Suckling pig leg with fig, date and apricot sauce from the Roman pot

Ingredients for 8 servings:

• 1,800 g leg(s) of suckling pig, with rind, boneless
• 500 ml vegetable stock
• 1 handful of figs, dried
• 1 handful of dates, dried
• 1 handful of apricot(s), dried
• 6 tbsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp, heaped caraway powder
• 1 sprig(s) rosemary
• 2 small onions
• 100 ml cream
• n. B. Lemon peel, untreated, grated
• e.g. salt and pepper

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Rest time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 2 hours 30 minutes; Total time approx. 3 hours 20 minutes

buttery soft and super juicy

Rinse the Roman pot thoroughly. Make diamond-shaped cuts in the rind of the suckling pig leg, being careful not to damage the meat. Make a marinade with olive oil, the garlic cloves, one of the two onions, caraway seeds, rosemary, lemon zest, pepper, and salt. For simplicity, I use a food processor to make it a nice paste. Add a little more olive oil if the marinade is too thick. Carefully rub the marinade all over the meat, especially the cuts, and let it marinate at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Place most of the dried figs, dates, and apricots, as well as the leg, rind-side up, in the Roman pot, reserving some of the dried fruit for later garnish, and pour in about 250 ml of the vegetable stock. Close the lid and place the Roman pot in a cold oven. Set the oven to 170°C fan/convection oven and cook the leg for about 2 hours. Pour the remaining stock over the rind every 30 minutes until it’s all used up. After 2 hours, remove the lid of the Roman pot. Increase the temperature to 200°C and braise the suckling pig leg for another 30 minutes. During the braising time, slowly pour the meat juices over the leg every few minutes using a ladle or large spoon, otherwise the pig will become too brown. Keep the meat warm at the end of the cooking time. Strain the meat juices into a saucepan and thicken with cream, add the remaining dried fruit, and let it reduce a little longer if necessary. Season to taste with pepper and salt. I like to serve this dish with a cauliflower risotto, such as the one from “Goblinslayer” here at CK. A cold beer goes well with it.