Not Just a Man's World

This was an astounding find.  I discovered a recipe for pork cooked in milk and was very sceptical, but since I had a can of coconut milk left in the fridge I thought I would give it a try as a change from our usual roast or pot roast joint.

All can say about it is that both Chris and I were hugely impressed with the meat.  It was tender and juicy and delicious.  I also thought the accompanying sauce was fabulous but Chris was a bit less taken by it.  To be fair I let the liquid evaporate too quickly and the onions ended up caramelising and slightly burning on the bottom of the pan.  My advice is to keep a close eye on it to stop this happening since it tends to overpower the flavours of the sauce, although it still tastes good – it just looks a bit like a Balti sauce if it turns too dark.

Paleo pork cooked in coconut milk

Ingredients (serves 3-4):
800g leg or shoulder joint of pork, boned
1 tbsp olive oil
25g butter
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
75g bacon (streaky or back, smoked or unsmoked – your preference!), chopped
1x400g can coconut milk
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp dried oregano or thyme (or a mix of both)

Directions:

1. Cut the layer of skin and fat off the joint and, using string, tie the joint together neatly.
2. Heat the oil and butter in a large pan.  Add the onion, garlic and bacon into the pan and cook them for a couple of minutes until softening.
3. Add the pork to the pan and cook, turning occasionally, until browned all over.
4. Put the coconut milk into a measuring jug and top up with water to 2 pints.  Pour the coconut milk and water mixture over the pork, add the bay leaves and herbs and cook uncovered on a low heat at a simmer (so that the liquid slowly evaporates) for 1.25 – 1.5 hours (I simmered a 1kg joint for 1 hour 45 mins with slightly more liquid).  Turn the joint halfway through cooking to make sure the top side doesn’t dry out and for the last 15-30 minutes keep a close eye on the pan and top up with a little more water if it is looking like it is about to boil dry.

At the end of cooking time remove the pork from the pan, leave to stand for 5-10 minutes and then slice the meat and place on a serving plate.  Pour over the sauce from the pan (this should be creamy with lumps of the bacon and onion in it) and serve up immediately.

Related posts:

1. Paleo recipes: Cockles in Coconut Milk (Macunim ao Coco)
2. Paleo recipes: spicy pork scratchings
3. Paleo recipes: pot-roasted pork in white wine with garlic, fennel and rosemary
4. Paleo recipes: pork chops in a spiced sauce