Recipe - Red Braised Pork Shoulder

Pork shoulder (5 to 7 lb),
with bone and rind
Water
Three fourths cup Sherry (dry)
or Shaoxing wine
1/3 cup Dark soy sauce
Chinese yellow rock sugar,
6 crystals (each crystal
about 1 inch square)
1 One half teaspoon Salt (or to taste)
6 Star anise cloves
1 Cinnamon stick
(about 2 inches long)
4 small Chili peppers,
dried (optional)
Tangerine peel, dried,
3 pieces (optional)
6 Garlic cloves (crushed)
4 sl Ginger (thick)
1 Scallion (whole), trimmed
2 Spinach bunches, washed

Put the pork in a large pot with water to cover. Bring to a boil, simmer
for 2 minutes, then drain and rinse. Again add the pork to the pot with
fresh water to cover, add the wine, and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to
medium, partially cover, and cook for 30 minutes. Add the rest of the
ingredients (except the spinach), and simmer the pork for another 2 One half to
3 hours. The rind and the fat should be very soft when it's done.

Remove the pork from the liquid and keep it warm. Strain the sauce into a
large skillet and reduce it over high heat. This may take a while,
depending on how much liquid you end up with.

Meanwhile, steam the spinach until just wilted, salt it lightly, and keep
it warm. When the sauce is reduced (it should be the consistency of a thin
syrup), put the pork shoulder in the center of a large platter, arrange the
spinach around it, and pour the sauce over.

NOTES:

* A Chinese Method of Cooking a Pork Roast I got this recipe originally
from the _San Francisco Chronicle_. It uses some ingredients that might be
hard to get in some parts of the country, but suggests alternatives. Yield:
Serves 1015.

* Can substitute about 1/3 C granulated sugar for the rock crystals.

: Difficulty: moderate.
: Time: 30 minutes preparation, 34 hours cooking.
: Precision: approximate measurement OK.

: Jeff Lichtman
: Relational Technology, Inc., Alameda, California
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