A signature dish from Eckington Manor, featured in our printed December issue
Serves 6
Ingredients
For the belly:
½ pork belly (boneless/skinless)
2 litres duck fat
1 head garlic
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 sprig fresh thyme
100g rock salt
Method
For the belly:
1 Place pork belly in a roasting tin. Cut up the garlic, thyme and rosemary, then mix all together with the rock salt and sprinkle over the pork belly.
2 Massage the seasoning into the meat and cover with cling film, place in the fridge to marinade for 4 hours. Once marinated, wash the salt mix off the pork belly by holding under cold running water, pat dry the meat in a clean tea towel.
3 Place the duck fat in an ovenproof, large saucepan, melt the fat over a medium heat, do not boil. Once melted, add the pork belly, make sure the meat is fully submerged in the duck fat and then cover with tin foil. Cook in pre-heated oven 120°C for 1½ hours.
4 Once cooked, remove pork belly from the duck fat. Allow to cool before portioning into six pieces, then colour in a frying pan until golden.
5 Reserve for plating.
For the granola:
200g porridge oats
35g honey
35g maple syrup
40g butter
75g sugar
10g salt
6g mixed spices
For the granola:
1 Bring the honey, maple syrup, butter, sugar, salt and mixed spice to the boil. Add the porridge oats and stir.
2 Once incorporated, place into pre heated oven 180°C for 12 minutes or until golden.
3 The granola will keep for several months in a kilner jar or airtight container.
For the prunes:
200g pitted prunes
2 Earl Grey tea bags
100g sugar
400ml water
1 star anise
Method
For the prunes:
1 Bring all the ingredients to a gentle boil, then remove from the heat.
2 Steep the prunes in the liquid and reserve for plating.
3. The prunes can be kept in the fridge if you don’t use them all.
For the spiced fritter:
800g pork shoulder
2 tbsp mixed spice
1 tsp ginger powder
3 cms fresh ginger
1 cooking onion, peeled and finely diced
2 carrots, peeled and finely diced
2 celery sticks, finely diced
2 garlic cloves
Small dash of vegetable oil
200g tomato puree
Flour for coating fritter
3 free range medium eggs, beaten
200g bread crumbs
For the spiced fritter:
1 In a large, ovenproof saucepan over a medium heat, sweat off the onion, celery and carrots in oil until soft. Add the spices and tomato puree, place in the pork shoulder and top with cold water.
2 Bring the saucepan up to the boil, then cover with tin foil and braise in pre heated oven 120°C for four hours. Once cooked, remove the shoulder from the liquid and shred into small pieces. Pass the liquid through a sieve and add 4 tbsps of liquid to the meat, season to taste.
3 Roll into balls and set in the fridge. Dip and coat the balls firstly in the flour, then beaten egg mixture, finally coat in breadcrumbs.
4 Deep fry before serving.
5 Reduce the remaining liquid until it begins to thicken, this will be about ¾. This is the sauce to go onto the plate.
To serve:
Place the pork on the plate next to the spiced fritter. Serve three prunes per plate. Sprinkle the spiced granola around. Serve some greens and the spiced fritter stock.
Eckington Manor, Hammock Road, Eckington, Worcestershire, WR10 3BJ, tel: 01386 751600, www.eckingtonmanor.co.uk
