Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon whole fennel seeds
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1.7kg boneless pork roast shoulder, rind on
• 2 red onions, cut into wedges
• 2 carrots, peeled, thickly sliced
• 2 celery sticks
• 2 garlic bulbs, halved
• 5 dried bay leaves
• 500ml (2 cups) water
• Soft polenta, to serve
• Steamed greens, to serve

Method

• Step 1 Preheat oven to 180C. Place fennel seeds and salt in a mortar and pound with a pestle until crushed. Place pork, rind-side up, on a clean work surface. Use a sharp knife to score the rind, into the fat layer, at 1cm intervals.
• Step 2 Place pork, rind-side up, in a flameproof roasting pan. Rub the fennel mixture into the cuts. Season with pepper. Roast for 30 minutes or until the rind starts to crackle.
• Step 3 Reduce oven to 160C. Cover pork with 2 layers of foil. Roast for 2 hours. Transfer the pork to a plate. Drain all but 1 tablespoon of the excess fat from the pan. Add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic and bay leaves to the pan and stir to combine. Place pork on top of the vegetables. Cover with foil. Roast for a further 1 3/4 hours or until the pork is very tender.

• Step 4 Place the pork on a clean chopping board. Cover with foil to keep warm. Place roasting pan over medium-high heat. Stir in water. Bring to the boil, scraping to dislodge any bits that have cooked onto the base. Simmer for 3-4 minutes or until reduced and thickened slightly. Strain through a fine sieve into a jug, pressing on the vegetables to extract as much liquid as possible.
• Step 5 Discard the rind. Use 2 forks to break the pork into large pieces. Drizzle some pan juices over the pork. Serve with polenta and greens.