Andy McLeish shares his recipe for crispy pork belly with root vegetables
Have you noticed that every January starts the same? We’re bombarded with countless magazine and newspaper articles and advertising campaigns telling us that we should swap our chocolates for fruit.
While I wholeheartedly support a well-balanced diet, the constant reminders about eating less and exercising more can get a little tiresome.
Admittedly, in the past I would make a New Year’s resolution to cut down on my food intake, or should I say, be more aware of what I put in my mouth after an over-indulgent Christmas. I’m sure I like many others soon forget what we vowed a few weeks later. You see, statistics say 66 per cent of the Brits who make New Year’s resolutions break it within the first month and I’m definitely part of that 66 per cent.
In my defence, sticking to a resolution that involves food can be difficult because my job as a chef dictates what I eat, as I constantly have to taste what I’m serving to my customers.
If your resolution is inspiring like finally starting your own business, or is crucial for your health like giving up smoking, then I’m rooting for you and wish you the best of luck.
On the other hand, if your resolution is to start a diet after a heavy Christmas, then this month’s column is not for you – unless you intend on breaking it. There’ll be no recipes with ‘kale chips’ here.
It’s winter and we all secretly want some good-old fashioned comfort food, in spite of what the scales may say.
So, to celebrate the start of the New Year in style, I wanted to share one of my family favourites – crispy pork belly with root vegetables. Ditch the diet… trust me, this dish is definitely worth it. Enjoy!
Recipe
Roast pork belly
Serves 4
1 Free range pork belly (about 3 kg in weight without bone)
2 Jazz apples (peeled cored and cut into eight)
4 carrots (peeled and cut roughly)
3 parsnips (peeled and cut roughly)
1 celeriac (peeled and cut roughly)
1 travise lettuce (separated into individual leaves)
1/2 bottle white wine
Rock salt
4 tbsp honey
Method
Take the pork belly and rub a generous amount of rock salt into the flesh and skin and leave for 24 hours. Then thoroughly wash and place in a large deep roasting tray.
Add a pint of water to the tray and cover with baking parchment then a sheet of tin foil on top and seal the edges. Cook in a pre-heated oven at 100 degrees for 10 hours.
Remove the pork from the oven, drain off the excess liquid and set aside but leave the pork in the tray. Prick the pork skin with a sharp knife and then put in a hot oven 185 degrees for 30-40mins until the skin is crispy.
Remove from the oven and set aside for 30mins. Meanwhile, place all the rough cut vegetables in a roasting tray in the oven until golden brown.
To serve
Place the pork belly under a hot grill and after a few minutes the skin should start to bubble up.
Finish the roast vegetables with a spoonful of honey and the travise leaves, place back in the oven for two minutes until the leaves begin to wilt. With a large sharp knife cut the pork into chunky pieces, mix with the roasted vegetables and place neatly on a serving dish.
Drizzle a little of the cooking juice over sprinkle with rock salt and serve.
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