Roasted Pork Belly with Ras el Hanout Apple Sauce and Fennel and Mint Salad

Name: Roasted Pork Belly with Ras el Hanout Apple Sauce and Fennel and Mint Salad
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: South African
Ingredients: 1.4 kg boneless pork belly, rind scored; 2 tbs olive oil; 2 tbs Ras el Hanout spice; 1 tbs salt; 1 onion, chopped; 2 carrots, chopped; 2 sticks celery, chopped; 6 garlic cloves, bruised; 2 tbs ground fennel; 300 ml white wine; 8 peppercorns; 3 bay leaves; 1 L chicken stock; 4 apples, peeled, cored, chopped; 3 tbs caster sugar; 2 tbs water; 2 tsp Ras el Hanout; 1 kg carrots, peeled; 100 g cream; 50 g butter; 60 ml olive oil; 2 tbs lemon juice; 6 baby fennel, thinly sliced; 1/2 bunch mint leaves; 4 radishes, thinly sliced

Kelly Fouche @cook_16791374

Cape Town

My Love Language is food - the obsessing about the perfect meal, the cooking of it and the serving of it to my loved ones. When my husband turned 40, I needed to show him how much I love him, by making the perfect meal for him. An episode of Australian MKR with The Spice Boys (Ibby and Romel) inspired this meal. I didn't quite get the crackling right, but everything else was a success.

Kelly Fouche @cook_16791374

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Ingredients

4 servings

Pork
1.4 kgboneless pork belly, rind scored
2 tbsolive oil
2 tbsRas el Hanout spice
1 tbssalt
1onion, chopped
2carrots, chopped
2 stickscelery, chopped
6garlic cloves, bruised
2 tbsground fennel
300 mlwhite wine
8peppercorns
3bay leaves
1 Lchicken stock
Apple sauce
4apples, peeled, cored, chopped
3 tbscaster sugar
2 tbswater
2 tspRas el Hanout
Carrot puree
1 kgcarrots, peeled
100 gcream
50 gbutter
Fennel & mint salad
60 mlolive oil
2 tbslemon juice
6baby fennel, thinly sliced
1/2 bunchmint leaves
4radishes, thinly sliced

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Steps

1

The night before, place the pork in a dish and sprinkle the rind with salt. Place on the bottom of the shelf of the fridge, uncovered, overnight. This should help draw out the moisture and dry out the rind to make delicious crackling.
2

When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 180C. Take the pork out of the fridge and bring to room temperature. Pat it dry and rub with oil, Ras el Hanout and salt.
3

Place the remaining ingredients - chopped carrots, chopped onion, chopped celery, bruised garlic, ground fennel, white wine, peppercorns, bay leaves, chicken stock - in a big, deep roasting dish. Place the pork, rind-side up on the veg, making sure not to get the rind wet. Roast for 2.5 hours.
4

For the carrot puree, place the carrots in a pot of cold seasoned water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook until soft. Drain.
5

Return carrots to pot, add the butter, cream, salt and pepper and blitz with stick blender until smooth. Set aside.
6

To make the apple sauce, place all the ingredients - peeled cored chopped apples, castor sugar, water and Ras al Hanout - in a small pot over low heat. Cook, covered until soft and thick, stirring occasionally. Season and blitz with a stick blender until smooth.
7

To make the salad, combine the fennel, mint and radishes. Put the oil and the lemon juice and salt and pepper in a jar and shake until emulsified. Combine all salad ingredients and set aside.
8

When the pork is soft and ready, turn the oven to grill and let the crackling begin. If that doesn't work, remove the rind serve without crackling.
9

Cut the pork into rectangular pieces and serve with the veg from the roasting pan, carrot puree, apple sauce and salad. Enjoy!