Pork with Celeriac and Orange

Celeriac is that strange knobbly vegetable that not many people know how to use. It tastes of celery, can be mashed (50/50 with potato is brilliant) It has the property of tenderising meat especially when combined with orange/lemon juice. Slices of beef layerd with celeriac in gravy and oven cooked for two hours is quite a favorite of mine too!

This amazing recipe converts cheap pork shoulder cuts to a mouth watering tender tasty treat! Its one of my favourites. It also works well with turkey and chicken but Pork is by far the best result.

With a preperation time of 15-20 mins and a leave-well-alone cooking time of 2-2.5 hours it suits a hectic lifestyle quite well too!

Ingredients:

2lb Pork Shoulder Steaks (or boned chicken thighs, turkey breast etc)
3-4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Large (2lb) Celeriac - Peel and cut into one inch chunks.
4 Leeks - Trim and chop into 3/4 inch lengths
3 Carrots- Trim and chop into half inch length
2 Garlic Cloves (Chopped)

400ml/14 floz Dry White Wine
400ml/14 floz chicken stock
2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
Large Orange- Grate off the zest and extract the juice.
large Sprig of Rosemary (or heaped teaspoon of dried herb)

Method:

Begin by pre-heating the oven to 140c/Gas mark 1/Fan oven 120C.

Cut your meat into chnks about  one inch on a side, then sprinkle salt and pepper on a worktop or chopping board and roll the meat on it to season it well. You can prep this dish entirely using a large flameproof casserole or in a large frying pan then transfer it to a large casserole. If preparing in a pan put the cassserole in the oven to pre-heat now.

Heat a tablespoon of oil in the pan until it is smoking, add half the meat and fry until just beginning to color (3 minutes or so on each side) Remove the meat and place on a plate. Add a little more oil and repeat with the rest of the meat.

Add the rest of the oil and fry the vegetables and garlic until slightly colored (3-4 Minutes). Slowly add the wine and stock, then the pork plus any juices on the plate. Bring to the boil then add the Orange juice and zest, stirring vigorously then finally the Soy Sauce and rosemary. Stir well.

Throw it into the oven and leave well alone for 2-2.5 hours. ENJOY!