Recipe: Braised pork shank with tomatoes

Ingredients

2 carrots, cut into chunks
2 onions, cut into chunks
2 sticks celery, cut into chunks
6 tomatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1 sprig fresh thyme + extra, to serve
1 sprig fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 head of garlic, halved
60ml (¼ cup) olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
6 x 500 – 600g pork shanks

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 150°C.

2. Place the chopped vegetables in a roasting tray together with the thyme, parsley and garlic. Drizzle with olive oil and season.

3. Season the pork shanks, rub them all over with olive oil and place on top of the vegetables. Cover with foil and braise in the oven for 1 hour, by which time the vegetables will be cooked.

4. Remove the shanks from the roasting tray and place on an oven rack. Increase the oven temperature to 190°C and roast for another 30 minutes or until the meat is falling off the bone, and the skin is browned and crisp.

5. Strain the vegetables from the pan juices, set the vegetables aside and reduce the pan juices in a saucepan to intensify the flavours. Adjust the seasoning to taste. (It should have the consistency of a ‘jus’, not a thickened sauce.)

6. Plate the vegetables with the shanks on top, spoon the jus over and serve.

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