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Pork belly souse with cornmeal pudding

Preparation time
overnight

Cooking time
over 2 hours

Serves
Serves 6–8

By Andi Oliver
From Saturday Kitchen

Ingredients

For the pork belly

  • 1.5kg/3lb 5oz pork belly
  • 4 garlic cloves, peeled but left whole
  • 4 star anise
  • 1½ tsp crushed juniper berries
  • 10g fresh coriander stalks
  • 10g fresh flatleaf parsley stalks
  • 1½ tsp salt

For the souse

  • 1 tsp black peppercorns, crushed
  • 1 tsp coriander seeds, crushed
  • 2 Scotch bonnet or bird’s-eye chillies, thinly sliced with seeds left in
  • 2 onions, thinly sliced
  • 2 cucumbers, thinly sliced
  • 2 spring onions, green tops only, thinly sliced
  • 10g fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped
  • 10g fresh flatleaf parsley leaves, finely chopped
  • 2 limes, juice only
  • 2½ tsp salt

For the cornmeal pudding

  • 1.5 litres/2½ pints coconut milk (tinned or fresh)
  • 55g/2oz unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
  • 350g/12oz soft dark brown sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tsp golden rum
  • 450g/1lb fine cornmeal or polenta
  • 80g/2¾oz self-raising flour
  • ¾ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 100g/3½oz raisins or sultanas (optional)

For the soft top

  • 240ml/8¾fl oz coconut milk (tinned or fresh)
  • 55g/2oz soft dark brown sugar
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Method

  1. To make the pork belly, preheat the oven to 170C/150C Fan/Gas 3. Place all of the pork ingredients into a deep roasting tin and pour over enough cold water to cover the meat. Cover the tin tightly with kitchen foil and cook in the oven for 3 hours, or until the meat is tender. Remove from the oven. Drain the cooking liquid (it can be reserved and used for another recipe).

  2. Remove the pork belly from the roasting tin. Press the meat by sandwiching the pork belly between two baking trays with something heavy on top. Set aside and leave to cool completely. You can press this overnight.

  3. Heat a frying pan and add a little oil, once hot add the pressed pork. Caramelise the pork in the pan until golden, and then leave to cool completely. Cut into cubes.

  4. To make the souse, place all of the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Add the cooled pork cubes to the bowl and stir so the pork is evenly distributed throughout. Leave to chill for at least 1 hour in the fridge or overnight if you have the time.

  5. To make the cornmeal pudding, preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. Grease a 30x25cm/12x10in baking tray with butter.

  6. Place the coconut milk, butter, sugar and vanilla extract in a large saucepan and warm through over a medium–low heat without letting it boil. Heat until the sugar has dissolved, then remove from the heat, mix in the rum and set aside.

  7. Thoroughly combine the cornmeal, flour, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon in a large bowl. Gradually pour the warm coconut milk mixture into the cornmeal mixture, stirring well with each addition. Add the raisins, if using. Mix well one final time, then pour the mixture into the baking tray. Bake for 25 minutes in the oven.

  8. Meanwhile, to make the soft top, mix together all of the ingredients in a bowl. Remove the pudding from the oven and pour the soft top mixture over the top. Bake for a further 15 minutes. The bottom will be set with a lovely, silky, soft top finish.

  9. Transfer the pork belly souse to a large platter using a slotted spoon. You want all of the ingredients, but not the soaking brine, on the platter. For each serving, place a slice of the cornmeal pudding on a plate with the pork belly souse tumbled over the top.

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