Slow-roasted pork belly with piperade
Thin slices of slow-roast pork belly with kale dressing and piperade, a Basque dish made of peppers, onions and tomatoes.
You will need a food processor or blender to make this recipe.
Ingredients
For the slow-roasted pork belly
- 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp fennel seeds
- 1 green chilli, roughly chopped
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 x 2kg/4lb 8oz piece pork belly, on the bone
For the piperade
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 red pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 green pepper, thinly sliced
- 4 vine tomatoes, deseeded and roughly chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 red onion, thinly sliced
- 10²µ/â…“o³ú basil, stalks and leaves roughly chopped
- 1 tsp espelette pepper powder
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- 2–3 tsp red wine vinegar, to taste
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the kale dressing
- 100²µ/3½´Ç³ú kale, leaves roughly chopped, stalks discarded
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 50–100ml/2–3½fl oz olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 2 tsp sherry vinegar
Method
To make the slow-roasted pork belly, preheat the oven to 140C/150C/Gas 2. Using a pestle and mortar, make a paste with the garlic, fennel seeds, chilli and oil. Massage the pork belly with the paste, put onto a roasting rack in the oven and cook for 3 hours, until the meat is soft and falling from the bone. You can put some boiling water in the bottom of the tray to help steam the meat. If the crackling looks too soft after the cooking time, increase the temperature to 220C/200C/Gas 7 and cook for another 20 minutes to crisp up.
To make the piperade, add the oil and the garlic to a saucepan over a medium heat. Cook for a couple of minutes, then add the peppers, tomatoes, bay leaf, onion and basil stalks. Stew gently for 20–30 minutes, or until completely softened, then stir in the espelette powder, sugar and red wine vinegar, to taste. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
To make the kale dressing, heat a pan of boiling water and prepare a bowl of ice cold water. Blanch the kale for 30 seconds in the boiling water, remove using a slotted spoon and transfer to the iced water. Drain and squeeze dry.
Blend the kale in a blender or food processor with the mustard, olive oil and garlic to make a smooth purée. Remove from the blender and stir in the chopped shallots and vinegar. Taste and season.
To serve, remove the bones from the pork belly and carve into thin slices. Arrange slices of the pork belly on each plate, and spoon the piperade on the side along with the kale dressing. Garnish with basil leaves.
