Harissa-rubbed pork shoulder with white beans and Swiss chard
There are no preliminary or pre-cooking steps before you slather the pork with a garlicky harissa paste and pop it in the oven, which makes this recipe especially foolproof. You could certainly stop after you’ve braised the shoulder, serving the spicy, tangy pan juices over roast potatoes or a fluffy pile of couscous, but I love adding the beans and returning them to a significantly hotter oven to absorb the flavourful pork fat, getting a little browned and crisped along with the pork.
SERVES 6-10
1.8kg boneless pork shoulder
Salt and freshly ground
black pepper
125g harissa paste
60ml distilled white (malt)
vinegar
3tbsp tomato paste
3tbsp light brown sugar 4 garlic cloves, finely grated 2 × 400g tins small white beans, such as cannellini, drained and rinsed 1 large bunch Swiss chard, stems removed, leaves torn into bite-sized pieces 1 preserved lemon, seeds
removed, thinly sliced 1 large handful coriander,
tender leaves and stems 1 lemon, halved
1 Preheat the oven to 160°C/140°C fan/gas mark 3. Season the pork with salt and pepper and place in a large casserole dish. Combine the harissa paste, vinegar, tomato paste, sugar and garlic in a medium-sized bowl. Smear the harissa mixture all over the pork, getting into the nooks and crannies.
2 Add 375ml water to the dish, place the lid on and transfer to the oven. Cook until the pork is nearly falling-apart tender, roughly 3-3½hrs.
3 Remove the lid. Add the beans and season with salt and pepper. Increase the oven temperature to 200°C/180°C fan/gas mark 6 and return the dish to the oven, uncovered. Roast until the beans have soaked up all the liquid and the top of the pork is deeply golden brown, approx 40-45min.
4 Transfer the pork to a cutting board. Add the Swiss chard and preserved lemon to the beans and stir to wilt the leaves. Cut the pork into 1cmthick slices – don’t worry if it starts to shred when slicing.
5 Transfer the beans and greens onto a large serving plate and place the pork on top. (Or place back into the casserole dish and serve from there.) Scatter with coriander and serve with lemon.