Pork in the oven
Oven-roasted pork is a specialty of the Gourounsi country, central Burkina Faso, particularly of Réo. The main flavouring for the dish is néré [iru/netetou] (the seed kernels of <em>Parkia biglobosa</em>). This is a highly pungent spice that mellows appreciably on roasting, so it’s well worth obtaining if you can. It’s also what makes this dish so special. It’s also made from one of the cheapest but tastiest of pork cuts, pork cheeks.
Prep time: 20 minutes/Cook time: 215 minutes/Serves: 4
Ingredients:
8 pork cheeks
4 tbsp of cooking oil
1 large onion
2 green bell peppers, cored and cut into 1cm squares
500g of tomatoes (cherry tomatoes are good), halved
2 stock cubes (eg Maggi)
1 tbsp of soumbala or nététou
2 garlic cloves, grated
Method:
Peel the onion and cut into rough cubes about 1cm per side. Pre-heat your oven to 180°C (gas mark 6).
Place a large casserole dish over medium-high heat, add the oil and use to fry the onion for 5 minutes.
Add the diced green bell peppers, reduce the heat slightly and fry for 10 minutes.
Remove the onion and peppers with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the pork cheeks to the oil left in the pan and cook for about 10 minutes, until golden brown on both sides.
Return the vegetables to the pan then add the tomatoes, grated garlic and sprinkle over the soumbala (nététou). Stir to combine then sprinkle over the powdered stock cubes. Increase the heat to high, cover with a lid and cook for 10 minutes then transfer to the centre of your pre-heated oven.
Cook for 1 hour, then reduce the oven to 150°C (gas mark 5) and continue cooking 2 hours more.
Serve the roasted pork with long-grain rice sautéed in butter and then steamed.
