Serves 4 – 6
Ingredients
1kg boneless pork belly (available from Romeo’s meat section)
Sea salt and cracked black pepper
1kg potatoes, peeled and diced
4 tbsps butter
1 tbsp olive oil
½ cup full cream milk
½ red cabbage, sliced
1 leek, finely sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsps fennel seeds
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsps brown sugar
Method
Score the pork belly skin with a sharp knife. Rub with lots of sea salt and place uncovered in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
Remove from fridge and place pork belly on a rack over the sink.
Pour a full kettle of boiling hot water over the skin until it starts to curl up and lift away from the meat. Leave to cool. This will make sure the skin is extra crispy.
Preheat the oven to 150 degrees celsius.
Pat the skin dry with paper towel and sprinkle with more sea salt. Place pork in the oven and roast for 3-4 hours or until tender.
Remove pork from oven after 3-4 hours, or once tender.
Increase oven temperature to 200 degrees Celsius. Use a sharp knife to carefully remove the entire layer of skin from the pork.
Wrap the pork belly meat in aluminum foil and leave to rest.
Place the skin on a baking tray and return to the oven for another 20-25 minutes or until golden and crisp.
For the sautéed cabbage
Melt 2 tbsps butter and olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook the leek for 5 minutes until soft.
Now add the cabbage and garlic, cook for another 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Add the fennel seeds, red wine vinegar, sugar and ½ cup water. Cook for 30-45 minutes over low-medium heat until glossy and tender.
For the mash
Boil potatoes for 15-20 minutes until tender. Drain potatoes and mash with a potato masher. Add milk and remaining butter. Continue to mash until smooth. Season to taste.
To assemble
Place creamy mash and sautéed cabbage on the bottom of the plate, top with tender pork belly and crispy crackling!
Enjoy x