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Glazed Pork Belly with Carrots

Posted By anele On In Food,Local,Newsletter,Recipes,Signature Living with Reuben | Comments Disabled

Reuben makes Glazed Pork Belly with carrots. Bathroom ware will be the focus in our makeover and design trends. Reuben will then pair his dish with Boekenhoudskloof wines.

Ingredients

Method

  1. For the glaze:
    1. Start by heating a pot over low heat.
    2. Next add the apple juice, cider vinegar, caster sugar, soft brown sugar, the cinnamon stick, cloves, bay leaf, some fresh thyme, smoked paprika, and cayenne pepper into the pot and reduce until syrupy.
    3. When ready remove from the heat, cover and leave to infuse for a 24 hours.
    4. This process is optional, but it really does add a lot more flavour to the glaze.
    5. After it has infused, pass the glaze through a fine strainer and keep it aside until later.
  2. Now for the Pork Belly,
    1. Take a frying pan and add a dash of oil.
    2. Heat up until hot now take the Pork belly and sear it on all sides until evenly browned.
    3. Now place into a preheated oven at 180 C and warm through for about 30 minutes.
    4. Make sure to keep the pork with the fat side up, in the oven.  You’ll pre cooking the pork, before glazing it.
    5. After 30 minutes remove the pork belly from the oven and season with some salt and pepper.
    6. Now take a brush and glaze generously on all sides.
    7. Reduce the oven temperature to 170 C
    8. Place the pork back into the oven for 1 and a half hours glazing every 20 minutes.
    9. By glazing the pork  every 20 min, the layers of the pork belly will caramelize and you will end up with a thick caramelized glazing
    10. When the pork belly is ready, remove from the oven and divide into four even sized portions.
    11. Trim off any excess bits, coat the pieces with the hot glaze and set aside until later.
  3. Now for the carrot and star anise puree…
    1. Take a pan and heat up over low heat.
    2. Take the butter and add it into the pot to melt.
    3. Add the carrots, salt, sugar, tarragon, thyme and star anise into the pan.
    4. Mix well and cover with a lid.
    5. Cook for 8 to 12 minutes without colouring the carrots, stirring now and again.
    6. Now add the stock and the cream and cook at a fast simmer for approximately 20 min until it has reduced.
    7. Next, add the lemon juice and reduce further until it is thick and soft.
    8. Place the carrot mixture into the blender and puree until very smooth.
    9. When done, remove from the blender and pass through a fine sieve.
  4. Keep it aside until later.
  5. Balsamic glazed carrots:
    1. Start by heating up a pan on medium heat.
    2. Once hot add the butter and some oil.
    3. When the butter is golden add the peeled carrots, star anise, tarragon, thyme, bay leaf, salt, pepper, and lastly, the sugar.
    4. Cook for approximately 10 to 15 mins.
    5. After 15 min, turn the heat up so that the carrots start to colour.
    6. After about 3 to 4 minutes they should be golden brown.
    7. Now add the balsamic vinegar and cook until the vinegar has reduced by two thirds and is thick and syrupy.
    8. When done, drain the carrots and remove all the herbs and spices.
    9. Keep it aside
    10. Keep the reduced vinegar to reheat the carrots so they are well glazed when ready to serve.
    11. Now to plate this delicious dish.
    12. Serve the carrot puree on the bottom of the plate with a slice of pork belly on top.
    13. Drizzle some extra glaze over the pork and top with the glazed carrots.

Wine Pairing

Reuben paired his dish (above) with one of the following Boekenhoutskloof wines: