Gluten Freebird

As you might recall, Gluteneer and I joined a CSA. Each week I head to Glover Park for a veritable grab-bag of fresh produce.

One week could be collard greens, spring onions, and strawberries, the next could be kale, snap peas, and apricots. It’s always a tote-bag’s worth of goodies.

I have no idea how to cook most of our finds, but that won’t stop us from giving it a shot.

In a quest to find ways of incorporating last week’s finds, we ventured out to the Bloomingdale Farmers Market last Sunday.

*No visit to the market is complete without a stop into Big Bear Café (their milk comes from Trickling Springs!).

I bought tartly perfect gooseberries and aromatic apricots from Reid’s Orchard, but the highlight was a giant pork shoulder from Truck Patch Farms.

We marinated the pork in CSA thyme and served it alongside CSA broccoli. It was incredible.

Even better, the pork was perfect as lunch the next day on CSA lettuce with spring onion slices.

Recipe follows.

Roasted Pork Shoulder

(Adapted from Gourmet)

6 garlic cloves (about 1/2 head), smashed
1 handful fresh oregano
4 teaspoons kosher salt (1 tsp for every pound of meat)
1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
3 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 boneless pork shoulder (about 3-4 pounds), skinless

Set the shoulder in a roasting pan fitted with a rack insert, fat-side up.
Score the surface of the meat multiple times.

Mash garlic to a paste with kosher salt and pepper using a mortar and pestle or side of a large heavy knife, then stir in oregano, canola oil, and white wine vinegar.
Rub the paste all over the pork, being sure to get into the incisions. Cover the pork with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or up to overnight.

When pork is ready, bring to room temperature (about 30 minutes) and preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.

Cover roasting pan with parchment paper and then tightly with foil and roast 1 1/2 hours. Discard foil and parchment, then add 1/2 cup water to pan and roast, uncovered, adding more water when liquid in pan evaporates (check about every half hour), until skin is browned and crisp and meat is fork-tender, another hour or so.

Transfer to a cutting board or platter and let stand 10 minutes.