Roast Pork Belly Fondant Potatoes Pickled Onions Food

SLOW-ROAST BELLY OF PORK

Steps:

• If you have the pork bones, roast them until browned, then transfer to a pan and cover with 1 litre chicken stock. Gently simmer for 1 hr, skimming off any scum that comes to the surface (you will need about 500ml for the gravy). If you don't have pork bones, don't worry about this stage.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Put the pork on a wire rack in a roasting tray, skin side up, and cook for 1½ hrs. increase oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7 and cook for a further 15-20 mins to crisp the skin. Remove the pork from the tin and allow to rest for 45 mins.
• To make the gravy, remove all the fat from the bottom of the roasting tin. Add the butter and heat to melt. Tip in the flour and cook for 1-2 mins, scraping the bottom of the pan. Gradually stir in 500ml stock and cook for 5 mins until thick.

ROASTED PORK BELLY WITH WARM POTATOES AND A CELERY RADISH SALAD

Steps:

• For the pork belly: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Sprinkle the pork belly liberally with equal parts salt and sugar. Place the pork belly on a rack in a roasting pan. Roast for about 1 hour.
• Once the pork belly is done, cool and set aside. Reserve the fat from the pan to be used in the potato salad. Once cooled, portion the belly into 3/4-inch by 3-inch slices.
• Meanwhile, heat a deep fryer to 350 degrees F.
• While the pork belly's roasting, make the vinaigrette for the celery and radish salad. Combine the red wine vinegar, Dijon, and red onions in a food processor. Slowly add in the vegetable oil to emulsify. Season with salt and pepper.
• For the potato salad: In a frying pan, start with a little of the reserved pork fat. Add the shallots, potatoes, grainy mustard and red wine vinegar. Saute until warmed through. Finish with the chopped chives, salt and pepper.
• For the celery and radish salad: Toss the radishes and celery in the vinaigrette. Top with celery leaves.
• For the dipping sauce: Combine the soy, hot sauce and red wine vinegar.
• Deep fry the pork belly portions in the hot oil until nicely browned, about 2 minutes. Remove and dip in the glaze. Slice and serve with the salads.

ROAST PORK AND POTATOES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Rub the loins with extra-virgin olive oil and lots of salt and coarse pepper. Combine the onions with the garlic, chile, rosemary, and thyme, and then dress with extra-virgin olive oil and salt and pepper. Arrange a bed of potatoes in a roaster pan. Place the pork loins over the potatoes. Add the fennel to one of the loins (the other is for the Pork and Poblano Green Chili Pot recipe, recipe follows). Pile the onion-flavoring paste evenly over the pork loins. Roast the meats 1 hour. Pour the wine evenly around the pan, and then shake the pan to loosen the potatoes or use a spoon to mix them around a bit. Add the pork back to the oven and roast another 25 minutes or so, until a thermometer inserted in the loin reads 160 degrees F. Let the meat rest, then carve and serve with potatoes and pan drippings.
• Cool the remaining loin, cover in plastic wrap and reserve for another meal.
• Serve with Creamy Mushrooms and Kale recipe follows.
• Stem and slice or coarsely chop the mushroom blend. Heat the extra-virgin olive oil, 4 turns of the pan, over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms to the pan and brown 10 minutes, then add in the garlic, thyme, and sage, stir 2 to 3 minutes, then add the kale and cook until just wilted. Season with salt, pepper, and a few grates of nutmeg. Stir a few minutes more, then add in the Marsala and reduce the liquid by half, another minute or 2. Add the cream to the mushrooms in the pan and reduce heat, let the flavors combine a few minutes and cream thickens. Serve the mushroom dish garnished with a few grates of cheese.
• Char the poblano peppers all over by placing the peppers on stovetop burners or under a hot broiler until black, turning frequently. Place the charred peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap to steam them as they cool. Rub the skins off the poblanos and jalapenos with paper towel or peel by hand, then seed the peppers and chop.
• Meanwhile, heat the extra-virgin olive oil in a medium-size Dutch oven over medium heat, add the onions and sweat 10 minutes then add the garlic and tomatillos and cook 10 minutes more; season with salt and pepper. Place the cooked onion-tomatillo mixture in a food processor with cilantro, cumin, honey, and puree. Add the puree back to the Dutch oven, then stir in the chopped peppers and chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to low for the flavors to combine. Slice and finely chop the cooked pork and stir into the chili. When the soup returns to a bubble, turn off the stove, cool completely and store for make-ahead meal.
• To reheat the chili: Place in covered pot over medium heat and cook until the pork comes to a bubble, stir in the juice of 1 lime and turn off the heat. Slice the remaining lime into wedges and serve alongside the chili.
• For the cheesy polenta: In medium saucepan, bring the chicken stock and milk to a boil. Whisk in the polenta, stirring until the polenta just pulls from the side of the pot. Stir in the Manchego cheese and serve warm.

BALSAMIC-BAKED ONIONS AND POTATOES WITH ROAST PORK

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Put the potatoes into a pan of boiling, salted water and cook for around 8 minutes, then drain and return to the pan. Chuff them up a bit by shaking the pan.
• To prepare the meat, scatter a handful of finely chopped rosemary leaves over a large chopping board. Sprinkle over some salt and pepper and the ground fennel seeds. Roll the pork across the board, pressing down hard so all the flavorings stick to it.
• Get a large roasting pan that your pork will fit snugly into, and place it on a burner over a medium-high heat. Pour in a little olive oil and place the pork in, fat side down, sprinkled with any flavorings remaining on the board. After a few minutes, when the pork fat is lightly golden, turn it over and add the garlic cloves, onion, celery and bay leaves to the pan. Place on the bottom shelf of your preheated oven for 1 hour, basting it halfway through. (For the last 20 minutes of cooking, you may need to cover the pork with a bit of damp waxed paper to stop it coloring too much.)
• Get another roasting pan, into which you can fit the potatoes in 1 layer, and heat it on the stove. When hot, pour a glug of olive oil into it and add the butter, rosemary and garlic. Add the potatoes and toss them in all the flavors. Add the onions and all the balsamic vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes on the burner to reduce the balsamic vinegar a little. Place the pan on the top shelf and cook for around 50 minutes, until the potatoes and onions are dark, sticky and crispy - removing the pan to toss the onions and potatoes halfway through.
• After 1 hour, the meat should be cooked. Prick it with a sharp knife - if the juices run clear, it's done; if not, pop it back in the oven for another 10 to 15 minutes, keeping the potatoes warm. Remove it from the oven and let it rest on a plate for 10 minutes. Pour away most of the fat from the pan and mash up the garlic and onion. Place the pan over the burner and add the white wine. Simmer until the liquid has reduced by half, scraping all the meaty, marmitey goodness off the bottom to make a tasty little sauce, and season if necessary. Pass through a sieve into a serving pitcher. Then slice the pork and serve it with your incredible baked onions and potatoes, drizzled with the pan juices. This meal goes great with some nice greens or an arugula salad.