Pickle tamarillos ahead of time, as they are best eaten after two weeks of being submerged in the pickling liquid.
Makes 1 large jar
3 whole cloves
½ small cinnamon stick
2.5cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
500ml red wine vinegar
200g sugar
a pinch of flaky salt
pared rind of 1 small orange, lemon or lime
8 red tamarillos
To prepare the tamarillos, make a cross in the skin at the tip of each tamarillo and blanch in boiling water for 2 minutes. Remove and plunge into a bowl of cold water. Peel away the skins and cut off stems. Cut in half lengthwise and put into a large sterilised jar or divide between two smaller sterilised jars, if you prefer.
Put the cloves, cinnamon stick, ginger, red wine vinegar, sugar, salt and citrus rind into a saucepan and slowly bring up to the boil. Simmer gently for 15 minutes to allow the flavours to mingle then remove from the heat and allow to cool.
Pour the cooled pickling mixture over the prepared tamarillos until they are submerged and screw on the lid. Keep in the fridge and store for 2 weeks before eating.
Tip – Pare rind of citrus by using a vegetable peeler to peel thin strips from the fruit, being careful to leave behind the white pith.
Try serving a little pickled tamarillo with leftover cold roast pork shoulder (recipe below), with a simple winter vegetable coleslaw of very finely shredded green cabbage, steamed sprouting broccoli and finely sliced spring onions, tossed in a lemon juice, honey and olive oil dressing (as photographed).
Cut 1–2 pickled tamarillo halves into thin wedges and serve on top of a plate of cured meats.
Oven-Roasted Pork Shoulder
Serves 6
1 tbsp olive oil
1 carrot, 1 onion, 1 stick celery, peeled and diced
4 fresh bay leaves or 2 dried bay leaves
1.7kg boned and tied pork shoulder, skin scored for crackling, at room temperature
2 tsp fennel seeds
3 tsp flaky sea salt
finely grated zest of 1 lemon or lime
500ml chicken stock
Heat the oven to 240°C.
Put the olive oil, carrot, onion, celery and bay leaves in a covered roasting dish. Sit the pork amongst the vegetables, skin side up. Grind the fennel seeds and salt together until you have a fine powder. Add the lemon or lime zest, then rub over the skin of the pork and inside the scored skin. Pour the stock around the pork, cover and put in the oven for 30 minutes.
Lower the oven temperature to 190°C and continue to roast the pork for a further 2 hours until tender but not dry.
Remove the pork from the oven and put on a warmed plate. Turn the oven to grill. Cut the crackling away from the meat and put in a shallow roasting tray. Cover the pork so it keeps warm.
Meanwhile, strain the meat juices into a wide shallow saucepan and push the vegetables through the sieve until you end up with a pulp that can be discarded. Put over a high heat and reduce, removing some of the excess fat by using a large spoon to scoop up as it reduces. You will end up with a syrupy sauce to moisten the meat.
When ready, put the crackling under the grill and let it crackle away. Keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn.
Recipe and Image Kathy Paterson
