‘Roast the pig carefully; make a mortar mixture in this way: pound pepper, dill, oregano, green coriander, moisten with honey, wine, broth, oil, vinegar and reduced must. All of this when hot, pour over. Sprinkle over with raisins, pine nuts and chopped onions and so serve.’ (Marcus Gabius Apicius)
Serves 8
4 tbsp olive oil
1.5 kg (3 1/4 lb) boneless rolled leg of pork
2 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp fresh dill, chopped
8 peppercorns
1 tbsp rock salt
For the sauce
300 ml (1/2 pint) meat stock
200 ml (7 fl oz) red wine
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 small onion, chopped
2 tbsp pine nuts
3 tbsp sultanas
1 1/2 tbsp honey
4 tbsp olive oil
sea salt and pepper
Heat the oven to 225°C (425°F) mark 7.
Put 2 tablespoons of the oil in a small roasting tin and coat the meat in the oil. Put the tin in the oven and roast for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile pound together in a mortar (or a heavy pudding basin) the coriander, oregano, dill, peppercorns and rock salt, moistening with the remaining oil. When the 15 minutes are up turn the heat down to 180°C (350°F) mark 4. Spread the herb mixture over the meat and replace the meat in the oven. Cook for 1 1/2 hours, basting every quarter of an hour or thereabouts.
For the sauce, put all the ingredients in a saucepan and boil, uncovered, for 40 minutes. The liquid should boil slowly, so that by the end of the 40 minutes there will be plenty left but it will have a rich, concentrated flavour.
When the meat is done, transfer it to a side dish and cover it with foil. Do not worry about it getting cold. Any roast must be left out of the oven before eating for 10 minutes at least, to allow the juices to penetrate the inside of the joint. Skim off as much fat as you can from the surface of the cooking juices in the tin. Deglaze the roasting tin with a couple of tablespoons of boiling water and then pour everything into the sauce, scraping down all the bits of herbs.
Carve the meat into 1 cm (1/2 inch) slices and spoon a little sauce over the meat. Hand the rest round in a sauce-boat.
preparation
The sauce can be prepared up to 3 days in advance and refrigerated in a covered container. Reheat slowly before you add the deglazed cooking juices.