Good for pigs, good for farmers, good for the piggy bank
Over the coming months we will be tantalising you with some great ideas for cooking pork, courtesy of Dave the Gourmet Guy in Cork. Dave has written down his best tried and tested recipes for some of the cheaper cuts such as belly of pork, shoulder, and neck fillet – and shows us, in his own words, how to “make a silk purse from a sow’s ear”. These lesser known parts of the pig are often less expensive than the ubiquitous pork chop, making it affordable to choose high quality, high welfare pork every time. How do you eat a whole pig? The same way you eat an elephant… start with the toes. Eating the whole pig saves waste and supports British farmers so we say get stuck in – pig out! Do you have a crack(le)ing recipe to share on the blog? Send it to info@pigbusiness.co.uk. Today we kick off the Easter weekend with a mouthwatering recipe for belly of pork.. enjoy!
Braised Pork Belly with ginger and red onion marmalade
What you need
A 2lb piece of pork belly
3 onions (roughly chopped)
3 celery stalks (roughly chopped)
1 bunch of fresh thyme
1 bunch of parsley stalks
1tbs of szechuan peppercorns
For the ginger and red onion marmalade
What you need
2 medium red onions (finely sliced)
2 thumb sized pieces of ginger (grated)
1tbs of runny honey
2tbs of cider vinegar
Glaze to finish the pork belly
2tbs of runny honey
2tbs of balsamic vinegar
1/2tsp of ground fennel seed
Method
To make the braised pork you need something like a crock pot or an oven proof saucepan and just put all the braised pork ingredients in it. Add enough water to cover the pork and bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat. Transfer to the oven and cook, uncovered, until the pork is tender, about 2 hours. Remove from the oven and set aside.
For the ginger and red onion marmalade put the red onion, ginger, and honey in a medium saucepan. Set over medium-high heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened and caramelized, about 10 minutes. Add the vinegar and cook until it has evaporated. Add 1/4 pint of water and turn the heat to low. Simmer the mixture until it is almost dry. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
For the glaze (its optional but its worth it), put the honey in a saucepan and let the colour deepen for a few mins before adding the balsamic vinegar and the fennel and reducing it until it is nice and thick. Now brush the skin side of the pork belly and place under a hot grill, this will crisp up the skin and kind of caramelize the glaze.
Carve and serve with a noodle salad with some of the marmalade on the side.