Roast pork loin with shallot prunes and Madeira

INGREDIENTS

SERVES 6

2kg piece of pork loin, or bigger, if you like

For the sauce:

6 large shallots, each skinned and halved lengthways

2 tbsp olive oil or rapeseed oil – I use Cullisse rapeseed oils

50g butter

1 tsp salt, about 15 grinds of black pepper 1 rounded tbsp flour 6 soft prunes, chopped 150ml Madeira 600ml vegetable or chicken stock

DIRECTIONS

Make the sauce the day before.

Put the oil and butter into a wide shallow pan and heat till the butter has melted into the oil.

Season with salt and black pepper and add the halved shallots to the pan.

Shake, to coat each half of shallot with buttery oil. Cook with the pan half covered, and shaking it from time to time, till the shallots are completely softened – this will take 30-35 minutes. They should be collapsed and just turning colour.

Beware having the heat too high and the shallots burning.

When they are soft you stick a knife into them, stir in the flour, cook for a minute, then add the Madeira and stock, and the chopped prunes, stir till the sauce bubbles.

Taste, and add more salt and pepper if you think it is needed.

Cool and store in the fridge, covered, till the following day.

For the pork loin: With a very sharp knife, cut the pork meat from the bones, holding the blade of the knife close to the bones, or ask your butcher to do this for you! Replace the meat on the bones.

Hopefully the skin will still be on the meat, to make delicious crunchy crackling.

Score the skin in lines about 1cm apart, using a very sharp knife. Rub the skin with salt and grind black pepper liberally over it.

Roast the loin of pork in a hot oven, 200C/180C Fan/400F, Gas Mark 6 for 25 minutes per 450g.

Take it out of the oven 30 mins before serving, on to a heated plate, and loosely cover with foil to help retain heat. Slice before serving.

Reheat the sauce and serve, spooned beside each helping of sliced roast pork loin with a strip of crackling.