PORK BELLY
500g pork belly olive oil salt and pepper 6 whole cloves garlic
CAULIFLOWER PURE
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets 1 onion, chopped 1 clove garlic, chopped cooking oil for frying 25g butter 50ml cream salt and pepper Beetroot and Apple Chutney (see below) Preheat oven to 120C.
Line a roasting pan that just fits the pork belly with baking paper. For the pork belly, score skin in a criss-cross pattern and rub with olive oil and salt and pepper. Place pork belly skin side down in roasting pan. Cover with olive oil and add garlic cloves. Cover with another sheet of baking paper. Roast for 3 hours then turn oven off and let pork cool in oil.
Remove when cold. Place pork belly between two sheets of baking paper and two chopping boards and flatten with a weight of 1020kg. Place in fridge for 6 hours, then trim edges and cut into four even- sized portions and set aside. For the pure, cook cauliflower in boiling salted water until tender. Drain and set aside. Saut onion and garlic in a little oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, trying not to brown them.
Add cauliflower and butter and cream. Blend with a stick blender until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside, keeping warm. Preheat oven to 180C. Rub more oil, salt and pepper into skin of each portion of pork.
Place skin side down in a medium-hot frying pan and fry for about 5 minutes until skin has crisped up. Try not to burn it. Turn over and transfer to oven for 15 minutes. Take out and rest for 5 minutes. For the chutney, see below.
BEETROOT AND APPLE CHUTNEY
Makes 375g
200ml malt vinegar cup sugar 1 small onion, finely sliced 1 Granny Smith apple, skin on, grated 1 450g baby beetroot, grated 2 tablespoons horseradish salt and pepper Place vinegar and sugar in a saucepan over a medium heat to dissolve sugar.
BEETROOT AND APPLE CHUTNEY
Makes 375g
200ml malt vinegar cup sugar 1 small onion, finely sliced 1 Granny Smith apple, skin on, grated 1 450g baby beetroot, grated 2 tablespoons horseradish salt and pepper Place vinegar and sugar in a saucepan over a medium heat to dissolve sugar.
Add onion, apple and beets. Continue stirring until liquid reduces, then add horseradish and season with salt and pepper. Cool. Serve cold as a condiment for fish and cold meats. This will keep in the fridge for a few weeks.
SERVES 2
This is another quick and easy Italian recipe that can be enjoyed all year round, and a good way to use up those little ends and bits of salami that never get eaten. 1 small onion, finely sliced 1 clove garlic, finely chopped olive oil for frying 1 pinch chilli flakes cup Kalamata olives, sliced 100g wild pork salami, finely chopped 500ml tomato pasta sauce salt and pepper 500g cooked spaghetti basil leaves for garnish grated Parmesan for garnish, if desired Saut onion and garlic in a hot frying pan in a little olive oil until translucent.
Sprinkle over chilli and cook for 1 minute then add olives and salami and cook for a further 2 minutes. Pour in pasta sauce, stirring constantly, and season with salt and pepper. Add spaghetti, coating in sauce, and cook until spaghetti is warmed through. Serve garnished with basil and Parmesan.
SERVES 2
If the sauce is too thin, you can thicken it by sprinkling over a couple of pinches of flour at the reducing stage. 200g wild pork tenderloins, cut into medallions and flattened cup flour, seasoned with salt and pepper olive oil for frying cup button mushrooms, thinly sliced 1 large onion, finely sliced cup marsala wine salt and pepper Lightly dust pork medallions in seasoned flour. Cook medallions in a little olive oil in a frying pan over a medium-hot heat for 12 minutes each side until browned nicely.
Add mushrooms and onion on top of pork and cook for a few minutes. Pour in marsala and reduce until slightly thickened and pork is cooked right through. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately with steamed vegetables.