May 25, 2010
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Roast Pork with Summer Vegetables

Chef Peter Hoffman of Savoy, a New York City restaurant, serves roast pork shoulder with a garlicky cilantro sauce, roasted chiles, and market vegetables.
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Roast Pork with Summer Vegetables Enlarge Image Credit: Todd Coleman
FOR THE PORK:
1 tbsp. coriander seeds
1 1⁄2 tsp. fennel seeds
1 tsp. cumin seeds
2 tbsp. smoked paprika
2 tbsp. turbinado or 
   light brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1  3–4-lb. piece trimmed, 
   boneless pork shoulder
Kosher salt, to taste
4 shallots, unpeeled and 
   halved lengthwise
2 tbsp. canola oil

FOR THE HERB SAUCE:
1 tsp. coriander seeds
1⁄2 tsp. cumin seeds
1 green cardamom pod
1⁄2 cup minced cilantro
2 cloves garlic, minced 
1 jalapeño, stemmed, seeded, 
   and minced
3⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt, to taste

FOR THE VEGETABLES:
2 large sweet potatoes
4 tomatillos, peeled
2 poblano peppers
6 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
5 cloves garlic
1⁄2 bunch broccoli rabe, trimmed 
   and blanched until crisp-tender

1. Prepare the pork: Put coriander, fennel, and cumin in an 8" skillet over medium heat and cook, swirling pan occasionally, until seeds are toasted, about 5 minutes. Coarsely grind seeds in a spice grinder and transfer to a small bowl. Add paprika, sugar, and garlic and stir to combine. Put pork on a plate and season generously with salt. Rub pork with coriander mixture and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit at room temperature for at least 1 hour or refrigerate overnight. 

2. Make the herb sauce: Put coriander, cumin, and cardamom in an 8" skillet over medium heat and cook, swirling pan occasionally, until seeds are toasted, about 5 minutes. Finely grind seeds in a spice grinder and transfer to a medium bowl along with cilantro, garlic, and jalapeños. Using a fork, whisk in olive oil and season sauce with salt; cover with plastic wrap and set aside.

3. Roast the vegetables: Heat oven to 475°. Put sweet potatoes on a baking sheet and bake, turning once, until tender, 40–50 minutes. Transfer to a plate; set aside. Increase heat to broil and arrange a rack 4" from heating element. Put tomatillos and poblanos on baking sheet and drizzle with 2 tbsp. olive oil. Broil, turning once, until charred and tender, about 10 minutes. Transfer tomatillos to plate with sweet potatoes and transfer poblanos to a bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 15 minutes. Peel poblanos, discarding seeds and stems, and tear poblanos into 1⁄2"-wide strips; set aside. 

4. Heat remaining olive oil in a 12" skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, turning occasionally, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high and add broccoli rabe; cook, stirring occasionally, until hot, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and remove pan from heat; set aside. 

5. Reduce oven to 350°. Heat canola oil in a 12" cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork and cook, turning, until browned on all sides, about 4 minutes. Place shallots cut side down under pork. Transfer skillet to oven and cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of pork reads 125°, 30–50 minutes. Transfer pork and shallots to a cutting board and let rest for 15 minutes. To serve, slice pork thinly and transfer to a platter along with shallots. Cut sweet potatoes into small pieces and halve tomatillos. Transfer potatoes, tomatillos, poblanos, and broccoli rabe to platter. Spoon sauce over pork. 

SERVES 6 – 8
Roast Pork with Summer Vegetables

This article was first published in Saveur in Issue #130

Ratings & Reviews (5)

noAvatar
I haven't (and won't) make this recipe, however I'd really like to know who tested this recipe and whether or not they actually ate any of it or just judged it by how it looks. I was a chef for years and there is no way a pork shoulder that was only cooked for 30, or even 50 minutes would be any kind of tender, unless it was cooked in a pressure cooker. It's just not possible because there is too much connective tissue in shoulder meat. Additionally, shoulder meat cannot be served medium-rare unless it's cooked sous vide. I think the only member of my family who would be really happy with this recipe is the dog because he'd get nearly all of it.
I agree with Calichef- either the cooking time is misprinted, or perhaps the cut is actually supposed to be a boneless pork loin roast. Saveur, please let us know! Other than these errors the recipe sounds fabulous.
noAvatar
I would also question the toasting time for the cori / cumin seeds + cardamon. 5 minutes on a medium heat would surely burn them.. 1 or 2 mins max i would say.
noAvatar
I also agree with CALICHEF about the cooking time. I cook pork shoulder very often (porchetta) and to cook well it takes around 3 hours. I also do not like the brown sugar with garlic.

http://casa-giardino.blogspot.com/2011/01/porchetta.html
noAvatar
I have made this four or five times now and it is absolutely delicious, not to mention spot on in terms of technique and instruction. The cooking time is absolutely perfect. a huge mis-conception about pork shoulder is that you need to cook it until it falling apart, simply not true. it can certainly be served medium-rare/medium (which is what a temperature of 135 will get you) and still be extremely tender and juicy. it is just a different texture than the pull apart shoulder we are all used to.

As for the rest of the recipe, the brown sugar works perfectly with the spice mixture and the whole thing plays in harmony with the pungent, slightly spicy cilantro sauce.

I am dissapointed that some who calls themselves a chef and vowed to not even try the recipe would attack it. very short sighted and revealing. Simply put, this is a brilliant recipe.
Roast Pork with Summer Vegetables 2 5 1 5

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