>>Recipe: Sinful apple cider pork belly with mustard mash

This weekend, all was right with the universe. There is just nothing like a really lazzzzy weekend. I literally didn't have a single worry and all I had to do is tend to my garden, read a book and cook. And what a weekend for cooking it was, with flawless after flawless dishes just falling out of my kitchen. Happy Anzel.

But back to the recipy at hand, this one is for Charlotte. Charlotte is a friend of mine from work and she is always talking about how amazing pork belly is, so this weekend I decided to give it a go for the first time. I kind of winged this recipe with simple flavours that I thought would go well together.  The apples and onions makes a sort of sticky marmalade with subtle flavours of star anise and fennel. I wouldn't exactly call this diet-food... but this little piggy didn't fail in blowing Johan's socks off, and I felt like a very good wife indeed:-)

Ingredients

1 kg pork belly, skin scored (ask your butcher because the skin is super tough, and your knife might suck)
1tsp fennel seeds
4 cardamon pods, crushed
2 star anise
salt and pepper to season the pork
4 green apples, peeled, cored and cut into thin wedges
1 red onion, cut into rings
Some fresh fennel leaves to taste
2 bay leaves
1 Savanna (330 ml), or any other apple cider (you can also use dry white wine)
500 ml chicken stock
3 garlic cloves

Method

Turn the oven to it's highest temperature.
Heat all the spiced over medium heat for a minute or two so the flavours can develop. Season the pork with salt,pepper and the prepared spices by rubbing it in between the sections of scored skin. The star anise can be placed with the apples at the bottom of the dish.

Place the apples, onion, fennel leaves and bay leaves at the bottom of an ovenproof dish. Place the seasoned pork belly on top of the apples and put it in the prepared oven until the skin is crispy (about 15 minutes). Remove the pork from the oven, add the garlic, apple cider and stock (be very careful not to get the skin wet), and then place the pork back into the oven at 180 degrees to roast for about one and a half hours or until ready. Only add stock up to the part of meat where the skin starts, depending on the depth of your dish. The crackling should be crispy and golden.

Serve the pork belly with some mustard mash (just add cream and whole grain mustard to mash) and steamed green beans. Garnish with fresh fennel. Be-au- ti-ful!