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1
Toast the cumin seeds a few minutes in a small pan over medium heat, until they release their aroma and are lightly browned.
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2
Pound them coarsely in a mortar.
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3
Repeat (separately) with the coriander and fennel seeds.
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4
Place the pork in a large bowl with the cumin, coriander, fennel seeds, cayenne, smashed garlic, oregano leaves, and thyme.
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5
Using your hands, toss the pork and spices together to coat well.
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6
Cover and refrigerate overnight.
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7
Take the meat out of the refrigerator 45 minutes before cooking.
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8
After 15 minutes, season it on all sides with 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons salt and some black pepper.
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9
Reserve the garlic and any excess herbs and spices.
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10
Preheat the oven to 325F.
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11
Heat a large Dutch oven over high heat for 3 minutes.
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12
Pour in the olive oil and wait a minute or two, until the pan is very hot and almost smoking.
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13
Place the meat in the pan, being careful not to crowd it.
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14
(You will most likely need to cook the meat in batches.)
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15
Sear the meat until well browned and caramelized on all sides; this will probably take at least 15 minutes.
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16
As the batches of meat brown, transfer them to a baking sheet.
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17
Turn the heat down to medium, and add the onion, carrot, and fennel.
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18
Stir with a wooden spoon, scraping up all the tasty crusty bits left in the pan.
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19
Stir in the bay leaves, crumbled chile, and reserved garlic and spices.
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20
Cook 6 to 8 minutes, until the vegetables start to caramelize.
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21
Pour in the white wine and reduce by half, about 5 minutes.
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22
Add the stocks and bring to a boil.
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23
Use a vegetable peeler to pull long strips of zest from the lemon.
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24
Turn off the heat, and add the pork to the pot.
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25
Tuck the cilantro, oregano sprigs, and lemon zest around the meat.
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26
Cover the pan with aluminum foil and a tight-fitting lid if you have one.
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27
Braise in the oven about 2 1/2 hours.
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28
To check the meat for doneness, remove the lid and foil, being careful of the hot steam.
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29
Spoon a piece of meat out of the pan, and press it with your thumb or a spoon.
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30
If its ready, it will yield easily to a knife and almost fall apart.
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31
Taste it!
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32
Turn the oven up to 400F.
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33
Ladle most of the braising juices and vegetables into a strainer set over a saucepan, pressing down on the vegetables with the ladle to extract all the juices.
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34
Discard any remaining herb sprigs from the braising pan.
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35
Return the pork to the oven for about 15 minutes to caramelize the meat.
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36
Skim the fat from the braising juices.
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37
If necessary, reduce the broth over medium-high heat about 5 minutes, to thicken it slightly.
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38
Taste for seasoning.
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39
Pour the hot broth over the browned meat, and stir to coat well.
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40
Transfer the stew to a large warm platter.
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41
Scatter the warm gremolata-coated root vegetables over the stew.
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42
Serve with the bowl of hot polenta.
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43
Tell your guests to spoon the polenta onto their plates and top with the pork and vegetables, making sure to get lots of the delicious braising juices.
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44
(You may need to serve more braising juices on the side if your platter is too shallow to hold them all.)
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45
Place the lemon zest on a cutting board and chop it coarsely.
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46
Place the garlic and parsley on top, and chop the whole mixture together until very fine.
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47
This mixture is called gremolata.
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48
Slice the carrots and parsnips in half lengthwise, leaving the stems attached.
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49
If they are on the bigger side then slice each half lengthwise again, into long quarters.
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50
Clean the turnips, cut off the tails, and trim the stems, leaving 1/4 inch of the stems.
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51
Cut small turnips in halves or quarters; if theyre larger, cut them in half and then into 1/2-inch wedges.
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52
Heat 2 large saute pans over high heat for 2 minutes.
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53
Swirl in the olive oil and wait 1 minute.
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54
Divide the carrots, parsnips, and turnips between the pans and season with 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and the thyme.
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55
Cook 10 minutes, stirring often, until the vegetables just start to caramelize.
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56
Add the butter and saute another 5 minutes, tossing them often.
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57
Add the shallots and 1/2 teaspoon salt, and cook another 5 minutes or so, until the shallots and all the vegetables are tender and nicely caramelized.
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58
If youre serving dinner soon, turn off the heat and hold them in the pan.
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59
Rewarm if necessary.
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60
Toss with the gremolata just before serving.
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61
You can make the polenta a little ahead of time; cover the pot with plastic wrap to keep it from drying out.
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62
Right before serving, stir in a little more water if necessary.
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63
Roast the vegetables and make the gremolata in the afternoon if you like.
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64
The pork, of course, can be braised a day or even two ahead.
