I served with some roasted 'roots' or carrots and parsnips drizzled with olive oil and scattered with cumin seeds and some garlic-roasted sweet potato plus a little wilted spinach and a quick yoghurt dip - delicious.
The below was enough for Glen, Bridget (age 2) and myself with a little sliced meat leftover for sandwiches the next day.
Middle Eastern Roast Pork and Roasted Roots |
Here's how:
- 1 small pork shoulder (approx 1.5kg)
- The pork marinade:
- 1.5 tsp cumin seeds
- 1.5 tsp dried ginger
- 1 tsp ras el hanout
- 1 tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp rosemary
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp sea salt
The roots:
- 1 pack baby parsnips
- 2 large carrots
- 2 sweet potatoes
- 4 cloves garlic
- Pinch sea salt
- Pinch black pepper
- Olive oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Everything else:
- Half pack spinach
- 2 tbsp natural yoghurt
- Handful parsley
- Handful coriander
Firstly combine the cumin, ginger, ras el hanout, pepper, salt, thyme, rosemary, cinnamon and paprika in a small bowl and mix to combine the spice mix. Get your pork joint into a large bowl and rub all over with the spice mix, into the creases of the meat to ensure it is fully coated.
Now wash your hands, and then cover the pork with either cling film or tin foil and place into the fridge to marinade for several hours. If you haven't got five hours, a couple will do.
Once the pork is sufficiently marinated, remove from the fridge for twenty minutes and pre-heat the oven to 180. Then place the pork into a roasting tin, fat side up, drizzle with a little olive oil and place onto the middle shelf. This will need 30 minutes per 500g plus an additional 20 minutes - or cook according to the packaging.
Whilst the pork is cooking, peel the sweet potatoes and chop into flat rounds and place into a small oven proof dish that you can mash into after roasting, place in four unpeeled garlic cloves and set aside.
If using the baby parsnips you can just cut the ends off but I like to peel too as Bridget won't eat them with the peel on. Place them into another roasting dish. Peel the carrots and cut into long wedges, similarly sized to the baby parsnips and add to the roasting tin. Drizzle with a generous glug of olive oil (1.5 tbsp) and then scatter over the cumin seeds and a pinch of sea salt and black pepper then toss to coat fully. Cover and set aside.
Cumin Roots |
For the yoghurt dip simply chop the parsley and coriander and add to a bowl with the yoghurt. Then once the sweet potato is out of the oven, take out one of the roasted garlic cloves and add to the dip and stir well. Leave in the fridge until serving.
When the meat is out of the oven, leave to stand and rest for 15-20 minutes before carving into thick slices.
Middle Eastern Pork |
Place a drizzle of olive oil into a pan and wilt the spinach with a little salt for 1 minute whilst getting everything else out of the oven.
The sweet potatoes need to be gently crushed or mashed in their cooking vessel, add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a teaspoon of cinnamon and stir through.
Roasted garlic sweet potatoes, pre mashing |
Cumin roasted roots |
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