Slovak foil-baked pork with bacon and vegetables (Živánska)

1. Cut the pork neck into palm-sized slices 1 cm thick; peel the potatoes and cut into 5 mm rounds, slice the onions into thin rings and the peppers into strips; crush the garlic.

2. In a bowl toss the meat with the oil, garlic, paprika, salt and pepper and leave for 15 minutes. In another bowl, season the potatoes lightly with salt.

3. Preheat the oven to 200 °C. Prepare four large double sheets of foil (or a lidded baking dish) and layer: potatoes at the bottom, then meat, bacon, onion and pepper, then another layer of potatoes, meat and bacon.

4. Seal the foil tightly (the steam should have nowhere to escape) and bake for 60 minutes.

5. Carefully open the parcels and bake uncovered for another 10-15 minutes until the top is browned.

6. Serve in the foil with its own juices, pickled gherkins and fresh bread.

Tip: Živánska is the dish of Slovak foresters and shepherds: it was originally cooked on a spit or in the embers, wrapped in leaves – the name refers to Živa, the Slavic goddess of fertility; it works brilliantly on an outdoor grill or in the embers too.