Recipes

Chosen from The Farm Shop Cook Book by Christine McFadden, she writes "This is the way roast pork is cooked in Tuscany and Umbria; it's sold from massive vans in open-air food markets and always tastes divine. The crackling crackles, the meat is moist and the flavour is superb. Make sure the meat has a thick layer of back fat.

Serves 8

    Loin of pork, boned, weighing 2.8-3kg
    12-15 small sprigs rosemary
    Olive oil
    Sea salt flakes

For the stuffing
    1 tbsp sea salt flakes
    1 tbsp black peppercorns
    2 tbsp fennel seeds
    8-10 garlic cloves, preferably 'green'
    Grated zest of 3 lemons
    Rosemary leaves, chopped to make 3 tbsp

Method

Using a sharp knife, score the skin of the meat all over in deep lines about 7mm apart. With skin-side facing down, position the knife just beyond the inner side of the rounded 'eye'. Cut down through the flesh to within 2cm of the fat. Then cut parallel with the fat, between the eye and the fat, but don't cut all the way through - the meat should remain in one piece. Open out the meat to create a large rectangular surface.

Next make the stuffing. Bash the sea salt flakes, peppercorns, fennel seeds and garlic to a paste using a hefty mortar and pestle. Smear the paste over the cut sruface of the meat. Strew with the lemon zest and chopped rosemary. Roll up the meat, forming it into a log and tie tightly with string. Insert the rosemary sprigs into the slits. Put the meat in a dish, tent loosely with foil and marinate in the fridge for 6-24 hours.

Preheat the oven to 230C/gas 8. Blot the meat dry and massge the skin with olive oil and plenty of sea salt flakes. Place in a roasting tin with the skin uppermost, sitting it on the bones if you have kept them. Roast for 30-40 minutes or until the skin starts to uniformly blister.

Lower the oven temperature to 170C/gas 3 and roast for another 45 minutes or until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 70C or the juices run clear. Transfer to a warm serving platter and leave in a warm place to rest for at least 30 minutes.

Carve into thin slices so that everyone gets a piece of crackling, Serve with the defatted pan juices and any juices that flow from the meat while it rests.