Yes, this one is a little complicated, but worth it. The smell of that pork shoulder roasting is an incredibly fragrant way to perfume your house on a cool weekend afternoon. Serve it as a sandwich as given here, or skip the rolls and cheese and plate it up for dinner. Pick up the biggest pork shoulder you can find at one of Riverview’s many farmers market booths this week.
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons ground fennel 1 1/2 tablespoons dried thyme 3 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes, divided 1 (6-to-7-pound) pork shoulder, butterflied 3 sprigs rosemary, stemmed and finely chopped 1 head garlic, finely chopped Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 4 cups beef stock 1/2 cup red wine 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced 1 bay leaf 1 chopped fresh tomato 1 bunch greens (mustard or kale), stems removed, roughly chopped 1/4 cup canola oil 32 slices sharp provolone 8 12-inch crusty Italian rolls, split
Preparation:
Heat oven to 450 degrees. Combine fennel, thyme and 3 teaspoons red pepper flakes in a small bowl; set aside.
Open pork shoulder on a work surface, and spread with half of herb mixture, rosemary, 1/4 of the chopped garlic, salt and pepper. Roll up shoulder, tie with kitchen twine at 1″ intervals to secure, and season out-side with remaining herb mixture, salt and pepper. Transfer to a roasting pan and roast until browned, about 40 minutes. Remove pan from oven, and heat broiler. Add remaining garlic to pan, along with stock, wine, onion and bay leaf; sprinkle tomatoes over top and sides of pork shoulder. Broil until tomatoes are caramelized, about 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees, cover pork with parchment paper and cover roasting pan with aluminum foil. Cook until internal temperature of pork reaches 165°, about 2 hours. Set aside to cool.
Transfer pork to cutting board, and remove bay leaf from pan. Transfer juices to a blender and purée; transfer to a 4-quart saucepan and keep warm. Pull pork apart into large pieces and add to pan juices.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and add greens. Cook, stirring, until just tender, 2–3 minutes. Drain and transfer to a bowl of ice water to cool. Drain, and dry thoroughly with paper towels. Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet. Working in batches if necessary, add remaining 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes and greens and cook, stirring, until crisp and warmed through, about 4 minutes. Set aside.
Place 4 slices provolone on bottom half of each roll, and top with pork. Add greens and serve.