Lomo Cuban Bocadillo

Freshly made bocadillos (sandwiches) are a staple of Spanish cuisine. This Cuban-inspired bocadillo is a fabulous way to use leftover Slow-Roasted Pork Shoulder (see below for recipe). It makes a day-after lunch every bit as delicious as the previous night’s dinner.

SUMMER SLOW-ROASTED PORK SHOULDER WITH FENNEL AND LEMON

Serves 10 (with leftovers for the Lomo Cuban Bocadillo)

1 tsp whole black peppercorns

1 tsp fennel seeds

2kg (4lb 4oz) Boston butt or pork shoulder, de-boned

5 garlic cloves, sliced into slivers

Extra virgin olive oil

750ml (25fl oz) chicken stock

175ml (6fl oz) vermouth

1 large onion, sliced

1 fennel bulb, fronds removed, sliced

Peel of 1 lemon, pared in strips with a carrot peeler

Handful fresh thyme

2 fresh cayenne or jalapeño chillies, halved lengthways

Salt and black pepper

Method

1 Preheat the oven to 220°C (430°F), gas mark 7, and toast the peppercorns and fennel seeds in a dry frying pan until fragrant. Remove from the heat.

2 Using the tip of a paring knife, cut small slits into the pork, all over (top and bottom). Insert the garlic slivers, pushing them deep into the cuts. Massage the pork with plenty of olive oil, salt and pepper.

3 Transfer the pork to a roasting tin and roast in the oven for 15–20 minutes, until browned, then reduce the heat to 130°C (265°F), gas mark 1.

4 Meanwhile, bring the stock and vermouth to the boil in a saucepan. Remove the pork from the oven and take it out of the roasting tin. Add the onion, fennel, stock and vermouth, lemon peel, thyme, toasted peppercorns and fennel seeds and chillies to the tin. Place a rack in the tin, place the pork on the rack, cover the tin with foil and bake in the oven for 8 hours, basting the pork every 3–4 hours, and turning up the heat for a few minutes each time you open the oven door to bring it back up to temperature.

5 Once the pork has been cooking for 8 hours, remove it from the oven and set it aside to rest. Press the vegetables in the tin to expel any juice and pass the tin liquid through a sieve. Chill the liquid for 2 hours or overnight then skim off the layer of fat at the top.

6 Meanwhile, shred the pork using two forks, discarding any large lumps of fat but incorporating any small bits. Set aside.

7 Put the skimmed cooking liquid in a saucepan, bring it to the boil, then simmer until reduced by half. Season with salt and pepper then pour the liquid over the shredded pork and combine to serve.

LOMO CUBAN BOCADILLO

Serves 3-4

1 ciabatta or rustic baguette, halved lengthways

Extra virgin olive oil

100g smoked serrano ham

500g Slow-Roasted Pork (see below for recipe), plus cooking liquid

100g Manchego semi-curado or Gouda cheese, thinly sliced

40g Cucumber and Onion Pickles (see below for recipe) 

FOR THE DRESSING

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp crème fraîche

½ tsp soft light brown sugar

1½ tsp lemon juice for the slaw

1 fennel bulb, trimmed and thinly sliced

½ kohlrabi bulb, peeled, sliced and cut lengthways into batons

¼ red onion, very thinly sliced

2 carrots, grated

100g cooked black beans

¼ tsp fennel seeds, toasted and ground using a pestle and mortar

Handful flat-leaf parsley leaves

1 Brush both cut sides of the bread liberally with olive oil. Heat more olive oil in a frying pan and fry the ham for 2-3 minutes. Set aside on a plate lined with kitchen paper.

2 Shred the pork and moisten with 1-2 tablespoons of its cooking liquid. Layer the pork, crispy serrano ham and cheese on the bottom half of the bread. Put both bread halves under a hot grill for 3-4 minutes until the cheese has melted and the bread is lightly toasted.

3 Meanwhile, put all the ingredients for the dressing in a small jar. Seal and shake well. Combine all the vegetables for the slaw and toss with the dressing. Season with salt and pepper.

4 Remove the bread from the grill and top it with a generous spoonful of slaw and a few pickles. Slice the sandwich into 3-4 pieces and serve immediately.

Cucumber and onion pickles

You will need: 3 x 500ml (18fl oz) sterilised glass jars

Ingredients

1kg (2lb 2oz) unwaxed pickling cucumbers, cut into 0.5sm (¼in) thick rounds

4 large, sweet onions, cut into 0.5cm (¼in) thick rings

240g (8½oz) course salt

600ml (1pint) white wine vinegar

600g (1¼lb) caster sugar

6 dried bird’s eye chilies

1tbsp yellow mustard seeds

1tbsp black mustard seeds

1tbsp coriander seeds

1tbsp cumin seeds

1tbsp whole black peppercorns

1 Combine the cucumbers, onions and salt in a large stainless steel bowl. Mix to coat the vegetables with the salt, add water to cover and set aside at room temperature for 4 hours.

2 Rinse the excess salt off the cucumbers and onions and place them on clean tea towels to drain. 

3 Combine the vinegar, sugar and spices in a large stainless steel saucepan and bring to the boil.

4 Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, to dissolve the sugar and infuse the vinegar with spices, then add the drained cucumbers and onions and return to a simmer.

5 Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2-3 minutes, then remove from the heat.

6 Transfer the pickles and the pickling liquid to the sterilised jars, dividing the cucumbers, onions and chillies evenly among the jars, then seal and store.

Recipes from Eivissa by Anne Sijmonsbergen (HarperCollins, £20) Photograph: David Munns