Easter recipes #1

Slow roasted belly of pork infused with thyme and garlic, on a coarse grain mustard mash with a cider and apple jus. 

With Easter soon approaching it's time to start thinking about what to cook. This blog will come in two parts, the first being a roast you can put in the oven and leave to do it's thing for a few hours giving you more time with your family. The second will be a bit more hands on needing a bit more attention. The first recipe will be a belly of pork dish. This cut of meat needs a slow cooking process and a low heat then to finish it off it needs a hot blast in the oven to crisp it up giving you perfect crackling.

Photo courtesy of Wiltshire Society magazine (from a recipe feature I was in)

Ingredients
(Serves 4)
1 kg of pork belly
1 bunch of thyme
2 garlic cloves
6 medium maris piper potatoes
1 tbsp coarse grain mustard
1 knob of butter
1 large onion diced
1/2 pint of cider
1/2 pint good quality beef stock (thickened)
2 tbsp chunky apple sauce
100g salt crystals
Pepper for seasoning
Olive oil

Method
First if it's not tied tie up the belly of pork into a joint, then stuff the thyme and sliced garlic clove into the joint. Then pour boiling water over the belly, this helps to dry it out and give perfect crackling. Drizzle some olive oil over the belly and cover with the salt. Place some of the diced onion onto a roasting tray and put the belly on top. Cover with foil and roast in an oven at 150C for 3 hours. After 3 hours remove the foil and brush off the salt and cook for a further 30 minutes at 220C.
To make the mash peel and dice the potatoes, boil until tender then mash. Add the butter, mustard and season.
To make the sauce fry the remaining onions in a sauce pan with some chopped garlic. After 1 minute add the cider and let it reduce by half. Add the apple sauce and stock, reduce by 1/3 and season.
Slice the belly into 'steak' size and serve on the mash with the sauce around it, serve and enjoy!