Grate the lemon zest finely and place it in a mini food processor (you can also do this by hand). Add peeled garlic cloves, dried oregano and picked rosemary sprigs and blitz. Add the lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of olive oil, season well and pulse until a thick paste forms. Rub half of this paste over the pork and set aside for 30 minutes (or marinate in the fridge for a few hours or overnight).
When you're ready to cook the pork, preheat your oven to 220°C fan/thermostat 9. Peel the onions and cut them into quarters. Peel the celery and cut it into 3 cm long pieces. Place a large casserole dish on the baking sheet and drizzle with 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the chopped onions and celery and the rest of the garlic herb paste and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the white wine, bring to a boil, then add the butter beans (including the juice from the cans), the chicken stock and the bay leaves, and bring everything back to a boil. Nestle into the pork roast, so that it rests on the beans. Rub the pork skin with a little olive oil and place the casserole dish in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes, so that the skin begins to crisp.
While the pork is in the oven, remove the cavolo nero leaves from the stalks. Roughly chop the leaves (discard the stems). After 30 minutes, take the casserole out of the oven. Stir the cavolo nero leaves into the beans, cover with a lid and return to the oven, reducing the temperature to 140°C fan/thermostat 3. Cook for 3 to 3.5 hours or until the pork is tender .
Finally, remove the lid and return to the heat at 220 C fan/gas mark 9 for 20-25 minutes. This will help to restore radiance to the skin. Rest for 15 minutes, then serve as is or with a little extra lemon juice in the beans and a grating of parmesan cheese on top.
Georgina Hayden is a food writer; his latest book is Nistisima (Bloomsbury. £26)
This low-maintenance roast is my favorite kind of Sunday lunch. After the initial flavor rub, it requires little interaction, yet guests will ask for the recipe. It's also brilliantly versatile, depending on the season and the vegetables you have available. Carrots, fennel, and cabbage would all make great additions or swaps, as would most canned white beans. oregano 1 teaspoon rosemary ½ bunch olive oil sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 kg pork shoulder rolled, skin and cut onions 3 celery 4 sticks white wine 150 ml beans butter 2 x 400 g chicken stock 300ml bay leaf 2 cavolo nero 300g (or kale) additional lemon juice and parmesan cheese to serve (optional)
Grate the lemon zest finely and place it in a mini food processor (you can also do this by hand). Add peeled garlic cloves, dried oregano and picked rosemary sprigs and blitz. Add the lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of olive oil, season well and pulse until a thick paste forms. Rub half of this paste over the pork and set aside for 30 minutes (or marinate in the fridge for a few hours or overnight).
When you're ready to cook the pork, preheat your oven to 220°C fan/thermostat 9. Peel the onions and cut them into quarters. Peel the celery and cut it into 3 cm long pieces. Place a large casserole dish on the baking sheet and drizzle with 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the chopped onions and celery and the rest of the garlic herb paste and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the white wine, bring to a boil, then add the butter beans (including the juice from the cans), the chicken stock and the bay leaves, and bring everything back to a boil. Nestle into the pork roast, so that it rests on the beans. Rub the pork skin with a little olive oil and place the casserole dish in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes, so that the skin begins to crisp.
While the pork is in the oven, remove the cavolo nero leaves from the stalks. Roughly chop the leaves (discard the stems). After 30 minutes, take the casserole out of the oven. Stir the cavolo nero leaves into the beans, cover with a lid and return to the oven, reducing the temperature to 140°C fan/thermostat 3. Cook for 3 to 3.5 hours or until the pork is tender .
Finally, remove the lid and return to the heat at 220 C fan/gas mark 9 for 20-25 minutes. This will help to restore radiance to the skin. Rest for 15 minutes, then serve as is or with a little extra lemon juice in the beans and a grating of parmesan cheese on top.
Georgina Hayden is a food writer; his latest book is Nistisima (Bloomsbury. £26)
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