Ingredients

Method

• 1 x 500 g boneless pork belly
• 1 T sea salt flakes
• olive oil, for drizzling
• 4 Pink Lady or Granny Smith apples
• 2 lemons
• 80  g baby spinach
• 4 spring onions, sliced
• 35 g microherbs
For the ranch dressing, combine:
• 2 T good-quality mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup plain full-cream yoghurt
• 100 g Gorgonzola
• 2 t white wine or apple cider vinegar
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• lemon juice, to taste

Method

Ingredients

1. Preheat the oven’s grill to 220°C. Score the pork belly skin and generously rub with sea salt, drizzle with olive oil and place on a rack in a roasting pan, skin-side up. Pour water into the roasting pan to just under the rack.
2. Roast under the grill for 30 minutes or until the skin is crispy. Reduce the oven’s temperature to 180°C and turn off the grill. Roast for a further 15–30 minutes, or until the pork is cooked through, topping up with water as needed. Remove the pork from the oven and rest for 30 minutes.
3. Thinly slice the apples and generously squeeze over the lemon juice. Allow to stand in the juice to pickle slightly.
4. Assemble the salad with the apples, spinach, spring onions and microherbs, then top with the cubed pork belly. Pour over the dressing to serve.

Cook’s note: For the best crackling, the skin must be completely dry. If you have time, remove the pork belly from its packaging and place on a rack over a tray in the fridge to dry out overnight.

Find more pork recipes here.