Ingredients
- 1.6 kg of pork belly, boned, rolled and the skin scored
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tsp of oil, for the sauce, plus oil for frying in step 2
- 1 handful of parsley, chopped
- 13 dried apricots
- 75 g of breadcrumbs
- 1 pinch of sea salt
- 125 ml of apple juice
- 125 ml of poultry stock
- 1 cabbage, finely sliced
- 1 large bramley cooking apple
- 2 tsp of fennel seeds
- 25 g of butter
Method
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6. Pour a little boiling water (around 50ml) over the skin of the pork belly, pat dry.Step 2
Fry the onion and garlic in a saucepan with a little oil until softened.Step 3
Chop the parsley and 8 apricots, add to the pan. Add the breadcrumbs, stir to combine. Season well. Add the mixture to the centre of the pork and roll it up. Tie with string at intervals so that it 'knits' together when cooking.Step 4
Place in a roasting dish and season the fatty side with salt, pepper and a few fennel seeds. Quarter the apple, add to the dish with the apple juice and the remaining whole apricots.Step 5
Roast at 200C/gas mark 6 for about 25 mins, reduce the heat to 180C/gas mark 4 and roast for a further hour. When cooked, remove from the dish and place on a warm serving platter. Cover with foil, rest for 10 mins.Step 6
For the sauce, add the juices from the dish to a jug and sit it in a basin of cold water. After 2-3 minutes, the fat should rise to the top - spoon this off.Step 7
Pass the rest of the liquid and the apple and apricot pulp through a sieve back into the roasting dish. Add the stock, bring to the boil. Simmer and reduce for 3-4 mins. Season to taste.Step 8
For the cabbage, melt butter in a wok, add oil. Tip in the cabbage and toss until it wilts and reduces slightly (about 4-6 mins). Serve with the pork.