Hairy Bikers Roast Pork and Tumbet Recipe

This Hairy Bikers roast pork and tumbet is a Spanish roast from Mallorca: spiced pork shoulder with a layered bake of aubergine, courgette and potato. So, with the tumbet doubled, this Mediterranean Adventure meal feeds 8 in about 4 hours at around 1,100 calories each by my sums.

For the tumbet, they write that “we like to bake the aubergine slices, as they soak up less oil that way.” So it’s a change from the traditional version, where all the vegetables are fried, though the courgettes and potatoes still go in the pan here.

The 30-minute blast at 230°C matters most, because by then the skin should be starting to crisp and brown. So the oven can then drop to 180°C to cook the shoulder through, at 25 minutes per 500g.

Hairy Bikers Roast Pork and Tumbet Recipe

Author: Alex Saidani Cooking Method:Roasting Cuisine:British Spanish Courses:Dinner

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 50 minutesCook time:2 hours 45 minutesRest time: 30 minutesTotal time:4 hours 5 minutesServings:8 servingsCalories:1100 kcal Best Season:Summer

Description

Cloves, cinnamon, smoked paprika and fennel season a rolled shoulder that roasts over onions and water. Then, while it rests, two dishes of layered vegetables bake under a crisp potato top.

Ingredients

For the pork

• 2kg boned pork shoulder, rolled, skin scored
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• juice of ½ lemon
• 2 onions, thickly sliced
• salt

For the rub

• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 red chilli, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp fennel seeds, lightly crushed
• 4 cloves, ground
• ½ tsp black peppercorns, crushed
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp sherry vinegar
• salt

For the gravy (optional)

• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 100ml white wine or fino sherry

For the tumbet (the book’s amounts doubled)

• 4 medium aubergines, cut into 1.5cm rounds
• up to 400ml olive oil, for brushing, frying and drizzling
• 4 medium courgettes, cut into 2cm slices
• 1kg large waxy potatoes, such as Charlottes, thinly sliced (about 3mm)
• 4 roasted red peppers, from a jar or homemade, cut into strips
• 2 small bunches of fresh oregano
• 2 small bunches of fresh basil
• salt and black pepper

For the tomato sauce (also doubled)

• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 8 garlic cloves, crushed
• 800g ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• 2 tsp dried thyme
• a pinch or two of sugar (optional)

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Instructions

1. Roast the aubergines: Heat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6, since I roast the aubergines before the pork goes in. Then lay the slices on two baking trays, brush them with some of the oil, season with salt and roast for 20 to 25 minutes. And set them aside to cool until you layer the tumbet.
2. Rub the pork: While the aubergines roast, mix all the rub ingredients, including the oil and vinegar, and season well with salt. Then push the rub into the score lines and deep into the flesh, which the rolled joint allows without cutting the meat. And wipe off any excess, rub the pork with the tablespoon of oil, pour over the lemon juice and sprinkle the skin with salt.
3. Start the pork: Turn the oven up to 230°C/Fan 210°C/Gas 8 and let it get fully hot. Then spread the onions in a roasting tin, sit the pork on top and add 250ml of water. And roast it for 30 minutes, by which time the skin should be starting to crisp and brown.
4. Turn it down: Reduce the oven to 180°C/Fan 160°C/Gas 4 and roast for 25 minutes per 500g, so 1 hour 40 minutes for 2kg. Then push a probe thermometer into the thickest part, where I’d want 70°C held for 2 minutes, as the Food Standards Agency advises.
5. Make the tomato sauce: While the pork roasts, cook the garlic gently in the olive oil for 3 to 4 minutes until soft and fragrant. Then add the tomatoes and thyme, season, and bring to the boil. And simmer uncovered for about 25 minutes until well reduced, adding sugar if it tastes sharp after 10 minutes.
6. Fry the courgettes: Meanwhile, pour olive oil into a large, heavy frying pan to a depth of ½cm. Then fry the courgettes in batches over a medium heat, a couple of minutes each side, then drain and season them lightly.
7. Fry the potatoes: Fry the potato slices on both sides until soft all the way through and lightly golden at the edges, then drain them on kitchen paper. But with double the amount I’d fry them in batches and allow about 40 minutes, while the recipe gives up to 10 for one batch.
8. Layer the tumbet: Divide everything between two medium oven dishes, starting with a couple of tablespoons of sauce and some oregano and basil in each. Then layer the aubergines, more sauce and herbs, the courgettes, more sauce and herbs, then the peppers. And finish with the last of the sauce and herbs, top with the potatoes, season and drizzle with a little oil.
9. Rest the pork: Take the pork out and rest it, lightly covered with foil, for 30 minutes, which fits the recipe’s “at least 15 minutes”. Then strain the tin contents, arranging the onions around the pork if you like, and let the liquid settle before skimming off the fat.
10. Bake the tumbet: While the pork rests, bake the tumbet at 180°C for 25 to 30 minutes, until the potatoes are crisp and the vegetables underneath tender. So there’s room in the oven for both dishes, which is my plan rather than the book’s.
11. Gravy or juices: For gravy, set the roasting tin over a medium heat and stir in the flour, scraping up anything stuck to the base. Then mix in the wine or sherry to a paste, and add the skimmed juices, thinning with water if needed. Or skip the gravy and serve the skimmed juices as they are.
12. Serve: Carve the pork into thick slices, then serve it with the tumbet and the gravy or juices.

FAQs

What is tumbet?

Tumbet is a Mallorcan layered vegetable bake, finished with a crisp topping of fried potato. And on the BBC page for their Balearics episode, it’s called “a sort of ratatouille with a potato topping”.

Some people search for it as “roast pork and trumpet”, but tumbet is the name. So if that’s what brought you here, this is the dish.

Is tumbet vegetarian?

Yes, and they say it “can be served on its own or with fish or meat”. And with no meat, dairy or eggs on the ingredient list, it works for vegans too by my reading.

Their batch serves 4, which is half the amounts above, so halve everything for a vegetarian main. And for another layered vegetable dish, their roasted vegetable lasagne uses peppers, courgettes and tomato sauce, though with cheese.

Can I swap any of the ingredients?

Yes, a few, since they suggest sliced fennel instead of onions under the pork for a change. And jarred roasted peppers are fine, because they appear in the BBC Food version of the tumbet.

But I’d keep the waxy potatoes, such as Charlottes, because they “don’t go soggy”. And fresh tomatoes matter too, since they make the dish “creamier and more mellow in flavour”. Or, for a quicker Spanish side, their spicy patatas bravas comes from the same book.

How is Spanish roast pork different from a British roast?

This one is a spiced shoulder started at 230°C, then 180°C, while their classic roast pork with crackling has no rub and stays at 220°C. And that British one comes with apple sauce and cider gravy, where this has sherry gravy or pan juices.

So I’d cook the British one for a traditional Sunday lunch, and this one when you want cloves, cinnamon and smoked paprika.

How long do leftovers keep?

Cool and refrigerate them within 2 hours, then eat them within 2 days, as the FSA advises. And reheat the pork and tumbet only once, until steaming hot all the way through.

I’d expect the potato topping to soften in the fridge, so I’d reheat the tumbet uncovered in the oven rather than the microwave. And cold pork is good sliced thin in sandwiches, which is my suggestion.