Sunday Supper
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Fall-apart pork shoulder, cooked for seven hours, is fine accompaniment to airy, whipped cauliflower. [Photograph: Jennifer Olvera]

About the author: Jennifer Olvera is a veteran food and travel writer and author of "Food Lovers' Guide to Chicago." Follow her on Twitter @olverajennifer.

Every recipe we publish is tested, tasted, and Serious Eats-approved by our staff. Never miss a recipe again by following @SeriousRecipes on Twitter!

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons toasted whole fennel seeds
  • 1 tablespoon toasted whole coriander seeds
  • 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 3 medium cloves garlic, peeled
  • Kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 whole bone-in pork shoulder (about 5 1/2 pounds)
  • 1 medium head cauliflower, broken into florets
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 2 ounces cream cheese
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Procedures

  1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 275°F. Place fennel, coriander seeds, rosemary, crushed red pepper, garlic and 1 tablespoons salt in a mortar. Mash into a chunky paste using a pestle. Add olive oil and mash until combined. Alternatively, combine fennel, coriander, rosemary, red pepper, garlic, 1 tablespoons salt, and olive oil in the bowl of a food processor and process into a fine paste, scraping down sides as necessary. Liberally slather mixture on over pork shoulder and place meat in a roasting pan. Transfer to oven and cook until a knife inserted into the meat shows little resistance, about seven hours, basting with pan juices every 30 minutes or so after the first hour.

  2. While pork cooks, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add cauliflower and cook until very tender, about 8 minutes. Drain and transfer to a blender. Add butter, sour cream, and cream cheese. Purée until smooth and fluffy. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

  3. Remove pork from oven. Allow to rest for 15 minutes before carving or pulling from the phone in chunks. Drizzle meat with pan juices and serve with whipped cauliflower.