James Martin’s twice-cooked pork belly comes with bacon-flecked greens and a fluffy apple sauce.
Ingredients
- For the pork belly
-
- 2kg/4lb 4oz boneless
pork belly, skin scored - 1
onion, cut into chunks - 1
carrot, cut into chunks - 1
celery stick, cut into four pieces - 4 sprigs flatleaf
parsley - 2 sprigs
thyme - 3
star anise - 1
cinnamon stick, broken in half - 110g/4oz
butter - 2 tbsp
honey - 110ml/4fl oz
red wine - 250ml/9fl oz
beef stock - salt and freshly ground
black pepper
- 2kg/4lb 4oz boneless
- For the sautéed cabbage and bacon
-
- 50g/2oz
butter - 4 slices smoked streaky
bacon, finely sliced - 1
green cabbage, preferably Hispie, finely shredded - 150g/5oz
Brussels sprouts, finely sliced - 75ml/3fl oz water
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh
chervil
- 50g/2oz
- For the apple sauce
-
- 25g/1oz
butter - 1 large
Bramley apple, peeled, roughly chopped
- 25g/1oz
Preparation method
-
For the pork belly, place the pork belly, onion, carrot, celery, parsley, thyme, star anise and cinnamon sticks into a large saucepan. Cover with cold water until the pork is just covered.
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Bring the mixture to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for two hours.
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Remove the pork belly from the mixture and place between two heavy baking trays. Chill in the fridge for at least two hours.
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Preheat the oven to 225C/450F/Gas 8.
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Remove the pork from the fridge and cut into four squares.
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Heat an ovenproof frying pan until hot, add half of the butter and the pork belly pieces, skin-side down. Fry for 2-3 minutes.
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Carefully turn the pork belly pieces over and pour over the honey. Roast the pork belly in the oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the pork skin is crisp.
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Meanwhile, bring the red wine and beef stock to the boil in a saucepan and cook until the volume of the liquid has reduced by half. Whisk in the remaining butter and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
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Meanwhile for the sautéed cabbage and bacon, heat the butter in a frying pan until foaming and fry the bacon until crisp and golden-brown. Add the cabbage and Brussels sprouts and stir-fry for a further minute. Add the water and cook for a further 4-5 minutes, or until the cabbage is just tender.
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Stir in the chervil and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
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For the apple sauce, heat the butter and Bramley apples in a lidded saucepan over a gentle heat. Cover and cook for 2-4 minutes, or until the apples have collapsed and are soft and fluffy. Stir the mixture to form a smooth purée.
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To serve, spoon the sautéed cabbage onto serving plates and top with a piece of pork belly.
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Spoon over the red wine sauce and serve the apple sauce alongside.