2 tsp fennel seeds
2 tbsp chopped rosemary
4-6 cloves of garlic
2 large onions, peeled and quartered
1 & 1/2 cups Selaks Reserve Hawke's Bay Chardonnay
8-10 small Granny Smith apples (or one per person)
Salt & pepper to season gravy
METHOD
Set the oven to 250C.
Rub skin and the flesh of pork with olive oil, salt, fennel seeds and chopped rosemary.
Place in a roasting dish large enough so there's room for the whole apples part way through cooking. Roast at a high heat to get the crackle started - be patient, this can take up to 45 minutes before it is browned and blistered enough to make great crackling. Keep an eye on it to ensure it crackles but doesn't burn.
Reduce the oven temperature to 180C. Add one cup of the wine to dish, scatter onions and garlic cloves around pork, then cover with foil and cook for 60 minutes.
Using a sharp knife, score apples around the "waist" to stop them bursting while cooking.
Remove roasting dish from oven and remove foil (carefully to avoid steam burns).
Add the apples to dish, baste each one with roasting juices and add a sprinkle of salt.
Continue cooking for a further 30 minutes, uncovered, until apples and pork are cooked through. The crackling will crisp up again during this time, too.
Prick meat with a sharp knife. If juices run clear, it's done; if not, pop it back in oven for 10-15 minutes.
Remove from oven and remove pork and apples carefully from roasting dish. Set aside so pork can rest for 10 minutes while you make gravy.
To make gravy, pour away most of the fat from the roasting dish and add remaining half cup of white wine. Simmer until liquid has reduced by half. Add half a cup of water and scrape all the gooey goodness off the bottom of the roasting dish, simmer and season with salt and pepper to taste. Pass this through a sieve into a serving jug.
Serve sliced pork with cooked apples, shredded red cabbage coleslaw and gravy.
Wine Match: Selaks Reserve Marlborough Pinot Gris
Prep Time: 10 minutes, Cooking Time: 2 hours, Serves: 8-10
