Gingered roast pork

Method
Prep:1hr15min  ›  Cook:2hr  ›  Ready in:3hr15min 

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (gas mark 4). Place the pork, skinned side down, on a chopping board. Slit the joint lengthways, cutting two-thirds of the way through the meat, then open it out like a book.
2. Peel, core and finely chop 1 of the dessert apples, then mix with the onion, prunes, biscuits, egg yolk and seasoning to taste. Spoon onto the pork, spreading evenly, then press the joint back together. Tie into a neat shape with fine string.
3. Put the joint, skinned side up, into a roasting tin and pour in the stock and wine. Cover the tin with foil, twisting the ends tightly over the edges. Put into the oven and roast for 2 hours.
4. After 45 minutes, heat the oil in a second roasting tin on the shelf above the pork for 5 minutes. Add the parsnips and put to roast, turning them once or twice.
5. Meanwhile, make the apple sauce. Put the apples, ginger, sugar and 2 tbsp water into a small saucepan. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until pulpy. Remove from the heat and set aside.
6. When the pork has been cooking for 1 1/4 hours, remove the foil and drizzle the meat with the honey. Add the shallots to the parsnips, toss together and continue roasting.
7. About 20 minutes before the end of the cooking time, peel, core and thickly slice the remaining 2 dessert apples, then add them to the vegetables.
8. Transfer the pork to a carving board, cover with foil and keep warm. Strain the cooking liquid into a saucepan, then skim off any fat. Boil the cooking liquid, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Pour into a sauceboat. Carve the pork and serve immediately, with the roasted vegetables, apple sauce and gravy.

Some more ideas

Instead of fresh pork use smoked pork loin, which is slightly milder and sweeter than smoked gammon. Look for it in the cooked meats section of large supermarkets, or ask your butcher if he can get it for you. * Spice the pork and sauce with cardamom rather than ginger. In the stuffing, substitute fresh breadcrumbs for the gingersnap biscuits and 85 g (3 oz) chopped ready-to-eat dried apricots for the diced apple and add the seeds of 4 crushed cardamom pods. In the apple sauce replace the ginger with the seeds of 6–8 crushed cardamom pods. Serve the cardamom pork with spiced roast vegetables: add 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) potatoes, peeled and cut in chunks, to the parsnips. Toss in the hot oil, then sprinkle with 1 tsp each crushed coriander and cumin seeds and turmeric. * For an alternative accompaniment, stir-fry 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) finely shredded red cabbage in 1 tbsp sunflower oil for 5 minutes. Add 2 diced dessert apples, 3 tbsp wine vinegar, 3 tbsp water, 2 tbsp honey and salt and pepper to taste. Mix together, cover and simmer for 4–5 minutes. * As a change from roast vegetables, serve with puréed celeriac. Cook 900 g (2 lb) diced celeriac in boiling water for 15 minutes, then mash or purée with 4 tbsp milk and seasoning.

Plus points

Prunes supply useful amounts of iron, potassium and vitamin B6, and they also contain fibre, which helps to prevent constipation. Prune juice contains an ingredient that has an additional laxative effect, which is why some people drink the juice rather than eat the fruit itself. * Ginger is a useful alternative remedy for travel sickness or morning sickness. In herbal medicine it is used to aid digestion, to protect against respiratory and digestive infections, and to relieve flatulence.

Each serving provides

B1, B2, B6, C, E, folate, niacin * potassium * B2, calcium, iron, zinc