Chef Chris’s latest recipe
Both restaurants currently have pork belly on their menus.
Slow braised for hours in honey, butter, red wine, tarragon, root vegetables and chicken stock until soft.
Melts in the mouth, but the meat is never dry due to the high fat content.
Here in Ayrshire we have so much high quality fresh produce on our doorstep, I always use as many Ayrshire ingredients as I can, why would you want to use anything else? We are spoiled with the variety and choice that is grown here and I am so proud of Ayrshire’s rich larder, I wouldn’t use any other produce.
Served with the smooth nutmeg mash and Arran Musard Cream reduction, it is truly an outstanding food combination with flavours are to die for.
Preparation time is less than one hour.
Cooking time is less than four hours.
Serves eight.
For the pork belly: One large piece of pork belly approx. 2kg; bottle of red wine; 25g fresh tarragon; 8oz block of butter;
100ml pure honey; mixed root vegetables, chopped 1kg; 500ml of chicken stock.
For braised red cabbage: 4oz brown sugar; 4oz salted butter; 200ml of Cider Vinegar; one small red cabbage, finely shredded; 100ml red wine; course sea salt and cracked black pepper.
For the mash potato: 400g of Red Rooster potatoes; one small piece of nutmeg, zested or ground; 50g salted butter; 50ml double cream; salt and pepper for seasoning.
For the pak choi: Eight heads of pak choi. To garnish: Micro red cabbage ( optional); 20g sesame seeds. Method Pre- heat oven to 130oc
For the pork belly: Place all ingredients and stock into a large deep oven tray and submerge the pork belly in it.
Cover with tin foil and bake until soft. When ready remove pork belly from juices and cling wrap tight and chill. After few hours remove from cling film and slice.
Pre- heat a non- stick frying pan with little olive oil until really hot, place the sliced pork belly into pan and sear until golden brown on both sides.
Watch for the fat or crackling spitting at you. Once golden ready to serve. Crispy on outside but soft and melt in the mouth on inside.
For the braised red cabbage:
Place brown sugar, butter, cider vinegar, red wine into a medium size sauce pan and bring to the boil, then add the shredded red cabbage and simmer for 15/ 20 mins till soft season to taste. For the nutmeg mash: Peel and 4cm cube the rooster potatoes and boil until soft.
Drain and then place back on heat to dry the potatoes out. Then mash with potato ricer until smooth. Add butter, seasoning, and nutmeg and double cream as required.
For the sauce: Pre- heat a small sauce pan, sieve the pork belly juices and reduce. Add some double cream & amp; tablespoon of arran mustard, reduce until thick and ready to serve.
To serve: Blanch the pak choi in boiling water for 2- 3 mins until soft, drain and season.
Place that and a quenelle of nutmeg mash in centre of the plate. Place the fried pork belly on top and drizzle with a few spoonful’s of the pork belly sweet honey reduction.
Garnish with some micro red cabbage, sprinkle some sesame seeds and serve.