Lilly Higgins: Butterflied pork steak with fennel

Pork steaks are a real convenience food. You might know them as pork fillets or pork tender: it’s the muscle that runs alongside the backbone of the pig. They are lean, with very little waste, and can be cooked in a variety of ways. They marinade really well and are especially good with aromatic Asian spices such as star anise. You need to be careful not to overcook this meat, as it can dry out.

The Parma ham has a few benefits: it holds the pork roll together nicely, prevents the meat from drying out and tastes amazing.

When I was about 12, myself and my sisters used to head down town from my grandad’s house with his weekly shopping list. Each item would be scribbled in a different pen or pencil as he remembered the items he had needed during the previous week. The list was always the same. The newspaper, pork steak, fig rolls, Scots Clan toffees, bananas and snuff. For him, it was a balanced diet that ensured he lived well into his 90s.

This butterflied pork steak is much fancier than he would have made. I have opened it right out and spread a fragrant mix of fennel seeds and lemon zest over the meat. It is lean and delicately flavoured, so it pairs well with the lemon. The shallots are lovely and sweet once roasted and, along with the juices from the meat, create a richly flavoured sauce with little effort. I add the juice of a lemon for a fresh burst of citrus.

The sauce alone with the asparagus is very tasty. Irish asparagus season traditionally starts on April 23rd, so it should be in shops and markets now. Of course, imported asparagus is available all year round, but home-grown is much more special and should be enjoyed during its short season.

Preparing asparagus is fun and easy: gently bend each spear until it snaps. It always snaps at just the right place, allowing you to discard the tough part and keep the tender part. Simply cook in salted water for two or three minutes.

We recently picked up a box of huge local duck eggs, some white and some pale blue. I can’t think of a more decadent breakfast than asparagus spears dipped in a soft-boiled duck egg with sourdough toast. So simple but so special.

PORK STEAK WITH FENNEL: SERVES 4

Ingredients

• 1 pork steak (about 800g)
• 2tbs fennel seeds
• 1 lemon
• 6 shallots
• 8 slices of Parma ham
• 1 bunch of asparagus

To serve

• Green salad
• Roast potatoes

Method

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees.

Wash the lemon well and remove the zest, place in a small bowl with the fennel seed, a teaspoon of sea salt and a generous amount of black pepper. Mix well.

Remove any tough sinewy pieces or fat from the outside of the meat. Use a sharp knife to butterfly it open horizontally so that it become a large, flat, even rectangle.

Spread the fennel and lemon zest mixture over the meat. Tightly roll up to form a Swiss roll shape.

Layer the Parma ham slices on a large sheet of greaseproof paper. Place the pork on top and roll the paper over tightly so the Parma ham wraps neatly around the pork, keeping it in place.

Peel the shallots and cut into wedges through the stem end.

Drizzle a little oil in a baking dish, place the pork roll in and surround with the shallots. Add a few tablespoons of water and cover loosely with foil. Roast for 20 minutes, then remove the foil and baste with some of the cooking juices. Return to the oven for a further 15-20 minutes.

Once the pork is cooked, cover and allow it to rest for at least 10 minutes.

Remove the shallots from the dish and keep warm. Juice the lemon and add it to the pork cooking juices that are in the pan. Heat gently. Taste for seasoning.

Cook the asparagus in boiling salted water for about three minutes.

Slice the pork and place on a platter. Arrange the shallots around it and drizzle with the lemon sauce. Serve with the asparagus and a green salad or roast potatoes.