Cuban mojo-marinated roast pork (Lechón asado)

1. Crush the garlic to a paste in a mortar with the salt, cumin, oregano and pepper, then stir in the juice of the bitter oranges and the olive oil – this is Cuban mojo. If you can't find bitter oranges, the juice of 3 oranges and 2 limes is a good substitute.

2. Score the skin and fat side of the pork shoulder in a criss-cross pattern with a sharp knife, and make deep, narrow cuts into the meaty side so the marinade can penetrate deeply.

3. Put the meat in a large bag or dish, pour over the mojo, massage it into the cuts, scatter over the sliced onions and refrigerate overnight (at least 12 hours), turning once.

4. Take it out of the fridge an hour before roasting. Spread the onions over the bottom of a roasting tin, lay the meat on top skin side up, pour over the marinade, cover with foil and roast at 160 °C for 3½ hours.

5. Remove the foil, baste the meat with the pan juices, turn the oven up to 220 °C and roast for another 30-40 minutes, until the skin is crisp and blistered and the meat is meltingly tender.

6. Rest for 15 minutes, then serve drizzled with the oniony juices, with moros y cristianos, yuca con mojo or tostones.

Tip: Leftover pork is the key filling of the Cuban sandwich (sándwich cubano) – it's worth roasting a little extra.