Braised Pork Shoulder with Winter Vegetables

Ingredients:

Kosher salt
One 3- to 4-pound boneless pork shoulder
5 oz diced pancetta
2 sprigs plus 6 leaves fresh sage
6 cloves garlic
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 2” pieces
1 rutabaga, peeled and cut into 2” pieces
1 turnip, peeled and cut into 2” pieces
1 large yellow onion, quartered
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon miso paste
5 cups beef stock
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
Fresh Italian parsley, for garnish
Fresh mint, for garnish
Fresh cilantro, for garnish
Fried onions (store bought or homemade)

Directions:

1. For the pork shoulder: liberally salt the pork shoulder and set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
3. In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, cook the pancetta and 6 sage leaves over medium heat until the pancetta renders it’s fat and gets crispy, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sage and pancetta to a plate lined with paper towels and set aside. Add the pork shoulder to the pancetta fat and brown the pork on all sides, about 5 minutes per side. Set aside.
4. Add the garlic, carrots, rutabaga, turnips and onion and cook until browned, about 4 minutes. Add the tomato paste, miso paste, rosemary sprigs and sage sprigs and cook for 1 minute more. Add one cup of stock to deglaze the pan. Add remaining stock and bring to a simmer. Return the pork to the pan and add the reserved pancetta and sage. Cover and braise in the oven until fork-tender, about 3 1/2 hours. Allow the pork to rest for 30 minutes in the liquid.
5. Remove the pork from the liquid and transfer to a cutting board. Slice the pork into 1-inch-thick pieces and transfer to a serving platter.
6. Stir the vinegar into the braising liquid. Pour the sauce over the pork and top with the fried onions, parsley, mint and cilantro.

*Recipe adapted from Geoffrey Zakarian