Pressed Pork Belly
1 piece pork belly, about 1.3 kg (3 lb)
2 cloves garlic
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil
2 cups (500 mL) chicken stock
1 cup (250 mL) dry white wine
Handful of thyme sprigs
Roasted Walnut & Pickled Beet Purée
4-6 large beets, about 500 g (1 lb), peeled and sliced
1 cup (250 mL) rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp + ½ tsp (17 mL) salt, divided
¼ t (1 mL) black peppercorns
Water
½ cup (125 mL) roasted walnuts
½ tsp (2 mL) olive oil
1 tsp (5 mL) freshly ground black pepper
Apple Purée
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into 6 slices
? cup (85 mL) dry white wine
¼ tsp (1 mL) cinnamon
Pressed Pork Belly
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Rub pork belly with salt, pepper, garlic and olive oil. Place seasoned pork belly in a baking pan or casserole dish and pour chicken stock and white wine on top. Cover and bake for 2½ hours.
Transfer the pork to a clean chopping board and leave to cool slightly. While still warm, place another tray on top of the pork and weigh down with a few heavy cans to flatten it. Cool completely, then chill for 4 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.
Roasted Walnut & Pickled Beet Purée
Place beets, vinegar, ½ tsp salt and black peppercorns into a large saucepan. Add water to cover. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer until beets are fork-tender. Remove from heat and drain. Add walnuts, olive oil, remaining salt and pepper. Purée using a blender or food processor until smooth. Set aside.
Apple Purée
Place apple slices, white wine and cinnamon in a small saucepan. Cover and cook over low heat until apples are softened. Purée with a blender or food processor until smooth. Set aside.
To serve, cut pork belly into ½" slices and pan-sear until browned on both sides. Serve with apple and beet purées.
Yield: 10