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madbakerThis week's Resolution Recipe: Slow-Roasted Pork Belly with Fennel and Rosemary.
1.5 lb pork belly, skin on
4 cloves garlic (I used 6)
8 fresh sage leaves, stems reserved
1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, stems reserved
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 tsp toasted fennel seeds
1/2 tsp black peppercorns
3 onions
1 fennel bulb
3/4 cup white wine
1 tsp salt
1 bunch kale, cooked and shredded (I boiled it in water and stock)
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp cornstarch (I used rice flour as I find it thickens just as well and tastes less... starchy?)
Pat the pork belly dry with paper towels and score the skin, cutting through the fat but not the meat. Peel the garlic. In a mortar, combine the garlic, sage and rosemary leaves, salt, fennel, and peppercorns. Pound into a coarse paste. Rub into the meat side of the pork belly. Place in a dish, skin side up, and refrigerate uncovered for 8 hours or overnight.
Remove from the fridge and let warm to room temperature. Heat the oven to 425.
Peel and cut the onions into thick slices.Trim the fennel bulb, reserving its feathery leaves, halve lengthwise, remove the core, and cut into 1/4" slices. Put the onion and fennel in the bottom of a roasting pan. Add the sage and rosemary stems and fennel leaves. Pour in 1 cup wine. Rub the skin side of the pork belly with sea salt and put the belly meat side down on top of the veg.
Roast for 30 minutes, then lower the oven to 325 and cook for another 2 hours until the meat registers 160 degrees. Check occasionally to make sure there is liquid in the bottom of the pan so the veg don't burn, adding water if needed.
Transfer the pork to a rimmed baking sheet and the veg to a serving dish. Discard the herb stems and stir the cooked kale into the veg. Pour the liquid into a measuring cup and allow to stand so the fat rises to the top. Skim and reserve the fat for use some other time.
Heat the broiler to high and place the pork under the broiler, watching carefully to ensure it doesn't burn. The pork skin will puff, curl and crisp. Remove and let it rest while you make the sauce.
Pour the remaining 1/4 cup or so of liquid into a small saucepan and add the mustard. Bring to a boil and whisk in the remaining wine and cornstarch (or rice flour). Let it boil for 1 minute.
Cut the pork into thick slices along the score marks and serve with the veg and sauce.
What worked: Oh boy, was this tasty and despite the recipe length, easy. The skin curled and puffed as promised and it was showy. I'm not normally a big fan of kale but it worked perfectly as a foil. The crunchy skin was faboo. I didn't miss the fennel, which neither the wife nor I particularly care for.
What didn't: I could have cut the salt. Also, I didn't understand that I was supposed to slice along the scoring lines so it kind of broke up when I hacked away at it. Polenta would have been a fabulous addition to soak up the yummy sauce.
Will I make it again? Not soon, otherwise I'd weigh 300 lbs. But definitely.
What I'm reading: Mark Van Name, Overthrowing Heaven
"Pork belly is a perfect mixture of meat and fat. The fat bastes the meat, making this a forgiving roast that is hard to overcook. I find that an initial hot blast in the oven is never quite enough to make very crisp crackling, so I give the cooked roast a quick spell under the broiler. Watch carefully, however, because the skin burns easily.
The kale in this dish adds color, but it also adds a little bitterness that sharpens the taste of thesweet fennel andonions. Serve with crusty bread or mashed potatoes, or with some soft polenta if you want to keep the Italian theme going."
1.5 lb pork belly, skin on
4 cloves garlic (I used 6)
8 fresh sage leaves, stems reserved
1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, stems reserved
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 tsp toasted fennel seeds
1/2 tsp black peppercorns
3 onions
3/4 cup white wine
1 tsp salt
1 bunch kale, cooked and shredded (I boiled it in water and stock)
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp cornstarch (I used rice flour as I find it thickens just as well and tastes less... starchy?)
Pat the pork belly dry with paper towels and score the skin, cutting through the fat but not the meat. Peel the garlic. In a mortar, combine the garlic, sage and rosemary leaves, salt, fennel, and peppercorns. Pound into a coarse paste. Rub into the meat side of the pork belly. Place in a dish, skin side up, and refrigerate uncovered for 8 hours or overnight.
Remove from the fridge and let warm to room temperature. Heat the oven to 425.
Peel and cut the onions into thick slices.
Roast for 30 minutes, then lower the oven to 325 and cook for another 2 hours until the meat registers 160 degrees. Check occasionally to make sure there is liquid in the bottom of the pan so the veg don't burn, adding water if needed.
Transfer the pork to a rimmed baking sheet and the veg to a serving dish. Discard the herb stems and stir the cooked kale into the veg. Pour the liquid into a measuring cup and allow to stand so the fat rises to the top. Skim and reserve the fat for use some other time.
Heat the broiler to high and place the pork under the broiler, watching carefully to ensure it doesn't burn. The pork skin will puff, curl and crisp. Remove and let it rest while you make the sauce.
Pour the remaining 1/4 cup or so of liquid into a small saucepan and add the mustard. Bring to a boil and whisk in the remaining wine and cornstarch (or rice flour). Let it boil for 1 minute.
Cut the pork into thick slices along the score marks and serve with the veg and sauce.
What worked: Oh boy, was this tasty and despite the recipe length, easy. The skin curled and puffed as promised and it was showy. I'm not normally a big fan of kale but it worked perfectly as a foil. The crunchy skin was faboo. I didn't miss the fennel, which neither the wife nor I particularly care for.
What didn't: I could have cut the salt. Also, I didn't understand that I was supposed to slice along the scoring lines so it kind of broke up when I hacked away at it. Polenta would have been a fabulous addition to soak up the yummy sauce.
Will I make it again? Not soon, otherwise I'd weigh 300 lbs. But definitely.
What I'm reading: Mark Van Name, Overthrowing Heaven
