A Saturday Pork Roast & A Farmer’s Market

I’ve been meaning to visit the Barnes Farmer’s Market since we moved near the area, but as it falls on Saturdays, I always seem to have something else better to do instead, like visiting some part of the UK or exploring London… Today, however, I went for a very refreshing walk with a friend of mine, whom I’ve known since our high school years back in Spain, and we ventured into the village, where we bumped into the farmer’s market. Well, in all honesty, we could’ve missed it had I not turned around to look behind me and see it…oftentimes my curiosity pays off! It’s located across the street from the pond in downtown Barnes.

I love a good farmer’s market, and who doesn’t I suppose? All that beautiful, fresh produce, meats, fish, specialty stands… it’s better than “being in a candy shop” for me. When we lived in Germany, I visited the weekly market in Frankfurt and also the one in our town of Bad Homburg. And whenever we’ve been in the Netherlands on a weekend, we have found it hard not to visit one, usually in the city center near the church plaza. The markets in Deventer and Arnhem are especially nice. France, of course, also has great farmer’s markets. Spain for some strange reason, which I think should be changed, isn’t really known for these types of markets. Okay, yes, there are weekly markets called mercadillos or los gitanos, but they stand nowhere close to the ones in middle Europe in my opinion.

Barnes farmers put on a good show with some delectable and tempting selections. We had a taste of a few cheeses, including a truffle brie-like variety, which I ended up bringing home. I mean who can resist the delicate aroma of truffle anything? There was a curious stand with Spanish specialties, including saffron and pimentón, ready-to-eat empanada gallega and Argentinean empanadas too. The owner, who was preparing the paella pan to make the dish, told us he had lived in Argentina, where his father had been a diplomat, until the Falklands, when they were evacuated home to England. I would’ve lingered to learn a bit more about his interesting experience, but across the way there was a stand that offered a large variety of olives.

Spanish, Greek and Italian olives and other sorts of goodies beckoned us and called for our attention. Raw honey at another stand seemed a bit expensive… and then what surprised me the most were the meat stands. The meat was displayed without refrigeration, like in the old times. Maybe today’s 6 degrees Celsius is considered safe enough for the meat to stand out? Everything looked very fresh and beautiful, so I would’ve indulged in some shopping had we not needed to still walk all the way home.

On the way home, incidentally, we again bumped into something intriguing and inviting: Gail’s bread shop and cafe. I very rarely eat bread these days, not even in Spain this last Christmas was I tempted. However, today I did indulge in a little sourdough that was served under my mushroom, egg and spinach breakfast.

The decor of the shop is eclectic, with mix-matched chairs and stools and distressed-wood tables and the ambience was relaxed and jovial, although the place was buzzing with breakfast eaters and people buying baguettes. While we ate, it rained and rained a bit more. But we ignored it until it was time to go home.

The morning had started off with sunshine and the afternoon turned windy and wet. So, I decided that a pork roast, slowly cooked in the oven, would be a nice reason to stay indoors and eat a healthy lunch.

PORK SHOULDER ROAST WITH VEGETABLES

Ingredients, for 2:

  • 1 pork shoulder, about 3.5 kilos with crackling
  • 4-5 potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
  • 5 medium carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
  • 2 parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks
  • 1 head of garlic, separated but not peeled
  • sea salt
  • freshly ground pepper
  • 1 tablespoon of herbes de Provence

Method:

Preheat the oven to 220C (425F).

Place the vegetables and cloves of garlic on the bottom of an ovenproof tray. Rinse the pork shoulder and make cuts into the skin, if necessary (mine came with the cuts ready made).

Sprinkle some salt and freshly ground pepper over the vegetables and part of the herbes de Provence. Place the pork shoulder, crackling side up, on top of the vegetables and season.

Bake for 30 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 180C (350F) and cook another 30 minutes. Take the dish out of the oven and remove the pork shoulder. Spoon the vegetables out into a bowl, cover and set aside.

Return the pork shoulder to the ovenproof dish and bake for 2 to 2.5 hours, turning over every hour. In the last 20 minutes of cooking, remove again from the oven and add the vegetables back into the dish, placing the shoulder on top. I actually switched to a clean dish because the original one was full with some burnt fat and I didn’t want that to ruin the flavours in the vegetables.

*****

HOMBRO (ó PALETA) DE CERDO CON VERDURAS AL HORNO

Ingredientes, para 2:

  • 1 hombro de cerdo de unos 3,5 kilos
  • 4-5 patatas, peladas y cortadas en cubitos
  • 5 zanahorias, peladas y cortadas en cubitos
  • 2 chirivías, peladas y cortadas en cubitos
  • 1 cabeza de ajo, separamos los dientes pero no los pelamos
  • sal y pimienta a gusto
  • 1 cucharada sopera de hierbas de la provenza

Como hacer el hombro/paleta de cerdo con verduras:

Precalentamos el horno a 220C.

Ponemos las verduras y los dientes de ajo en el fondo de un recipiente para ir al horno. Salpimentamos las verduras y le echamos como la mitad de las hierbas.

Enjuagamos el cerdo y le hacemos unos cortes en la piel, si fuera necesario. El mio venia con los cortes ya hechos. Ponemos el hombro de cerdo sobre las verduras y salpimentamos y le echamos el resto de las hierbas.

Horneamos unos 30 minutos, y reducimos la temperatura a 180C y horneamos otros 30 minutos. Sacamos todo del horno, poniendo el hombro de cerdo sobre un plato o bandeja. Con una cuchara, retiramos las verduras del recipiente del horno y las ponemos en un bol. Las tapamos con un papel y las dejamos de lado.

Ponemos el hombro de cerdo otra vez en el recipiente y seguimos horneando unas 2 horas a 2 horas y media. En los últimos 20 minutos, lo sacamos del horno y le agregamos las verduras poniéndolas en el fondo. Yo cambie de recipiente pues estaba lleno de grasa quemada y no queria que eso estropeara el sabor de las verduras.

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4 Comments

  1. 2.10.14

    As I said on another occasion, too bad live so far from London to have enjoyed this delicious recipe. As for what you say about the markets, it’s a shame that in Spain we do not have such markets, I called a lot of attention the first time I visited France. A greeting!

    • 2.13.14
      The Saffron Girl said:

      Hola Teresa! Thank you for writing in English. And I would love to live close to you… quizas un dia de estos! 😉 And yes, I wish Spain had markets like in the northern parts of Europe… maybe we could do something about that?! xo Debra

  2. 2.8.15
    J.J. Jamison said:

    Can’t believe that no one has posted a comment here for a year! So, here I am… Just bookmarked this site and really like the editorial and recipes. I’ve made the cloufouti a couple times – like it and its not so sweet. What I just made yesterday came out (maybe) too moist. Or, should I have let it bake longer ? It had pulled away from the dish and was “golden”…..Guess I’ll play with it. I used Kirschwasser – $$$ for that, so this dessert/breakfast item may be my most expensive, to date. Also think maybe the point is for a jolt of cherry flavor – which the kirschwasser did not prove when I drank a shot to try it. I learn as I go….. Thank you for a great web-site, looking forward to the “Eat Me” segment when up and running…….

    • 2.9.15
      The Saffron Girl said:

      Thank you JJ.