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Slowly braised belly and roasted loin chop of pork with crackling (recipes)






Serves 8



Preparation time

1-2 hours



Cooking time

1 to 2 hours

















Ingredients



½ boned short pork belly, skin on, trimmed to weigh about 1.5kg/3lb 5ozsalt300ml/½ pint vegetable oil 2 carrots, cut into 2cm/¾in pieces4 celery sticks, cut into 2cm/¾in pieces1 white onion, cut lengthways into eighths1 head of garlic, cut crossways in half1 leek, cut into 2cm/¾in pieces6 ripe tomatoes, halvedsmall bunch of thymesmall bunch of rosemary1 bay leaf2.2 litres/3¾ pints hot home-made chicken stock salt and freshly ground black pepper 20g/¾oz salted butter 2 pork loins, each with 4 rib bones, preferably Middle White or another traditional English breed, chined and fully trimmed40g/1¾oz unsalted butter1 Duchy cabbage, leaves cut into 48 x 6cm/2½in squaressalt and freshly ground black pepper



Method



1. Soak the pork belly in cold water for one hour. Remove and dry very well, then season all over with salt. Heat 150ml/¼ pint of the oil in a large, heavy roasting tin over a medium-high heat until you can see a light haze rising. Gently place the pork skin-side down in the pan, taking care because the oil may spit a little. Cook for 5-8 minutes or until the skin has a slightly browned colour, then turn the joint over and cook for another five minutes or until the meat is golden-brown. Transfer the joint to a wire rack, placing it skin-side up.2. Keep the roasting tin on the stove over a medium heat, and add the carrots, celery, onion, garlic and leek. Cook until well coloured, then add the tomatoes and cook until soft. Place the pork skin-side up on the vegetables. Add the herbs and 2 litres/3½ pints chicken stock, and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down to a very gentle simmer(almost not moving), cover with a lid and cook for 3-3½ hours. Check the meat is done by piercing it in the middle with the tip of a sharp knife - it should slide in effortlessly. Remove the meat from the tin and leave to cool, then keep covered in the fridge.3. Strain the cooking liquid through a fine sieve lined with muslin into a heavy saucepan. Simmer until reduced to about 500ml/18fl oz, skimming frequently. Season this sauce with salt if necessary, and set aside. 4 Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5. 5 Heat 50ml/2fl oz of the remaining oil in a clean, heavy roasting tin over a medium heat. Add the salted butter and heat until it starts to foam. Season the loins of pork well with salt, then sear until golden-brown on all sides, turning regularly. Transfer the tin to the oven and roast for about 35 minutes or until the loins are glazed and moist. Turn them every eight minutes or so, and baste with a spoonful or two of the remaining hot chicken stock. Remove from the oven and allow to rest in warm place. 6. Turn the oven up to 210C/410F/Gas 6½. Remove the skin from the pork belly, taking a little of the fat beneath, and leaving a 2mm-thick layer of fat attached to the meat. Cut the skin into 2 x 4cm/¾ x 1½in rectangles using a razor-sharp knife or a Stanley knife and set aside. 7. Cut the belly into eight 7 x 4cm/2¾ x 1½in rectangles. Heat 50ml/2fl oz of the remaining oil in a heavy frying pan until you can see a light haze rising. Carefully place the belly fat-side down in the pan and cook over a medium-high heat for about five minutes or until a deep golden-brown colour. Place fat-side up on a tray and transfer to the oven to cook for six minutes. 8. Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a heavy-based frying pan. Season the pork skin with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then put it skin-side down in the hot oil and fry over a medium-high heat until crisp. This will take 4-5 minutes, turning halfway. Remove the crackling with a slotted spoon, drain on kitchen paper and keep hot. 9. Heat the unsalted butter in another pan until it starts to bubble. Add the 48 cabbage leaf squares, season with salt and cook for 2-3 minutes or until tender. Season with freshly ground black pepper, then transfer to a few layers of kitchen paper using a slotted spoon; keep hot.10. Reheat the sauce. Cut each piece of pork belly in half widthways. Carve the loins into single chops, and season the cut flesh with a little sea salt.11. To serve, sit two pieces of pork belly on each plate and arrange six squares of cabbage in front. Rest a chop against the cabbage and garnish with the crackling, either left as it is or cut into pieces. Spoon a little of the sauce over and around, and serve the rest in a jug.