Apple cider roasted pork belly

ingredients

• Cider roasted pork belly

  • 1.5 kilogram piece NZ Pork belly, rind on
  • 2 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon sea salt flakes
  • 1 1/3 cup (330ml) apple cider
  • 4 medium_piece (1kg) parsnips, quartered
  • 4 clove garlic, peeled
  • 1 1/2 cup (375ml) salt-reduced chicken or vegetable stock
  • 2 medium_piece (300g) green-skinned apples, unpeeled, quartered
  • 800 gram canned brown lentils, drained, rinsed

method

• Cider roasted pork belly

  • 1

    Preheat oven to 240°C (220°C fan forced).

  • 2

    Using a sharp knife, score pork rind in a criss-cross pattern. Place pork, rind-side up, in a large baking dish. Combine rosemary and salt in a small bowl, rub over pork. Roast pork, uncovered, 20 minutes or until the rind starts to blister and crackle.

  • 3

    Reduce oven to 160°C (140°C fan forced). Add cider to dish, roast, uncovered, 1¼ hours.

  • 4

    Add parsnips, garlic and stock to dish, roast a further 45 minutes.

  • 5

    Add apple and lentils to dish, roast 30 minutes or until apple is tender. Season to taste.

notes

To get crispy crackling, the pork rind needs to be really dry, leave the pork rind uncovered in the fridge overnight; cover the pork flesh with plastic wrap to stop it drying out.