Tangy Pork Belly with rocket and nectarine salad

This is another all time favourite- The warm, tender pork belly combined with the crunchy rocket, sweet nectarines and tangy pomegranate seeds is the most delicious combination! Make sure you get a pork belly with lots of meat and no bones.

The pork is best slow cooked for about 8 hrs-so it's a weekend dish.

Ingredients:

Pork belly:

1 kg pork belly

Marinade:

5 garlic cloves, grated

5 anchovy fillets, chopped

2 tbsp roughly chopped rosemary

2 tbsp fresh (lemon) thyme

1/4 cup pomegranate molasses

1tsp ground black pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1 small chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

1tsp olive oil

salt

Salad:

1 bag fresh rocket leaves

3 nectarines

2 tbsp pomegranate seeds (optional)

1/2 small red onion

3 tbsp white wine vinegar

15 hazel nuts

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Preheat the oven to 130 degrees

line a medium sized roasting dish with baking paper

Pat dry the pork belly and score the skin about every 7 mm

grind all the marinade ingredients together with a mortar and pestle, then rub all over the fleshy part of the pork belly (not the skin). place in the lined roasting dish. Brush the pork belly's skin with 1 tsp of olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt.

Put the pork belly in the oven for 4 hours, turn down to 110 degrees and roast for another 3 hours

During the last half hour or so, cut the nectarines into wedges (about 1 cm thick)

slice the onion into half rings and soak in 3 tbsp white wine vinegar

Turn the oven onto grill and watch the skin turn into crackling LIKE A HAWK. DONT LET IT BURN! :(

Take the pork belly out of the oven, put it on a plate and let it rest

pour the liquid the pork roasted in into a jug

Turn the oven to 200 degrees, put the hazelnuts into the roasting pan and put it back into the oven for 5 minutes

Skim off some of the fat of the pork liquid and use it to fry the nectarines in a non stick pan until slightly caramelised. set aside. Pour the remaining liquid into a sauce pan and reduce until slightly sticky.

Shake 2 tbsp of the vinegar you used for the onions, 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil and some salt and pepper in an old jam jar until well combined. In a large bowl, toss the rocket leaves with the dressing.

Put the pork belly -CRACKLE SIDE DOWN- onto a chopping board. (it is impossible to try and cut the crackling with the soft flesh underneath it) - cut into bite sized pieces.

On a big serving dish, arrange the rocket leaves, followed by the nectarines, pork belly pieces, onions, hazelnuts and pomegranate seeds. Pour over the reduced pork belly sauce. Enjoy! And make sure everyone gets some crackling!