Cook the Book: Clay-Pot Ginger Pork with Figs and Pickled Fennel

Name: Cook the Book: Clay-Pot Ginger Pork with Figs and Pickled Fennel
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Global
Ingredients: 118 milliliters carrot juice; 10 dried figs (such as Mission figs), roughly chopped; 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 large onion, minced; 710 milliliters large fennel bulb, stalks removed, sliced as thinly as possible (about; 237 milliliters minced peeled fresh ginger; 8 servings Liberal dusting of kosher salt; 2 Tbsps orange blossom or other honey; 8 servings Liberal dusting of freshly ground black pepper; 907 grams pork butt (also called pork shoulder), cut into 1-inch cubes; 237 milliliters rice vinegar; 1 Tbsp unsalted butter

You can never have too many main course recipes, so give Cook the Book: Clay-Pot Ginger Pork with Figs and Pickled Fennel From preparation to the plate, this recipe takes approximately 45 minutes.

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Melt the butter with the olive oil in a large clay pot over medium-high heat.

Ingredients you will need

Olive Oil

Butter

Equipment you will use

Oven

Pot

Add the onion and ginger; cook until the onion softens, about 5 minutes.

Ingredients you will need

Ginger

Onion

Add the pork, salt, and pepper; stir, and cook for 10 minutes more.

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Pepper

Pork

Salt

Add the plum wine and figs, bring to a boil, mix thoroughly, cover, and roast for 1 1/2 hours.

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Figs

Plum

Wine

Remove from the oven and, using a wooden spoon or a spatula, break apart the pork chunks a bit.

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Pork

Equipment you will use

Wooden Spoon

Spatula

Oven

Add the carrot juice; return to oven for 30 minutes more. Taste and adjust the salt.

Ingredients you will need

Carrot Juice

Salt

Equipment you will use

Oven

Serve from the clay pot or transfer to warm individual plates; garnish with a mound of pickled fennel.

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Fennel

Equipment you will use

Pot

Ume-Pickled Fennel

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Fennel

- makes 3 cups fennel and 2 cups pickling liquid -

Ingredients you will need

Fennel

Combine the wine, pickled plums, vinegar, and honey in a blender; purée.

Ingredients you will need

Vinegar

Honey

Plum

Wine

Equipment you will use

Blender

Place the fennel slices in a large bowl, pour in the liquid, and cover tightly. You can eat it right away, but the flavors only get better after a few days in the fridge. Keeps for several months.

Ingredients you will need

Fennel

Equipment you will use

Bowl