Vietnamese Pork with Orange Juice and Cilantro

Yield: 5 to 6 servings

Ingredients

Pork

• 1 (2 1/2 pound) loin of pork, center cut, trimmed of most but not all the fat
• 20 small cloves garlic, peeled
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup chopped cilantro stalks
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 4 bay leaves
• 4 whole allspice

Sauce

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon fat skimmed from the pan juices
• 3 green onions, trimmed and finely chopped, with most of the green parts
• 2 1/2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• Juice of 2 large oranges
• 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro stalks

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F and set the rack in the middle of the oven.
2. Make 20 incisions all over the pork with the point of a sharp knife and insert the cloves of garlic.
3. Season the meat with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Set the meat on a rack in a roasting pan and sprinkle the top thickly with the 1/3 cup chopped cilantro stalks.
5. Put the broth, bay leaves and allspice in the roasting pan, and cover the pan tightly with foil so that no steam will escape.
6. Cook the meat until it is very tender but not falling apart, so that you can slice it easily — about 3 1/2 to 4 hours.
7. Set the meat aside on a warm dish for about 15 minutes.
8. Slice the meat, cover with foil and keep warm in the oven.
9. Meanwhile, degrease the broth.
10. Put the butter and 1 tablespoon of the skimmed fat in a saucepan and heat.
11. Add the onions and 1 tablespoon of the lime juice and fry gently until soft.
12. Add the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice plus the skimmed pan juices (be sure to scrape the bottom of the pan well for all the scraps adhering to it), cover the pan and cook the sauce for about 5 minutes.
13. Add the mustard, orange juice and the 1/4 cup chopped cilantro stalks.
14. Cook, uncovered, for about 4 minutes longer.
15. Pour some of the sauce over the meat and pass the rest in a separate dish.

Attribution

Nothing Fancy by Diana Kennedy