This low-maintenance roast is my favourite type of Sunday lunch. After the initial flavour rub, it requires little interaction, and yet will have guests asking for the recipe. It is also brilliantly versatile, depending on the season and the vegetables you have available. Carrots, fennel and cabbage would all make great additions or swap ins, as would most tinned white beans.
Serves 6-8
lemon 1
garlic 6 cloves
dried oregano 1 tsp
rosemary ½ bunch
olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
rolled pork shoulder 2kg, skin on and scored
onions 3
celery 4 sticks
white wine 150ml
butter beans 2 x 400g tins
chicken stock 300ml
bay leaves 2
cavolo nero 300g (or kale)
extra lemon juice and parmesan to serve (optional)
Finely grate the zest of the lemon and place in a mini food processor (you can also do this by hand). Add the peeled garlic cloves, the dried oregano and picked sprigs of the rosemary and blitz. Add the juice of the lemon and 2 tablespoons of olive oil, season well and pulse till you have a thick paste. Rub half of this paste over the pork and leave to one side for 30 minutes (or marinate in the fridge for a few hours or overnight).
When you are ready to cook the pork, preheat your oven to 220C fan/gas mark 9. Peel the onions and cut into wedges. Trim the celery and cut into 3cm-length pieces. Place a large casserole on the hob and drizzle in 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the cut onions and celery and the remaining garlic herb paste, and fry for 5 minutes. Add the white wine, bring to the boil, then add the butter beans (including the juice from the tins), chicken stock and bay leaves, and bring everything back to the boil. Nestle in the pork joint, so it sits on top of the beans. Rub the skin of the pork with a little olive oil and place the casserole in the oven. Cook for 30 minutes, so the skin starts to crisp up.
While the pork is in the oven, pull the cavolo nero leaves off the stems. Roughly chop the leaves (discarding the stems). After 30 minutes remove the casserole from the oven. Stir the cavolo nero leaves through the beans, cover with a lid and return to the oven, reducing the temperature to 140C fan/gas mark 3. Cook for 3-3.5 hours, or until the pork is tender.
To finish, remove the lid and turn the heat back up to 220C fan/gas mark 9 for a final 20-25 minutes. This will help re-crisp 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 over them.
Georgina Hayden is a food writer; her latest book is Nistisima (Bloomsbury. £26)
