WINTER FAVOURITES

Versatile South African pork is a product to be proud of – and it’s packed with flavour!

BACON-WRAPPED PORK ROAST WITH APPLES

Serves 8 • Preparation time: 25 minutes Cooking time: 2 hours, 15 minutes Oven temperature: 200°C and 170°C • 1.5kg boneless pork neck roast • 15ml Dijon mustard • 5ml ground cumin • about 500g streaky bacon rashers • 30ml each butter and olive oil • 1 red onion, finely sliced • 3 Pink Lady apples, quartered and cored • 250ml red wine • 15ml honey • 45ml soy sauce • mash and Brussels sprouts, to serve

1 Cut six pieces of kitchen string long enough to tie the meat into a roll and space them about 2cm apart on a clean work surface. Place the bacon rashers next to each other on top of the pieces of string. Cover the pork neck with the mustard and season with cumin, salt and pepper. Place the meat on top of the bacon, roll it up with the bacon on the outside and tie tightly into a neat shape.

2 Preheat the oven. Heat the oil and butter in a pan until foaming then sear the roast all over until the bacon is browned; transfer the meat to a roasting pan and add the apples. Fry the onions briefly in the same pan. Add the red wine, honey and soy and stir until combined. Pour over the roast, cover with a tight-fitting lid and roast for 30 minutes. Then lower the temperature to 170°C and roast gently for another hour and 45 minutes or until the juices run clear when tested. Remove the meat from the pan and allow it to rest loosely covered with foil for about 15 minutes before carving. Serve drizzled with the chunky appleflavoured gravy, creamy mash and Brussels sprouts.

Tip Turn this weekend feast into week-night comfort food by pan-searing pork neck steaks instead of making a roast. Turn the gravy ingredients into a red wine relish by cooking the sliced onions, grated apples, red wine, honey and soy together in a pan until thick and delicious!