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Slow-cooked five-spice pork belly with three-cheese polenta

Preparation time
less than 30 mins
Cooking time
over 2 hours

Serves
Serves 4

By Andi Oliver
From Saturday Kitchen

Ingredients

  • 2 onions, thickly sliced
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 4 whole cloves
  • ¼ star anise
  • 10 whole green cardamom pods
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 tsp coriander seeds
  • 500g/1lb 2oz pork belly, skin removed and reserved
  • 200ml/7fl oz cider
  • knob of butter
  • 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

For the polenta

  • 500ml/18fl oz chicken stock
  • 400g/14oz quick-cook cornmeal
  • 75g/2½oz mature Cheddar, grated
  • 75g/2½oz blue cheese (such as Stilton or gorgonzola), crumbled
  • 75g/2½oz Emmental, grated
  • 75g/2½oz unsalted butter, cut into cubes

For the braised fennel

  • 200g/7oz butter
  • 4 fennel bulbs, thinly sliced

For the fennel crisp

  • 1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
  • vegetable oil, for deep-frying
  • pinch sea salt

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4.

  2. Scatter the onions, garlic and bay leaves over the base of a roasting tray.

  3. Grind the whole spices to a powder using a pestle and mortar or spice grinder. Rub them into the pork belly, then lay it on top of the onions. Cover with foil and roast for 3 hours. Set aside to rest.

  4. Increase the oven temperature to 230C/210C Fan/Gas 8. Put the pork skin on a flat baking tray, season with salt and place another baking tray on top of it. Roast until crispy. Set aside.

  5. Pour the cooking juices from the pork tray into a small saucepan and place over a high heat. Add a little cider (you may not need it all) and reduce until syrupy. Whisk in a little butter and balsamic vinegar. Set aside and keep warm.

  6. To make the polenta, bring the stock to a gentle boil and whisk in the cornmeal a little at a time. Turn down the heat and let the polenta bubble gently for about 5 minutes. Add the three cheeses and beat in the butter. Set aside.

  7. To make the braised fennel, heat the butter in a frying pan and braise the fennel slices in the butter until soft. Set aside.

  8. To make the fennel crisp, heat a deep-fat fryer to 180C (CAUTION: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended). Fry the fennel for 3 minutes. Drain on kitchen paper and sprinkle with sea salt.

  9. To serve, place a spoonful of polenta onto the serving plate along with the braised fennel and top with the roasted pork and a piece of the crackling. Garnish with the fennel crisps and serve the cider gravy alongside.

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