SLOW-COOKED PORK BELLY WITH WINTER SALAD

With its perfectly crispy crackling and juicy meat, this dish will bring the whole fam to the table. Fresh greens and roast root veg make for a seasonal salad to serve with a delightfully tangy dressing.

Preparation time 20 mins Cooking time 3 1Š/Œ2 hours Serves 4

1.5kg boneless pork belly, scored at 5mm intervals 2 tsp fennel seeds, toasted and roughly crushed 2 cloves garlic, crushed, plus 1 bulb, halved 1 tsp sea-salt flakes, plus 2 tsp extra 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus 2 Tbsp extra 1 1ˆ/Š2 cups white wine

1ˆ/Š2 cup chicken stock

2 red onions, quartered

2 baby fennel, quartered 2 Packham pears, cut into

1cm-thick slices

WINTER SALAD

1 bunch rocket leaves

1 cup loosely packed flat-leaf

parsley leaves

ˆ1/‹4 cup olive oil

2 Tbsp cider vinegar

1 tsp caster sugar

1 tsp Dijon mustard Sea-salt flakes and freshly ground

black pepper, to season

STEP 1 Preheat oven to 150 C fan-forced (170 C conventional).

STEP 2 Put pork, skin-side up, on a wire rack over the sink. Pour boiling water over skin. Pat dry with paper towel.

STEP 3 Combine fennel seeds, crushed garlic, salt and oil in a bowl. Rub over pork meat (not skin). Pour wine and stock into a roasting pan and add pork, skin-side up. Rub extra salt into scored skin. Roast for 3 hours.

STEP 4 Increase oven to 220°C fan-forced (240°C conventional). Toss onion, fennel, halved garlic and pear slices in extra oil on a separate roasting pan. Cook with pork for 30 more minutes, until skin crackles.

STEP 5 For salad, toss rocket and parsley with roast onion, fennel, garlic and pear in a bowl. Combine oil, vinegar, sugar and mustard. Season. Dress salad and serve with pork.