Slow Roast Spiced Pork

This is an excellent recipe if you want to have an easy outdoor meal/party, particularly if you can't be bothered to faff about with juggling thousands of tiny pieces of meat over a roasting hot fire.  Especially if you could be sitting about drinking something cold instead.  Say au revoir to your diet however...

The quantities are fairly arbitrary, don't panic with exactitudes.

This makes enough for 6/7 people.

1.5kg belly pork (this can be a joint or slices)

2tsp cumin seed

2tsp coriander seed

1/3 nutmeg, finely grated

Splash sherry/ginger wine

lots of freshly ground black pepper

1 or 2 large heads of garlic, peeled

1 or 2 fennel bulbs (optional), sliced

preheat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6

Grind the spices in a pestle and mortar/food processor.

Place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well with your hands making sure every inch of pork is covered with the spice mix.

Cover and leave in the fridge for several hours or overnight.  Place in a roasting tray with all the fennel and garlic underneath the pork and bung in the oven, turn down to 150C/gas mark 3 and abandon for 2.5/3hrs.  You can drop it on a not-too-hot BBQ for a couple of minutes if you want, to give it a smokey flavour and give you an excuse to have a fire for roasting marshmallows on.  Tear the whole lot into shreds with a couple of forks, place in a large hot dish and place in the centre of the table.

Sorry for the lack of photos, I was too busy laughing and drinking Pimms by this point and completely forgot about my camera until it was too late.

Serve with big warm rolls or pitta breads (I did mine with olive focaccia rolls), salads and lots of bits and pieces to add in, for example - roasted peppers or tomatoes, sweet chilli jelly, pickles/chutneys, lettuce, spring onions, sliced tomatoes, apple sauce.....whatever really.

It is alarmingly good.