Festive Pork Recipes

Steps:

• Score the pork belly skin with a sharp knife in a cross pattern. Score down to just before where the skin meets the fat, rather than the fat itself. Bring a large saucepan of water to a simmer and add the bicarbonate of soda. Lower the pork into the water, poach gently for 5 mins, then remove it from the water and leave to cool to room temperature.
• Meanwhile, toast the fennel seeds and chilli flakes in a dry frying pan over a high heat for 1-2 mins, then tip into a bowl and leave to cool. Grind the spices in a spice grinder or with a pestle and mortar, then mix with 1 tbsp fine sea salt.
• Once the pork has cooled, turn it skin-side down and pierce the underside of the meat all over with a knife. Rub the meat with the spiced salt rub, cover and put it in the fridge for at least 8 hrs or overnight. Can be prepared 24 hours ahead.
• The next day, make your stuffing. Heat the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan and add the onion and fennel. Season and cook gently over a low heat for 10 mins. Add the coriander seeds and garlic, and cook for another 2 mins, then add the mince. Cook for 8-10 mins until the mince is browned. Set aside and leave to cool.
• Transfer the mince and onion mix to a bowl and add the sourdough, pine nuts, orange zest, apricots, herbs, lemon juice and nutmeg. Season well, then mix together thoroughly with your hands. Add the egg and mix again.
• Lie the pork belly on a board, skin-side down. Form the stuffing into a sausage shape running all the way down the middle of the belly. Wrap the sides of the belly around the stuffing and tie with butcher's string. Place seam-side down in a roasting tin, uncovered, and chill for at least 2 hrs, preferably overnight. You want the skin to dry out completely so that it crisps up when you roast it.
• To cook the pork, remove it from the fridge and leave it for at least 1 hr to come to room temperature before you cook it. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/ gas 4 and cook the pork for about 2 hrs, turning the tin every 30 mins or so. After 2 hrs, turn the heat up to 220C/ 200C fan/gas 7 and cook for another 20 mins. When the pork is done, a thermometer pushed into its centre should read 77C. If the skin looks in danger of burning, cover it with foil - but only do this once it has crackled.
• Once the pork has cooked, remove from the oven and leave to rest for 30 mins. When you're ready to carve, put the pork on a big chopping board. Using a sharp knife, slice the meat into rounds.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Place pork roast into a roasting pan; push whole cloves into the meat. Cover the roast with apple slices.
• Mash cranberry sauce in a bowl with a potato masher; stir chicken broth, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger into cranberries. Pour about half the cranberry mixture over the pork roast. Cover with a lid or a sheet of aluminum foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Pour remaining cranberry mixture over roast. Sprinkle orange zest over the cranberry sauce.
• Return to oven and roast until cranberry mixture forms a glaze and an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the center of the meat reads at least 145 degrees F (65 degrees C), about 30 more minutes.

Steps:

• Combine the first 10 ingredients in a large shallow dish or a heavy-duty plastic zip-lock freezer bag; add pork.
• Cover or seal and refrigerate 8 hours, turning occasionally.
• Note: you may need to divided the marinade between two zip-lock freezer bags and put one roast in each bag.
• Remove pork from marinade (reserve marinade and add water, if necessary to equal 2 1/2 cups).
• Place pork on a rack in a roasting pan lined with foil.
• In a small saucepan, whisk reserved marinade and cornstarch; place pan over med-high heat.
• Bring to a boil, whisking constantly.
• Cook, whisking constantly, 2-3 minutes or until thickened.
• Remove and reserve 1/4 sauce; set remaining sauce in saucepan aside.
• Broil pork 6 inches from heat for 5 minutes.
• Pour 1 1/2 cups water into pan.
• Lower oven temperature to 325°; bake 1 hour and 30 minutes or until meat thermometer reads 155°, basting with reserved 1/4 cup sauce during the last 15 minutes.
• Remove roast and let stand 10 minutes or until meat thermometer reads 160°.
• Serve with remaining warm sauce.