Tasty, crispy roast belly pork

This simple recipe shows how a well cooked piece of responsibly sourced meat can be served in several ways as a means of providing very different meals, writes Courier food columnist Alasdair Nunn of RachAls Kitchen, the Halifax based catering company .

As such I bought this trimmed slab of belly pork from Brosters Farm Shop at Blackley and served it on a bed of French style puy lentils with crispy bread.

But I would suggest it can be served cooled and shredded with a simple salad or used as the focal point of an indulgent Sunday roast.

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Maybe serve it with creamy mash, cauliflower cheese, rosemary roast potatoes and gravy - the stuff weekends are made of.

Ingredients - Serves 4

1kg Pork Belly

Olive Oil

Dry Rub - Such as Harissa

Sea Salt

Ground Pepper

Roughly Chopped Onion

Roughly Chopped Carrot

Bouquet Garni - Parsley, Thyme and a Bay Leaf (Tied with string)

Method

lPre set your oven to 150’C / 300’F / Gas Mark 2.

lPlace the belly pork in a deep roasting tin on a shallow cooling rack (as a means of raising the pork off the base of the pan), drizzle liberally with the olive oil then rub the Harissa mix into the pork skinand season with salt and pepper.

lPour cold water into the roasting tin so it lies just below the fat of pork, add the onion, carrot and bouquet garni then seal the roasting tin tightly with tin foil (Don’t be afraid to use several pieces of foil).

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lPlace the roasting tin in the oven and roast slowly for 5 hours.

lRemove the roasting tin from the oven and carefully remove the foil (note, there will be steam) checking that the pork is cooked (a knife should slide into the meat with no resistance).

lRemove the pork from the roasting tin, pat off any remaining liquid and then place the pork back into the oven on a fresh, foil lined tray at 220’C / 420’F / Gas Mark 7 and give it a good blast for approx. 20 minutes as a means of crisping up the skin.

lLet the meat rest for approx. 15 minutes, chop into chunks and serve as you desire.

lFor more information about RachAls Kitchen go to www.rachalskitchen.co.uk

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