Yield
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Cook Time
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Excite your tastebuds with this unique pork belly recipe using pickled grapes and crushed kumara. Pat dry the pork belly with a paper towel and leave uncovered in the fridge one day before cooking to help with the cooking process.

Ingredients

  • 4 large onions, unpeeled, cut crossways into three slices
  • 2 x 2.5 kg pieces boneless pork belly, rind scored, patted dry
  • 250 ml chicken stock
  • 250 ml water
  • 160 ml extra virgin olive oil
  • 1½ tbsps sea salt
  • 3 kg baby kumara (orange sweet potato), peeled, chopped coarsely

Pickled Grapes

  • 250 ml red wine vinegar
  • 110 g caster sugar
  • 2 star anise
  • 700 g red graps, cut into small clusters
  • 1 small red onion, halved, sliced thinly
  • ½ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped finely
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
  • 2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tbsps fresh chives, chopped finely
  • 1 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped finely
01.

Make pickled grapes a day ahead. Stir vinegar, sugar and star anise in a medium saucepan over medium heat, until sugar dissolves and mixture boils. Reduce heat; simmer 1 min. Add grapes; simmer 1 min. Cool.

02.

Refrigerate, covered, overnight. Strain grapes, reserving ¼ cup pickling liquid. Combine grapes with remaining ingredients in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

03.

Preheat oven to 240 C.

04.

Divide onions between two large roasting pans; place pork, rind-side up, on onions. Divide stock and the water between pans, avoiding the pork. Rub 1 tablespoon of oil and half the salt onto the rind of each piece of pork.

05.

Roast pork for 40 mins or until rind starts to crackle. Reduce oven to 160 C; roast a further 2½ hours, swapping pans halfway through cooking time, until pork is tender. (If the rind needs more crackling, increase the oven to 240 C and cook until crackled.) Rest pork, uncovered, for 20 mins.

06.

Meanwhile, cook kumara in two large saucepans of boiling water for 20 mins or until tender; drain well. Return all kumara to one pan with ¼ cup of the oil; season to taste. Crush roughly with a potato masher. Cover to keep warm.

07.

Combine herbs, remaining oil and reserved grape pickling liquid in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

08.

Spoon kumara into a serving dish; drizzle with herb grape liquid mixture.

09.

Serve sliced pork and crackling with pan juices, crushed kumara and pickled grapes.

Recipe & Photo: The Australian Women’s Weekly/BauerSyndication.com.au

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