Pork & onions

You can prep all the elements of this dish ahead and cook the pork at the last minute.

It’s worth seeking out Ibérico presa from your butcher or ordering it online – you’ll find it at bascofinefoods.com, brindisa.com, Waitrose and ocado.com.

SERVES 4 PREP 30 mins plus resting COOK 3 hrs MORE EFFORT

4 pieces Ibérico presa (Cora Pearl use pieces about 170g each, but a small piece would do)

2 tbsp rap seed oil

For the pork sauce

750g pork bones (ask your butcher) 2 tbsp vegetable oil

4 banana shallots, thinly sliced 1 garlic clove, peeled and thinly sliced

1 carrot, finely chopped

1 thyme sprig

100ml Madeira

2 litres chicken stock

1 tbsp wholegrain mustard 50ml stout

For the shallot purée

500g shallots, finely sliced 2g garlic, peeled and finely sliced 60g butter

75ml milk

75ml whipping cream

For the caramelised baby onions 12 baby onions, halved (skin on) rapeseed oil, for frying 100ml Madeira

40ml sherry vinegar

100ml chicken stock

1 First make the sauce. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Roast the pork bones in the oil in a roasting tin for 40 mins, or until golden. Meanwhile, heat a little vegetable oil in a large pan and cook the banana shallots, garlic, carrot, and thyme for about 10 mins or until caramelised. Pour in the Madeira and boil until it’s almost evaporated, then add the chicken stock and pork bones. Simmer gently for 2 hrs, then strain through a fine sieve. Return to the pan, and boil until reduced to about 200ml, with a consistency that coats the back of a spoon. Once reduced, stir in the mustard and stout, and season.

2 To make the purée, gently fry the shallots and garlic in the butter with a pinch salt until translucent – this will take a while so don’t hurry it. Add the milk and cream, then continue to cook for 10 mins. Blend until smooth and silky (use a high power blender if you have one).

3 Put the baby onions cut-side down in a hot pan with a little oil and cook until they are golden. Add the Madeira and sherry vinegar and cook until evaporated. Pour in the chicken stock and cook until the onions are soft. Allow the onions to cool in the liquid, then carefully remove the skins and roots. Place cut-side up on a plate and season with sea salt.

4 Season the Ibérico. Heat a little oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Carefully place the Ibérico in the pan and fry for about 10 mins (for 170g, less time for a smaller piece), turning every couple of minutes until the pieces are nicely coloured on all sides. Ibérico presa should be served pink – if you have a meat thermometer, it should be at about 54C in the middle. Once it reaches this temperature, remove from the heat and leave to rest for a further 7-8 mins.

5 Dollop a spoonful of the purée on each plate. Cut each piece of Ibércio in half, then season the cut side and arrange beside the purée. Arrange the onions around the plate and drizzle with the sauce to finish. Leftover purée will freeze for up to a month – it makes a good base for a pasta sauce.

GOOD TO KNOW fibre

PER SERVING 740 kcals • fat 44g • saturates 13g • carbs 15g • sugars 11g • fibre 7g • protein 52g • salt 3.4g