| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 3 hr 15 min |
| Prep: | 1 hr |
| Cook: | 2 hr 15 min |
| Yield: | 20 servings |
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 3 hr 15 min |
| Prep: | 1 hr |
| Cook: | 2 hr 15 min |
| Yield: | 20 servings |
Ingredients
- 3 pounds boneless pork shoulder, trimmed of excess fat
- Kosher or sea salt
- Grated zest of 1 lemon
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 teaspoons fennel seeds, plus more for sprinkling
- 16 fresh sage leaves, chopped
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
- Freshly ground pepper
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
- 3/4 cup white vinegar
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- Kosher or sea salt
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 large red onion, thinly sliced into rings
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tube (about 18 ounces) prepared polenta, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
Instructions
- Prepare the pork: To butterfly, slice down the middle of the pork with a sharp knife, about two-thirds of the way through. Open the meat like a book and pound with a mallet or heavy skillet into a 1-inch-thick rectangle, about
- 8 by 14 inches. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Season the pork with about 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. In a small bowl, mix the lemon zest, garlic, 2 teaspoons fennel seeds, the sage, rosemary and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper. Rub the mixture all over the pork, then roll it up tightly and tie with twine. Drizzle the roll with olive oil and rub all over; sprinkle with pepper and more fennel seeds. (The roll can be prepared up to 3 days in advance; refrigerate until roasting.)
- Place the pork roll on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Roast until a thermometer inserted into the middle registers 180 degrees and the pork is crusty on the outside, about 2 hours. Let rest 15 minutes before slicing.
- While the pork roasts, make the pickled onions: Bring the vinegar, sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, the bay leaf, fennel seeds and red pepper flakes to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion slices and simmer 1 minute, then remove from the heat and let the onion cool in the liquid. (Leftover pickled onions will keep in the liquid for weeks.)
- Prepare the polenta: Place a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil and fry the polenta until golden and crisp, about 4 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels. To assemble, arrange the polenta on a platter or individual plates. Thinly slice the pork roll, then cut into bite-size pieces and pile on the polenta. Top with pickled onions and serve warm or at room temperature.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 20 servings |
| Calories | 293 |
| Total Fat | 15 g |
| Saturated Fat | 5 g |
| Carbohydrates | 24 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 3 g |
| Protein | 14 g |
| Cholesterol | 48 mg |
| Sodium | 277 mg |
| Serving Size | 1 of 20 servings |
| Calories | 293 |
| Total Fat | 15 g |
| Saturated Fat | 5 g |
| Carbohydrates | 24 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 3 g |
| Protein | 14 g |
| Cholesterol | 48 mg |
| Sodium | 277 mg |
Reviews
This was delicious! I made it last year for Xmas dinner and everyone loved it. I am going to make it again this year for a holiday party, the pickled onions accompaniment are a must, and the polenta was great with it. The only thing I would suggest is be mindful of the size of the pork cut you get. I got a smaller one and had to modify the amount of time in the oven. Since it was my first time it was hard to gauge. Overall, my guests lived it. I have not gone wrong with a Ted Allen recipe.
The pork was flavorful but the polenta was flavorless and it got soggy rather quickly. I will keep with the pork recipe but put the pork on something else like a garlicky baquette. Also the onions did not impress me at all. Nice concept but needs to be revamped in order for it to work.
This is amazing! I made this for a party and everyone raved about how beautiful and colorful it was. Once everyone tasted it, they could not get enough.
Roasting the pork seemed a little much to me, so I substituted pork sausages I had laying in the freezer. I slit them halfway to the center to stuff them with the called for herbs, lined them in a casserole dish, and baked them until ready. I sliced them in little disks and threw 2 or 3 on each polenta shell. The presentation was just as nice and so much easier.