Roast Pork Belly with Five-Spice

Dead simple & delicious.  For a slightly Chinesey-vibe.  This came from a Nigel Slater recipe.

It serves 4, but would be incredibly easy to scale up for many more.

RECIPE BELOW:

1.75 Kg Pork Belly

3 Cloves garlic

1 tsp black peppercorns

1tbs sea-salt

2 tsps Five-spice powder

Score the fat of your pork belly with a clean stanley knife/ box cutter.  Something really sharp anyway.  Make the cuts nearly through to the the meat about 1cm apart if possible.  This will guarrantee amazing crackling.

Peel & crush the garlic with the peppercorns, salt & five-spice in a pestle & mortar.  Rub it all over the meat & a little between the cuts on the skin.  Leave it on a plate in the fridge for at least a few hours.

Preheat your oven on full whack.  Put in the pork & turn it down to 220C.  After 30mins, trun it down to 180C and leave for an hour.  Don'topen the door at all in this time.  Check that it's cooked by making sure the juices run clear.  If it's not crackled enough whack the heat up on full again for 15mins.

Remove the pork from the oven and let it rest somewhere warm for at least 15mins.

Serve with Chinese style greens & Rice.

For the greens, briefly boil whatever greens you have (Bok Choi, Purple sprouting broccoli, savoy cabbage etc.)  for 3-4 mins.  Drain, but keep 1 tbs of the cooking water.  Add to that 1tbs groundnut oil & 2 tbs Oyster Sauce.  Bring to the boil, add the greens, turn the heat off, pop a lid on.  They can sit like this for 5-10mins while you carve the meat.  The oil & water emulsifies and gives them a lovely shiny sauce.

Comfort food!  MMmnnn.