Subverting Romans was Re: [Sca-cooks] what is your project?

[margali]

I do this one all the time [although I really like to change out
the figs for dates when the fresh figs look icky, or are running
too expensive]

The dough covering the pork roast is to keep the oven from
coloring the meat, not to make it into a pie. You pick off the
rendered skin and use it as the garnish surrounding the slices of
pork.

>>>"The ham should be braised with a good number of figs and some three laurel
leaves;  the skin is then pulled off and cut into square pieces;
these are
macerated with honey.  Thereupon make dough crumbs with flour and
oil.  Lay the
dough over or around the ham, stud the top with pieces of the
skin so that they
will be baked with the dough and when done, retire from the oven
and serve."

As you see, the meat is covered with the dough before baking. It
does not say to cut it up and turn it into a pie!

I take a pork shoulder roast [they tend to be a decent cost.] I
use a pot that is just slightly larger in siameter and taller
than the shoulder placed vertically. I add in the figs I have
bought [typically, for a whpole shoulder, I use about 3 lbs of
figs, cleaned and sliced in half] and fill to the quarter mark
with water and the 3 bay leaves [I tend to pick the larger of the
ones on hand] and I put it into the oven set on 375 degrees fahr.
for about 1 hour, or until it is about 3/4 of the way to internal
temperature.  I make up a batch of short pastry with flour and
olive oil and let it sit for about 15 minutes or so while I am
getting the pork out and getting it ready to go back in. I pull
the 'fell' off and cut it up and soak them in honey while I dry
off and plaster the pork with the dough, then I put the pieces of
fell onto the dough covering the top. I put the beastie [in a
blue spatterware turkey roaster] back in at 375 again, and cook
another hour or until the internal temperature indicates it is
done. To serve, I pull off the pieces of fell and flake off the
dough. I slice the meat into pieces the size of a finger and
stack decoratively on a serving plate, surrounded with the pieces
of fell. I use the braising liquid as a sauce by cooking it down
with a bit of garlic and puree it.

margali