Recipe: Pork Pot Roast with Apricots, Cardamom and Ginger

PORK POT ROAST WITH APRICOTS, CARDAMOM AND GINGER

1 (4 1/3- to 5-pound) boneless pork shoulder roast, preferably Boston butt
Coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium leek, white and pale green part only, coarsely chopped
2 carrots, coarsely chopped
1 medium yellow onion (about 6 ounces) coarsely chopped
6 cardamom pods, husks split, seeds lightly crushed
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 tablespoon minced or grated fresh ginger
2 large garlic cloves, peeled
3 strips orange zest, about 3 by 3/4 inches
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons apricot brandy or Cognac
1/2 cup dry white wine or dry white vermouth
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup dried apricots
cooked couscous or white rice (for serving)

Heat oven to 325 degrees F.

Trim any thick bits of fat from the pork. Leave some for best flavor. Roll and tie into a neat, compact shape using white string.

Pat surface dry with paper towels. Season all over with salt and pepper. Pour oil in Dutch oven or other deep-lidded pot that will hold the pork snugly. Heat over medium heat. Lower pork into the pot and sear it on all sides, using tongs to turn the meat. Meat should be deeply browned. Transfer to a plate.

Pour off and discard all but 1 tablespoon of fat and return the pot to medium heat. Add leek, carrots and onions. Stir in cardamom, turmeric and cayenne. Cook until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes.

Add ginger, garlic, zest and bay leaf. Cook for 2 minutes until spices are fragrant.

Pour brandy into the pot. Bring to a boil for about 1 minute, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to release any caramelized bits, until reduced in half. Add wine and boil for 4 minutes, scraping sides and bottom with the spoon. Pour in stock, bring to a boil.

Add apricots and boil for 2 more minutes.

Lift the pork with tongs and set it on top of the mixture. Pour in any accumulated juices from the plate. Bring liquid to an easy simmer and spoon some over the pork. Cover the meat with parchment paper. The paper should almost touch the meat and extend over the sides of the pot about an inch.

Set the lid in place and slide the pot onto a shelf in the lower third of the oven to braise. Every 30 minutes, lift the lid to check that the liquid is simmering gently. Turn pork. If the liquid is simmering too aggressively, lower the oven heat 10 or 15 degrees. Braise until meat is fork-tender, about 2 hours. Remove meat from pot and cover loosely with foil for 10 minutes.

Put pot on the top of the stove. Skim off any surface fat and remove zest and bay leaf. If sauce is very thin, reduce it by boiling over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes. It should be the consistency of a thick vinaigrette.

Season as desired with salt and pepper. Pour any juices that accumulated under the meat into the sauce and stir. Remove strings, carve into 1/2-inch slices and serve with sauce and apricots.

Serve this impressive roast with couscous or white rice.

Yields 6-8 servings
Source: All About Braising: the Art of Uncomplicated Cooking by Molly Stevens