Eisbein from Germany

This has to be one of my favourite meals, tender melt-in-your mouth pork surrounded by crispy crackling.  It's a bit like the carnivore's version of a creme egg.  This is not a quick dish to make, it takes time but is well worth the effort.  It's best served with mashed potato and some kind of cabbage like sauerkraut.  I like it with cabbage and apple as I find that it balances the flavours perfectly.  Mustard on the side is also recommended.  A great meal to make on a cold blustery Sunday.
Usually smoked or cured pork hock is used for this recipe.  However, it's not always possible to get your hands on smoked or cured hock.  This recipe shows how to get a similar kind of taste experience using fresh hock.  You usually serve one hock/knuckle per person

2 pork hocks or knuckles
4 cups water
4 tablespoons salt
1/2 cup vinegar
1 handful black peppercorns
4 garlic cloves crushed
4 bay leaves
2 teaspoons coriander powder
2 onions thinly sliced
2 teaspoons mixed herbs
4 teaspoons sugar
1 carrot diced
2 celery sticks diced
Put all the ingredients into a large pot and bring to the boil.  Reduce the heat and allow to simmer for about 2 hours until the rind starts showing signs of wanting to separate from the meat.  Once cooked remove the hocks from the broth, score the skin and rub some salt into it.  Place the hocks in a roasting pan and put in the middle of the oven under high heat and grill for about 15 minutes until the skin is crispy.
Cindy Vine is a South African currently living and working in Kyiv Ukraine.  She is the author of The Colorful Art of Pain, Hush Baby and Defective.  All her books are available on Amazon in both print and Kindle format.  http://cindyvine.com