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Feeling peckish? Want some "pork on your fork"?

Found this site with some history and comments on food influenced by the Romans on the Rhine.

And this recipe:

SPIT ROASTED PORK

Ingredients

1 Suckling pig, cleaned well, brined and trussed for spit roasting by the butcher
1,5 liters good fruity white wine,
500 ml good apple cider
Olive oil for basting
A few handfuls of fresh sage leaves
6 – 7 lemons, zest only
10 apples, peeled and pitted, finely chopped
2 large onions, chopped
Coarse sea salt mixed with the zest and good hot paprika – half and half
Freshly ground black pepper
garlic – whole cloves (in their skins) to taste

Method

Make several superficial slits in the skin, not through the skin completely otherwise the skin will rupture as it cooks.

Make one long slit down the back and several diagonal slits on each side and see that none of the slits touch any other & rub the pig with olive oil on all its surfaces (inside and out) and rub well with the salt, paprika and zest.

Fill the body cavities with coarsely chopped apples, onions, garlic cloves and sage leaves seasoned with salt and pepper & then close the body cavity securely with twine.

Make a basting sauce with the wine, the cider and the olive oil – be generous with the oil, always keep this mixture warm, near boiling next to the spit.

Make sure that the fire is not too hot so that the meat doesn’t burn before it is cooked (pork always tastes better when it has been cooked on a lower heat for a longer time).

Place the pork on your spit over the fire pit and begin the process, start basting liberally after the first half an hour and do this every 10 to 20 minutes.

In time a rich, glazed appearance to the skin will appear but continue for about 3 to 3 ½ hours, not forgetting to tend the fire; naturally the size of the pig and the heat of the coals will always determine the cooking period which will depend on the heat of the fire as well as the size of your roasted suckling pig.

Once the meat is cooked, remove it the spit from the fire and set the roast suckling pig aside to rest for about 30 minutes; place in a large platter and remove all the trussing twine from the spit, carve and serve.

See the link for more comments and more recipes:
http://www.justfoodnow.com/2009/06/27/romans-and-the-rhine/

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John aka NitroX

...
Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
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