I found a 1kg Otway free range scotch pork roast reduced to $10. Happy days. Then I threw Lil Miss on the back of my bike and set off for the local farmer’s market. Nashi. Local. $3/kg.

This is something in the realms of died and went to heaven kind of stuff.

So obviously, roast pork and nashi are on tonight’s menu. Don’t blame me, it may not be kosher but the neither am I. The universe threw it at me, what was I to do?

Roast Pork and Nashi with Roasted Garlic, Leek and Mushroom Gravy
1kg free range pork roast
5 small nashi pear
4 roasting potatoes
wedge of pumpkin
big handful beans
head broccoli
head garlic
olive oil
handful mushrooms
1 leek
2/3 cup stock (preferably beef)
3 tablespoons ketcap manis
large dob butter

Heat oven to 220 degrees. Peel, cut into serviing size pieces and par boil potatoes and pumpkin until just tender. Rub a little oil and salt into pork roast.
Place pork in oven for 15 – 20 minutes. Then turn heat down to 180 degrees, add vegetables, garlic and nashi (quarter and remove core immediately before doing this). Drizzle oil over vegetables. Cook for 40 minutes. 40 minutes per kilo of pork is the rule of thumb here after the initial 20 minutes at high heat. Handy to know if you are using a different sized piece of meat. When pork is cooked, let stand for 15 minutes before carving.
Top and tali beans and trim broccoli. Steam in whatever you choose to steam food in (thermomix, stove top, microwave etc) for no more than 2 minutes immediately before serving.
To make gravy:
Whether you make it on the stovetop or in the thermomix, make the gravy while the pork stands.
Stovetop – slice leeks and mushrooms, saute in butter in a small saucepan. Remove from heat. Add stock and flour and whisk together until there are no flour lumps. Return to heat and continue whisking. Add 2 cups water and about 2 tablespoons ketcap manis. Squeeze roasted garlic from skins and add to saucepan. Continue whisking until thickened.
Thermomix – slice leeks and mushrooms, add, with a large dob of butter to thermomix and saute at 100 degrees for 4 minutes on soft speed. Squeeze roasted garlic from skin into thermomix. Add stock, flour, 2 cups of water and 2 tablespoons ketcap manis. Cook for 15 minutes on varoma temperature and reverse speed 1.