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You are here: Home / Recipes / Gluten-free / Pork neck fillet roast with cumin & apricots – and renovations!

Pork neck fillet roast with cumin & apricots – and renovations!

by Jeanne Horak on June 9, 2009 13 Comments in Gluten-free, Main course - meat, Recipes

PorkNeckFIllet

I must admit that I never thought this house move/renovation project would be so all-consuming! It really does seem that all I am doing is liaising with the builder, popping round to the house to see what the tiler/plasterer/carpenter are up to, notifying banks, utility companies etc. about the change of address, talking to the shipping company in South Africa about sending our stuff, packing up our current abode, trying to clean all the neglected corners… it’s just never-ending!  And there will be more upheaval in the new house when our furniture finally arrives.  Until then, we’ll be sleeping on the floor and living out of suitcases.  Joy.  Maybe I’ll just sleep in my beautiful kitchen 😉

Thanks to all of you who have wished me well in my new kitchen.  Sadly, I haven’t been able to use it for the past 10 days as there is no running water till the bathroom renovation is done.  But with a bit of luck, the contractors will finish up at the end of the week and we will move over the weekend.  And especially for Mark (and all you other renovations voyeurs out there!) I have put up a Flickr album of the work in progress – browse at your leisure – I will be adding more as work progresses 🙂

Even amidst all this upheaval, you need to maintain some sort of order.  Despite Nick spending most of Sunday painting and me spending most of the day preparing the potplants for their big move and packing books and clothes, I still found time for a proper Sunday roast.  And it’s a recession-friendly one, no less!  Whereas our pork purchases are usually limited to pork chops or pork loin, the other day we came across a pork neck fillet joint at Sainsbury’s – marked down to a shade over £2 for 0.8kg.  It was tied up in netting to keep its shape and looked just the right size for the two of us so into the basket it went.

As you will see below, I prepared it simply so that I could carry on packing while it cooked – and I have to say that it was a roaring success!  I felt that the meat had more flavour than pork loin (rather like a comparison between poultry dark meat and light meat) while still retaining tenderness.  Paired with mustard mash and steamed broccoli, our Sunday roast was a delicious little island of comfortable familiarity in a sea of upheaval around us.

PORK NECK FILLET ROAST WITH CUMIN AND APRICOTS (serves 2-3)

For printable recipe, click here.

Ingredients:

1 pork neck fillet, preferably rolled into a roast and tied in netting to keep its shape during cooking
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
3/4 cup of chopped dried apricots
a little olive oil for brushing
1 tsp ground cumin
Maldon sea salt (or koshering salt)
water

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 190C.  Place the roast in a suitable roasting tin and brush with a little olive oil.  Rub all over with salt and ground cumin.

Arrange the onions and apricots around the meat and pour enough water into the roasting tin so that the apricots and onions are almost covered.

Cook uncovered in a pre-heated oven for 35 minutes per 500g, plus an extra 30 minutes.  Every half hour or so, spoon some of the cooking juices over the meat to keep it moist.

Allow to rest for 10 minutes before carving, during which time you can pour the cooking juices, apricots & onions into a small saucepan and reduce.  Serve with mustard mash and steamed brocolli, with the reduced cooking juices spooned over the meat.

TIP:  You could also use pork neck fillet to make my mustard-glazed pork.

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  1. peachkins says

    June 10, 2009 at 2:06 am

    This looks delicious..

    Reply
  2. blooKat says

    June 10, 2009 at 3:16 am

    Oh dear. Prepare to lose a LOT of money on your house.
    Britain has maxed out its credit cards for far too long, North Sea oil is vanishing and Gordon Brown is a fascist idiot.
    I think I did try to warn you some months ago.
    HINT: Read Bloomberg and the FT, NOT the Brown Broadcasting Corporation.

    Reply
  3. Manggy says

    June 10, 2009 at 3:51 am

    LOVE the conservatory. Freaking gorgeous. “Love” the checkered seating, hehe.
    Also love? Pork and fruit. Yum! 🙂

    Reply
  4. Gill says

    June 10, 2009 at 1:50 pm

    This looks SO delish. Between you and me, I am terrified of roasts. The whole business of having to get meat, roast potatoes, gravy and veg all ready at the same time and still crispy and crunchy….eek, freaks me out – give me a casserole anytime. But this roast, I think I could do it!

    Reply
  5. Dragon says

    June 11, 2009 at 2:55 am

    Good luck with your renovations. Always a trying time. This roast looks so warm and comforting.

    Reply
  6. nina says

    June 11, 2009 at 9:19 am

    Pork neck, in my opinion is the best cut…we love pork neck chops! It has way more flavor and you made an excellent choice to pair it with apricots and cumin….divine!!

    Reply
  7. Sophie says

    June 11, 2009 at 3:51 pm

    MMMMM…Jeanne! I love this lovely dinner!! This is pure indulgence!! Perfect for those rainy days,…

    Reply
  8. Kalyn says

    June 12, 2009 at 2:24 am

    I’ve been chipping away at the house renovations here since November and this week they are painting the old part of the house inside, and it may be the worst part yet. I’ve essentially packed up everything I own so the painters can come in to paint. But I’m sure it will be worth it, and so will all your trials. Just hang in there and you will love it when it’s done!

    Reply
  9. Cynthia Nelson says

    June 14, 2009 at 5:53 pm

    I must remember to ask the butcher about pork neck. Looks delicious.

    Reply
  10. Bellini Valli says

    June 16, 2009 at 2:35 pm

    Moving is such upheaval but it will be so nice to relax and enjoy your new home. Congratulations Jeanne:D

    Reply
  11. browniegirl says

    June 18, 2009 at 9:49 pm

    Hhmmmmmmhhmmmmmmmmmm now this is making me drool so late at night…..Im hungry!!! I love pork neck. Blogged mine earlier in the year and you just reminded me to make another one. And the weather is perfect for it now….hugs xxx

    Reply
  12. courtney says

    June 22, 2009 at 9:08 pm

    Just checking in. Sounds hetic. But at least this is your own home. So you can ride out the minor inconviences. Always love a good pork roast. Although I have never heard of this cut.

    Reply
  13. Kate brooks says

    September 11, 2011 at 10:13 pm

    Wow… I made this recipe today. Small substitution, my supermarlet did not have dried apricots but it did have dried cranberries. I also had to use 2 1kg joints as i was cooking for 8. Anyway, the results were…..awesome! It was really impressive dish. Seving the sliced pork with ths sauce looked great and the taste was great. Served with mustard mash, peas and carrots.

    Reply
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Jeanne Horak is a freelance food and travel writer; recipe developer and photographer. South African by birth and Londoner by choice, Jeanne has been writing about food and travel on Cooksister since 2004. She is a popular speaker on food photography and writing has also contributed articles, recipes and photos to a number of online and print publications. Jeanne has also worked with a number of destination marketers to promote their city or region. Please get in touch to work with her Read More…

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