Twice Cooked Pork Belly with Crispy Prawns, Shaved Fennel Salad & Apple Puree

Ingredients:
600g pork belly, bones removed, skin scored
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp each fennel seeds and peppercorns
1 tbsp chopped thyme
1 garlic clove
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp sea salt
Olive oil to cover

Apple Puree:
20ml sherry vinegar
½ lemon juice only
1 vanilla pod
3 apples, peeled, cored and sliced
20g caster sugar
20g butter
2 tbsp water

Salad:
1 fennel bulb shaved
1 crisp apple, julienne
1 red radish, finely sliced
½ red onion, finely sliced
1 tsp lemon infused olive oil
Salt and pepper

Dressing:
1 tbsp reduced vincotto
1 tbsp lemon infused olive oil
18 prawns, shelled and deveined
Rice flour to coat
Oil to fry
Micro herbs and chervil to garnish

Method:
Marinate the pork belly overnight with the olive oil, fennel seeds, peppercorns, thyme, garlic, sugar and salt. The next morning place the pork in a small flame proof roasting pan. Cover with olive oil, bring to a light simmer. Cover with foil then place in the oven at 130oC for 3 to 4 hours, or until very tender. Drain from the oil and cool. Place on a small tray, cover, then weigh down with another tray on top for a couple of hours, or until needed.

To make the apple puree place the ingredients in a small pan, bring to the boil then simmer until soft, puree, then pass through a fine strainer into a small pan. Set aside.

Dust the prawns in the rice flour, and then set aside in the fridge until ready to cook.

To finish the dish, preheat the oven to 190oC. Cut the pork belly into 100g portions. Panfry the belly skin side down for 3 to 4 minutes in an oven proof non-stick frying pan. Transfer the pan to the oven and roast skin side down for 8 to 10 minutes. Take out of the oven and rest for 5 minutes. Meanwhile pan fry the prawns until nice and crispy, season. Reheat the apple puree over a low heat. Mix all the salad ingredients together, dress with a little lemon oil and season.

To serve spoon a little apple puree on to 6 plates, top with a portion of pork belly. Place a small mound of salad and 3 crispy prawns to the side. Garnish with some micro herbs and drizzle over a little extra lemon oil and reduced vincotto.

Serves 6

Recipe: Hopgoods Restaurant, Nelson

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