Belly of Pork Slow Roasted with Fennel Seeds, Garlic and Rosemary
Belly of Pork Slow Roasted with Fennel Seeds, Garlic and Rosemary
Belly of Pork Slow Roasted with Fennel Seeds, Garlic and Rosemary recipe, brought to you by MiNDFOOD.
Belly of Pork Slow Roasted with Fennel Seeds, Garlic and Rosemary
Serves 6
2 tsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp black peppercorns
large pinch crushed dried chillies
1 tbsp sea salt flakes
3 large garlic cloves, crushed
1 x 18cm rosemary sprig
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2kg thick pork belly, unskinned, bones removed
2 large onions, halved, thinly sliced
mashed potato and cabbage to serve, optional
For the gravy
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp plain flour
For the carrots
750g large carrots, peeled, or 750g baby new carrots, topped and tailed, scraped clean
600ml apple juice
2 tsp caster sugar
30g butter
2 tsp cider vinegar
1 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
1 Place fennel seeds, peppercorns and crushed chillies into a mortar and coarsely grind with the pestle. Add salt, garlic and rosemary leaves and grind until a coarse paste forms. Add oil. Mix to combine. Place pork belly on a chopping board skin-side down and make a series of shallow cuts into the flesh. Spread paste over meat and push down well into the cuts. Set aside somewhere cool for at least 1 hour, or refrigerate overnight, covered, if time permits.
2 Preheat oven to 160˚C. Spread onions over base of a large roasting tin. Place pork on a rack, skin-side up, to rest over top of onions. Rub pork skin well with oil and sprinkle with salt. Pour 600ml water into tin. Roast pork for 2¼-2½ hours or until very tender.
3 Meanwhile, if using large carrots, cut into slices approximately 10mm thick and cut each slice into 3-4 chunky matchsticks. Alternatively, use baby carrots whole. Place carrots into a wide, shallow pan and cover with apple juice. Add ½ tsp salt, sugar, butter and vinegar. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium-high and simmer vigorously for 30 minutes or until carrots are just tender. Set aside and keep warm.
4 Remove pork from oven and increase oven temperature to 230˚C. Return the pork on its rack to the top shelf of the oven but keep the roasting tin of onions out to make the gravy. Roast pork for a further 15 to 20 minutes or until skin is crisp.
5 For the gravy, the onions in the roasting tin need to be nicely coloured. If they are not quite brown enough, place tin directly over medium heat and cook for 5 minutes or until caramelised. Pour excess fat out of tin. Return tin to medium heat. Add vinegar and 50ml water. Cook, scraping base of tin with a wooden spoon to release caramelised cooking juices. Add flour, stirring to combine. Add 250ml water, increase heat to high and bring to the boil. Pass through a sieve into a small, clean pan and heat over medium-high heat. Simmer until reduced. Season with salt and keep hot.
6 Remove pork from oven. If skin is only crisp in patches, preheat grill to high. Grill pork, skin-side up, approximately 15cm away from heat, for 2-3 minutes, turning as necessary as each area starts to puff up and crisp.
7 Return carrots to high heat and cook until remaining liquid has reduced and carrots are covered in a sweet, buttery glaze. Add parsley and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper if necessary.
8 Place pork, skin-side down, on a chopping board. Cut through flesh and then skin. Place 2 thick pork slices on each serving plate. Drizzle with gravy and serve with a generous spoonful of carrots, as well as mashed potato and cabbage if desired.
