Porchetta

Not only can you expect the juicy pork and crunchy cracking typical of porchetta – this recipe also delivers bright and fragrant flavours like sage, fennel and fresh apples.

Porchetta Credit: Adam Liaw

• serves

  8

• prep

  40 minutes

• cook

  1:10 hour

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 2 kg piece boneless pork belly
• 80 g butter
• 80 ml (⅓ cup) extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• 1 large brown onion, sliced
• 50 g garlic, crushed
• 2 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 bunch sage, leaves picked and chopped, plus extra to serve
• ½ bunch rosemary, leaves picked and chopped
• 100 g stale sourdough breadcrumbs
• ½ bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 250 g pork sausages, casings removed
• sea salt and black pepper, to taste
• ½ bunch young rainbow chard or silverbeet, stems trimmed
• 2 green apples
• 1 lemon

You will need to begin this recipe 24 – 48 hours ahead of time.

Resting time: 20 minutes

Chilling/freezing time: 12 – 48 hours

Instructions

1. To help achieve the perfect crackling, place the pork, skin-side up on a tray and uncovered, on the top shelf of the refrigerator or as near to the fan as you can. This will help dry out the skin.
2. When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 260˚C.
3. Heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add the butter and olive oil and once the butter has melted, add the onion, garlic, fennel seeds and half the sage and rosemary. Cook for 6-8 minutes or until the onion is soft. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside to cool.
4. Meanwhile, place the breadcrumbs, parsley and remaining sage and rosemary in a food processor and blitz until finely chopped and green. Add to the cooled onion mixture along with the pork sausage mince and use your hands to combine well. Cover and refrigerate while you prepare the pork.
5. Place the pork belly, skin-side down on a work bench. Using a large sharp knife, butterfly the meat from the centre outwards on one side to separate the meat from the skin without cutting all the way through, then open out to one large piece. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then cover the meat with a single layer of chard leaves. Place the stuffing over the top, ensuring it is no thicker than ½ cm. Starting from one short side, roll up the belly as tightly as possible, securing at 3 cm intervals with butcher's string.
6. Place the pork in a roasting pan, rub all over with olive oil and roast for 25 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 170˚C and roast for another 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and stand in a warm place to rest for 20 minutes.
7. Coarsely chop the extra sage, then place in a bowl with 2 tablespoons sea salt. Finely grate a little lemon zest into the bowl, then use your fingers to rub the sage and lemon zest into the salt and combine well.
8. To serve, using a large, serrated knife, slice the pork belly and place on a serving platter. Grate the apple over the top and drizzle with a little lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil, then sprinkle with a little sage salt and serve.

 

Photography by Adam Liaw.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.