This is a great favourite of mine that I’ve been making for many years but I’ve long since forgotten where it came from. It may have been experimentation but I rather suspect it came from reading an old Raymond Olivier cookbook as there was I period when I cocked almost exclusively from his magnum opus. That was also when I really learned to cook meat. Unfortunately the only copy of that cookbook I’ve ever had access to is my sister’s. A few years ago I search high and low in Parisian bookstores for a copy but none was to be found. The basic idea behind this recipe is a one pot meal whereby all the ingredients slowly simmer together until they have achieved a sort of balanced taste whereby everything taste similarly but has very different texture. You will also get a sauce that is the most extraordinary concentrations of taste.
Ingredients (for four people):
- 1 ½ Kg boned pork shoulder;
- 1 Kg pork bones preferable from the shoulder but any decent butcher will have other bones to share. It is important that the bones not be too big otherwise they won’t fit in your roasting pot;
- 4 – 8 whole turnips clean, cut of the ends otherwise leave whole;
- 3 large carrots pealed and cut into 4 cm pieces;
- a bunch each rosemary & thyme;
- 1 bouquet garnie;
- A couple of bay leaves;
- 6 large cloves roughly sliced garlic;
- 1 large red onion sliced into thick disks;
- 1 litre good quality chicken or vegetable stock;
- 125 ml (normal wine glass) red wine vinegar, or a mix of red wine and some other vinegar. The other night I used vinegar made from a mixture of red berries that worked extremely well. Red wine also works but you will need a larger quantity to get the right amount of acidity. Don’t use balsamic as it completely changes the nature of the sauce;
- 30 ml dark soy sauce;
- Olive oil and a tablespoon of butter;
- Salt and black pepper to taste.
Make about 12 deep incisions (at least half way through) into the pork shoulder and stuff with about half the sliced garlic and as much rosemary and thyme as will fit in there. In a very hot stewing pot brown the pork shoulder on all sides remove from the pot.
Lower the heat to medium and add about a tablespoon of olive oil, the onion and garlic and fry until the onion is soft. Add in the vegetables and butter fry until slightly caramelized. This step is not really all that important but it does make the veggies a little bit more interesting.
Add back the shoulder with the fat and skin facing upwards. Arrange the bones around the shoulder add in the bay leaves and bouquet garnie before pouring over the vinegar and boiling off the alcohol. Add in the stock, soy and season to taste.
Turn up the heat and when boiling transfer to a 160 degrees oven (set at under over). Leave in there for 4 hours. You can shorten the cooking time by raising the temperature but as the sauce will evaporate faster you will need more liquid.
Not harmed by adding olives particularly large black ones.
Serve with mashed potatoes.
