Danish roast pork with pickled prunes and cured cucumber
This roast pork dish makes a great lighter alternative Sunday lunch for the spring or summer as it’s served with prunes and cucumber.
Ingredients
For the pickled prunes
- 300²µ/10½´Ç³ú prunes
- 250ml/9fl oz white wine vinegar
- 250g/9oz caster sugar
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 4 cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 star anise
For the cured cucumber
- 1 tbsp salt
For the Danish roast pork
- 2–3 juniper berries
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- 1 tbsp fennel seeds
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 570ml/1 pint white wine
- 2kg/4lb 8oz rack of pork, on the bone, skin scored
- knob of fresh root ginger, peeled and coarsely grated
- 1 cucumber, thickly sliced
- 200g/7oz caster sugar
- 200ml/7fl oz cider vinegar
For the boiled potatoes
Method
To make the prunes, cover the prunes in boiling water and leave for 2 hours to rehydrate, then drain.
Place the vinegar, sugar, aromatics and spices in a small saucepan over a medium heat and cook for 5 minutes. Add the prunes, then turn off the heat and leave them to infuse overnight.
To make the cured cucumber, place the salt and ginger in a bowl along with the cucumber and macerate for 30 minutes. Remove from the bowl and squeeze over a sieve to remove the liquid. Heat the caster sugar and vinegar in a medium saucepan and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Add the cucumber to the warm sugar and vinegar mixture.
To make the roast pork, preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7. Place the berries, coriander and fennel seeds and oil into a pestle and mortar and grind to a rough paste. Rub over the skin of the pork. Pour the wine into a roasting tray, add the pork and roast in the oven for 1¼ hours or until cooked through. Check it is cooked by putting a skewer into the centre of the meat and ensuring the juices are clear with no traces of pink. Finish the pork under a medium hot grill for 10 minutes, until the skin has crisped up. Rest until ready to serve.
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, and cook the potatoes at a simmer until tender – about 12–15 minutes. Drain the potatoes, then toss with the butter and parsley.
To serve, place the buttered potatoes on a serving plate and top with slices of roast pork, prunes and cured cucumber.