September 2004, Pork Cooked in Salt with Cous Cous Salad

Cooking in salt retains the flavour and juices of the food being cooked. Many will have enjoyed the house special in a number of Spanish restaurants, sea bass in salt. This recipe cooks pork in salt and I am indebted to Sue Hedlam for introducing it to me. The salt you are looking for is Sal Para Salazon a large grained sea salt. Choose a piece of pork with little or no fat, this is a no crackling recipe.

Pork Cooked in Salt - Ingredients

750gm piece of pork loin (cerdo lomo trozos)
1.5 kg salt

Method

Place a 1cm layer of salt in the bottom of a glass baking dish. Pat the pork dry with kitchen towel and place it on top of the salt. Now pack salt around and over the pork in a 1cm thick layer. Make it firm but don't press too hard.

Pre heat the oven to 200 and place the dish in the centre. Cook for 1 hour (20 mns per .25 kilo)

Remove from the oven. The salt will now be a solid crust that can be broken off carefully. Slice the pork and serve with a Cous Cous Salad

Designer Cous Cous Salad - Ingredients

100 gm cous cous
100 ml water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
Juice of one lemon
½ teaspoon salt
black pepper
1/2 large or one small red pepper chopped into small squares
1 pepino cucumber chopped into small squares
1/2 green pepper chopped into small squares
2 tomatoes chopped into small squares (some people prefer to skin the tomatoes)
1 large spring onion, chopped into small pieces
A large handful of mint, chopped
Parsley to garnish

Method

Mix the cous cous and water together and leave to stand for 30 minutes.

Mix together all the other ingredients apart from the parsley and place in the fridge for 30 minutes or until you are ready to serve.

Mix the cous cous and the other ingredients together, garnish with parsley and serve at once.