Roasted Wild Boar With Sage and Honey

As I've written before, our summer home in Greece is nearby Greece's second largest city, Thessalonki.

Thessaloniki is named after Alexander The Great's half-sister and it's museum houses many artifacts and treasures from Alexander's and his father, Phillip II 's time.

The city is often given credit for being "cutting edge" for introducing new fashion, culture and food trends. Greeks will admit that the cuisine from northern Greece is the tastiest of the different regions.

The main reason for it's rich heritage in food is due to the fact that Thessaloniki as a city has embraced the natives of the villages from across the province of Macedonia and the Greeks who for centuries resided in Asia Minor. These Greeks were to resettle in Thessaloniki after Greece and Turkey conducted massive population exchanges after the Treaty of Lausanne.

A restaurant that I deem as having one foot in tradtion and the other in "new Greek cuisine" is the Κουρδιστό Γουρούνι or "Wind-up Pig".

Today I'm showcasing one of their signature dishes, their Γουρουνόπουλο ψητό με μέλι & φασκόμηλο or Roasted Suckling Pig With Honey & Sage.

I used a wild boar shoulder and one could use pork shoulder or shanks for feeding a family. This dish rocked! The marinade gets deep into the meat and the long, slow roasting renders the pork to tender and flaky. The juices of the meat, marinade and vegetables all get soaked up by the potatoes.

This dish is a one pot Greek meal. It's a great fall/winter Sunday dinner. Splurge on good Greek wine and enjoy this feast.

Roasted Wild Boar With Sage and Honey
(feeds 6)

1 wild boar or pork shoulder
1/3 cup olive oil
the juice of 1 orange
1/4 cup of Greek thyme honey
2 Tbsp. of red wine vinegar
3 Tbsp. of mild mustard
2 Tbsp. of fresh sage (or 1 Tbsp. dry)
3 springs of fresh thyme
1 Tbsp. of dried oregano
3 Bay leaves
3 cloves of garlic, smashed
1 Tbsp. of coarse sea salt
2 Tbsp. fresh ground pepper
6 potatoes, peeled and quartered
3 medium onions, peeled and quartered
3 stalks of celery, roughly chopped
3 large carrots, roughly chopped
1 green bell pepper, roughly chopped
1 red pepper, roughly chopped
1 pint of cherry tomatoes
1 dried chili pepper
1 1/2 cups of water

Preheated 400F oven

1. Wash then pat-dry your pork and set aside. Using a large container or zip-lock bag, pour in your orange juice, olive oil, vinegar, mustard, sage, thyme, oregano, bay leaves, salt, pepper and garlic. Mix well and and your pork. Seal and marinate for 2-3 hours before roasting.
2. Cut up your vegetables and line your roasting vessel with the potatoes on the bottom, then the remaining vegetables on top. Season with a little salt and pepper and toss.
   
3. After you've marinaded your pork, allow the meat to return to room temperature before roasting. Season the pork with salt and pepper then place the meat on top of the vegetables and pour the marinating liquid over the vegetables along with the water.
4. Place the roast in the oven for 90 minutes covered and then roast uncovered for another 30 minutes. Baste the meat with pan juices a few times during the roasting period. The meat should be tender, moist and flake off with a fork.
5. Serve with the pork roast with the potatoes and roasted vegetables and don't forget some good crusty bread to mop up those juices!
   

Print this post