Twice Cooked Pork Belly With Cider Sauce Recipes

TWICE-COOKED PORK BELLY WITH CIDER SAUCE

Steps:

• The day before you want to eat, lay the pork belly skinned-side down, season generously, scatter over the fennel seeds and crumble over 3 of the bay leaves. From the widest side, roll into a tight log and use some butcher's string to tie at regular intervals. (You could take some fennel seeds and bay to your butcher and ask them to do it for you.)
• Heat oven to 170C/150C fan/gas 3 1/2. Melt the butter in a large, shallow flameproof casserole dish or ovenproof sauté pan. Brown the pork all over (this will take a good 15 mins), then remove from the pan and add the vegetables and remaining bay leaves. Cook for about 10 mins until starting to colour. Nestle the pork among the veg. Pour over the cider and bring everything to a simmer, cover and cook in the oven for 2 hrs.
• When the pork is ready, leave to cool a bit, then remove the pork from the braise and chill. Strain the sauce into a jug and chill. Fish out the bay leaves and blitz the veg to a purée in a food processor. Tip into a bowl and chill.
• On the day, heat oven to 220C/ 200C fan/gas 8. Cut the pork into six rounds. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the pork, then put in the oven for 20 mins, turning halfway through, until crispy. Meanwhile, remove the solidified fat from the top of the braising juices, simmer until syrupy and reheat the purée. Serve everything in the middle of the table or smear some of the purée across plate, sit a piece of pork on top next to a burnt butter cabbage wedge, a piece of potato cake and some crackling (see 'Goes well with', right). Pour over some of the sauce and serve.

TWICE-BAKED POTATOES WITH CRISPY PORK BELLY AND CHEDDAR CHEESE

Steps:

• For the potatoes: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Make a bed of salt on a quarter-sheet tray and place the potatoes on top. Bake until tender, about 1 hour. Slice the potatoes in half lengthwise, then hollow out the skins, scooping the flesh into a bowl. Add the cream, butter, egg yolks and cheese to the potato filling and mix thoroughly.
• For the pork belly: Meanwhile, turn the heat under a large stovetop pressure cooker to medium-high and add 2 tablespoons oil, along with the onions and garlic. Allow to sweat, about 3 minutes. Add the juniper, allspice, clove, mustard seeds, peppercorns and bay leaves and stir to combine. Pour in the beer and stir in the soy sauce and brown sugar. Bring to a simmer, then gently add the pork belly. Carefully secure the pressure cooker lid and bring to high pressure over medium-high heat. Cook at pressure for as long as it takes for the potatoes to cook, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Turn off the heat and carefully run the pressure cooker under cold water until cool enough to open. Open and remove the pork.
• Preheat a deep-fryer or a large Dutch oven with oil to 350 degrees F.
• Set aside some of the pork pieces for garnish, glazing with what is left in the pressure cooker. Fry the pieces in batches until crispy, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Chop the crispy fried pork into chunks, then fold them into the potato mixture. Spoon the potato mixture into the potato skins and bake until crispy and browned, about 15 minutes. Top each with any remaining pork belly pieces and green onions.

SLOW-ROASTED PORK BELLY WITH CIDER AND APPLE SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 250C, or as hot as you can get the oven.
• Score the skin diagonally both ways to create diamond shape grooves with a stanley knife, BE CAREFUL!
• Rub the table salt into the grooves that you have cut into the pork skin.
• Turn the meat over and place fresh sage leaves and three slices of lemon onto the meat, season with the pepper and roll up, tie the pork at intervals with string to ensure it doesn't unroll during cooking.
• Place the pork on a wire rack that fits over an empty roasting tin, and roast for half an hour.
• Reduce the oven temperature to 150C and roast for a further three hours.
• For the cider and apple sauce; put them into a pan with the butter, sugar, water and cider; cover and heat for 4-5 minutes, or until the apples are soft enough to beat to a purée. Keep warm.
• Remove the crackling (skin) and then cover the meat with foil and rest for about 15 minutes.
• Drain the fat from the roasting tin keeping the meat juices in the tin.
• Put the roasting tin with the meat juices in onto the hob and add a small cube of butter (20g) and a splash of cider (optional).
• Slice the pork, remember to remove the string, and serve with the apple sauce and a small drizzle of pan juices.

TWICE-COOKED CHILE PORK

Steps:

• Place pork belly into a pot and cover with water. Add ginger and Sichuan peppercorns. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat; reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook until some of the fat has rendered out, about 20 minutes.
• Remove the pork from the pot and cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes. Drain. Cut the pork into thin slices, about 1/8 inch thick. Return pork slices to pot. Stir in chile bean paste, sweet bean paste, and sugar. Cover and cook over medium heat until the pork is tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Heat 1/2 teaspoon oil in a wok over medium heat. Cook and stir green bell pepper and salt until starting to soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a dish.
• Heat remaining 2 1/2 tablespoons oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Cook and stir pork until pieces begin to shrink and brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Return green bell pepper to the wok. Cook and stir until fragrant, about 2 minutes.

TWICE-COOKED PORK BELLY WITH SCALLOPS AND VEGIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 170C,.
• Place pork in a large ovenproof dish and add stock and bring to the boil over a high heat and then transfer to the oven and simmer, covered, for 2 1/2 hours or until tender.
• Remove pork and set aside.
• Strain stock, reserving 1 cup (250ml).
• Increase oven to 220C and using a small, sharp knife, score pork rind and generously sprinkle with salt and then place pork belly on a rack over a roasting pan and roast for 45 minutes or until the kin is crisp and then slice thickly.
• Meanwhile to make the sauce, melt the butter in a frying pan over a medium-high heat and add eschallot and cook, stirring for 3 minutes or until softened and then add garlic and thyme and cook, stirring for 1 minute.
• Add the ale and bring to the boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes or until reduced by half.
• Add stock and mustard, then simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until reduced by half.
• Strain sauce into a jug, discarding solids and set aside, covered to keep warm until needed.
• To make the cauliflower puree, heat butter in a small saucepan over a medium heat and cook onion and garlic, stirring, until softened and then add cauliflower and cream and then simmer for 3 minutes or until cream has reduced by half and mixture is thickened.
• Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly before blending until smooth and season with salt and pepper.
• Steam or boil carrot batons for 2 to 3 minutes or until just tender.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large frying pan over a high heat and cook cabbage with a pinch of salt, stirring, for 3 to 4 minutes or until tender and season with pepper.
• Season scallops with salt and pepper and heat a frying pan over a high heat and add remaining butter and the oil and when butter foams add scallops and cook for 30 seconds each side.
• Smear puree over serving plates and drizzle with sauce and top with pork and scallops and serve with carrots and cabbage.

TWICE-COOKED PORK

Steps:

• Place pork, 6 scallions, ginger and salt in large pot. Add water to cover. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until tender. Remove meat, and discard liquid. When pork has cooled, remove skin and any bones. Cut meat in half crosswise, then slice it thinly lengthwise.
• Slice remaining scallions lengthwise, then in 3-inch pieces.
• Heat oil in wok or skillet. When very hot, add pork and stir-fry until lightly browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Pour off excess oil and fat. Add garlic and ginger, and stir-fry 10 seconds. Add scallions, and stir-fry 2 minutes. Add chili paste, rice wine, soy sauce, sugar and Sichuan pepper, and stir-fry another minute. Scatter with cilantro and serve.