Pork and Vegetables Slowly Cooked in a Juicy Nest

This is a recipe for serious meat lovers!

You can find photos and story here.

Ingredients

• 500 gr (1 lb) of pork shoulder (preferably 2 knuckles).
• 2-3 potatoes cut in cubes.
• ½ onion coarsely cut.
• ½ green bell pepper cut in stripes.
• ½ red bell pepper cut in stripes.
• 2-3 garlic cloves coarsely chopped.
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 1 teaspoon of English mustard.
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano.
• 1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil.
• Salt and ground pepper.
• (optional) 100 gr (3.5 oz) hard cheese (Manchego, mature Cheddar etc).

Instructions

• Wash the meat and dry it using a kitchen towel. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
• On a large surface in your kitchen cut 2 pieces of grease-proof paper, long enough to cover all the ingredients. Place them in a “cross” arrangement.
• Add a few pieces of onion and peppers in the middle and place the meat on top. Squeeze a few pieces of garlic into the meaty flesh. Place the potatoes around the meat and add the rest of onion, peppers and garlic on top.
• In a cup, add the lemon juice, mustard, oregano and olive oil and mix well. You may add some white wine if you fancy. Add salt and pepper to season to your taste and fold the paper sheets trying to create a nest! Careful not to create any holes as we want all the juices to remain inside. Pour the sauce into your nest and close the paper sheets tightly.
• Place the nest in a baking tray and let it cook for for ~ 3 hours in a preheated oven at 160 degrees Celsius (320 F). The whole purpose is that the vapors remain inside the nest while cooking so I cover it with aluminum foil, just to be safe.
• When almost ready, open the nest, add the cheese on top (optional) and let it cook at 180 Celsius (360 F) for ~ 15 minutes to get the nice brown colour in the meat and potatoes.

bon appetit