
PORK BELLY, ONIONS & PEAS
1 hour, plus 48 hours Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
1kg pork belly, boneless
salt
Shallots
400g shallots
50g of butter
1 pinch of salt
1 tbsp of Dijon mustard
100ml of white wine vinegar
100ml of sunflower oil
Salad Onions
1 bunch of salad onions
25ml of water
125g of salted butter
Echalion Rings
1 echalion shallot, peeled
Panko breadcrumbs
1 egg, beaten
flour
sunflower oil, for deep-frying
Pea Tartare
150g of peas
1 banana shallot, brunoise
1 tbsp gherkins, brunoise
METHOD
Lightly cover the flesh side of the pork belly in a generous layer of salt and leave in the fridge for 24 hours.
The next day, preheat a water bath to 75°C
Meanwhile remove the pork belly from the fridge and wash in cold water. Dry thoroughly and place into a vacuum bag and seal. Cook for in the water bath for 12 hours.
Remove the pork belly from the bag and sandwich between two sheets of grease proof paper and place in a tray. Put another tray on top big enough to cover the belly, and place weights on top. Press in the fridge for a further 12 hours to set
Whisk together the mustard, vinegar and sunflower oil to make the Dijon dressing
Pre-heat a grill to high. Cut the shallots in half and place in a vacuum bag with a knob of butter and a pinch of salt and seal tightly in a vacuum chamber. Place in the microwave on full power for 3 minutes depending on size of the onions. Remove from the bag and place on a tray cut side up and put under the grill to char.
Preheat a deep-fryer to 180°C
Slice the banana shallot in to 3-4mm rings. Dip the rings in flour, followed by the beaten egg and finally into the breadcrumbs. Fry in the deep-fryer until golden brown and crispy should take around 30-40 seconds.
To cook the salad onions, place the water in a pan with the butter and bring to the boil to make an emulsion. Cook the salad onions in this emulsion for 2–3 minutes
Mix the peas with some of the sliced shallot, gherkins and dressing
Cut the pork belly into thick slices and remove the skin. Pan-fry in oil until nicely caramelised ensuring it is heated through
Peel the echalion shallots into layers and drop into the emulsion at the last minute to heat through
To serve, place a slice of pork onto the centre of each plate and arrange the pea tartare, salad onions and echalion shallots around. Finish with the shallot rings
TIP: Deep-fry the left over pork skin to make crispy crackling.