Ingredients

• 110ml/4fl oz sherry vinegar
• 150g/5½oz prunes
• 110ml/4fl oz sherry
• 30g/1¼oz panko breadcrumbs
• 1 bunch fresh flatleaf parsley
• 1 tbsp grated lemon zest
• salt
• to taste
• 1 garlic clove
• crushed
• 3 tbsp rapeseed oil
• 1 onion
• roughly chopped
• 2 carrots
• roughly chopped
• 2 sticks celery
• roughly chopped
• 1 leek
• roughly chopped
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
• 375ml/13fl oz white wine
• 50ml/2fl oz Madeira
• 2 litres/3½ pints chicken stock
• 3 cardamom pods
• 2 star anise
• ½ orange
• zest only
• 2 apples
• cored and blended to a purée
• 500ml/18fl oz tomato juice
• 700g/1lb 9oz pork shoulder
• 300g/11oz pork belly
• 2 green chillies
• finely chopped
• 1 bunch coriander
• chopped
• 2 banana shallots
• finely chopped
• malt vinegar
• to taste
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2–3 free-range eggs
• whites only
• lightly beaten
• 110g/4oz panko breadcrumbs
• 2–3 tbsp olive oil
• 2–3 tbsp English mustard
• ¼ head of cauliflower
• grated
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds
• toasted
• salt
• to taste
• ½ head cauliflower
• cut into florets
• 250ml/9fl oz milk
• salt
• to taste
• 150ml/5fl oz double cream
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 2–3 tbsp baby cress or herbs
• such as parsley or coriander
• pork scratchings

Directions

• For the prunes
• heat the vinegar in 300ml/11fl oz water then pour over prunes with the sherry. Leave to soak overnight.
• For the persillade
• blend together the breadcrumbs and parsley until fine textured
• add the crushed garlic
• lemon zest and salt and mix through.
• For the braised pork
• preheat the oven to 140C/275F/Gas 1.
• Heat the oil in a large heavy based pan. Add the onions
• carrots
• celery
• leeks
• garlic and thyme and cook
• stirring occasionally
• until caramelised all over.
• Add the white wine and Madeira to the pan and scrape the cooked bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Simmer until reduced in volume by half.
• Add the stock
• cardamom
• star anise
• orange zest
• apple purée and tomato juice.
• Bring to the boil
• add the pork shoulder and belly
• return to the boil then cover and place in the oven for 3-4 hours.
• When tender and cooked through
• remove from the oven and allow to cool down slightly.
• While the meat is still warm
• remove it from the cooking liquor and pull the meat into small strands using your hands or two forks.
• Put this pulled meat into a bowl with some of the fat from the cooking liquor. The cooking liquor can be reserved: make a sauce by simmering some of the liquor to reduce it in volume to sauce consistency ready for serving.
• For the pressed pork
• season the pulled pork with the chopped chillies
• coriander
• shallots
• malt vinegar
• salt and freshly ground black pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
• Roll out two large layers of cling film onto a clean work surface. Place the cooked
• seasoned meat in a line
• approximately 5cm/2in deep
• 4cm/1¾in high and 15cm/6in long
• leaving a space at each end.
• Wrap the meat in the cling film
• then roll the cling film into a tight sausage shape and tie each end securely.
• Prick all over with a sharp pointed knife. Refrigerate until set.
• Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
• Cut the chilled cling film roll into 5cm/2in wide cylindrical shapes.
• Remove the cling film and brush the meat with beaten egg all the way around the rounded sides of the roll
• but not the flat ends
• then roll in panko breadcrumbs
• keeping the flat ends clear of crumbs.
• Heat a frying pan until medium hot
• add a little olive oil and colour the breadcrumbed side of the pork until golden-brown all around.
• Place in the oven and heat through.
• Remove from the oven and spread a thin layer of mustard over the top flat surface and sprinkle quite generously with the prepared persillade
• then return to the oven for a further five minutes.
• For the cauliflower couscous
• mix everything together and add salt to taste.
• For the cauliflower cream
• heat the cauliflower
• milk and salt in a saucepan until simmering and cook for 12–15 minutes.
• When cooked and softened
• remove the cauliflower from the milk but reserve the milk.
• Purée the cauliflower with some of the cooking liquor and extra double cream if desired.
• Taste and adjust seasoning; lemon juice can be added here if needed.
• To serve
• heat the cauliflower purée through until hot
• and spread across base of serving plates
• then sprinkle the cauliflower couscous onto the purée.
• Sit the pork in the centre of the plate on top of the cauliflower. Place three prune halves on each plate around the pork.
• Garnish with baby herbs
• cress and pork scratchings and pour some sauce around the outside.