Cochinillo (Roast Suckling Pig)

A favorite from the Spanish town of Segovia,  cochinillo (roast suckling pig) is incredibly easy to cook and incredibly enjoyable to eat.  Serve with a green salad,  fresh bread and copious amounts of Rioja to wash it down.

Ingredients
1 Suckling Pig (about 4 kilos / 10 lbs);   cleaned and halved lengthwise
Dash of Amontillado (Spanish Sherry)
Salt
1 cup of water

Green salad
2 Fresh baguettes
A bottle or two of good Rioja

Cooking time:  3-4 hours

Instructions

1.  1 hour before cooking,  remove pig from fridge, rinse and pat dry  (if the butcher hasn't already done so, you may want to crack the fore and back legs and ribs to make it easier to fit in the roasting tray)
2.  Pre-heat oven to 175 C (350 F)
3.  Put pig in a roasting tray,  season with salt and pour on a splash of Amontillado,  inside and out

4.  Add a cup of cold water to the roasting tray and put in the oven

5.  Roast for 3 hours,  checking every 30 mins to baste skin with the juices

6.  Check for doneness - the meat should be pulling away from the bone and the skin crisping

7.  If needed,  raise temperature to 250 C (485 F),  and cook for a further 5-10 minutes until skin is crispy
8.  Serve with green salad, bread and Rioja.