PORCHETTA WITH SOMERSET MEMBRILLO

Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Serves 4

Pork belly is a great, economical cut of meat to serve all year round, and if you buy a whole piece of pork belly you can get a couple of different meals out of it for next to nothing. If you buy a larger chunk with the bones, you then get yet another meal of spare ribs – so all in all a fantastic, tasty chunk of meat for all the family.

I’m starting with a classic porchetta, using half a belly (you can freeze the rest for another dish that I’ll do soon). Instead of garlic cloves I’ve laid some ramsons (wild-garlic leaves) inside, which are less pungent and give it a good colour once cut.

My good friend Trish Maunder makes membrillo with traditional quince, medlars and damsons under the Somerset Membrillo brand. You can serve this alongside small potatoes or chunks roasted with the pork, and some simple dressed leaves such as rocket.

INGREDIENTS

– 1kg boneless pork

belly

– a handful of wildgarlic leaves, washed, or 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

– 2 tsp fennel seeds, roughly chopped or coarsely crushed with a mortar and pestle – leaves from 2 sprigs of rosemary, roughly chopped

– a little vegetable or

corn oil, for brushing – 100g membrillo

METHOD

Lay the pork belly on a chopping board and remove any sinewy bits of pork with the point of a sharp knife. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, lay the wild-garlic leaves or sliced garlic on top, then scatter the fennel seeds and rosemary over evenly. Roll up the belly as tightly as possible. Tie it four or five times with string to secure it.

Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas mark 7. Bring a pan of water to the boil, carefully drop in the pork and simmer for a couple of minutes, then drain. This softens the rind and helps it to crisp up. Place the pork in a roasting tray, pat the skin dry, brush with a little oil and season. If you have a roasting rack, that helps the heat get around the meat without you turning it.

Roast for 20 minutes, then turn the heat down to 190C/170C fan/gas mark 5. Continue roasting for an hour, basting as the pork is cooking, and turning it, until the skin is crisp.

Leave to rest for 10 minutes or so, then cut the porchetta into 2cm slices. You can cut the crackling with a bread knife if you wish to make it easier to get through it. Serve on warmed plates with a chunk of membrillo.