Czechs are lovers of the classic roasted belly. But you’ve never had it this crispy! Pork Porchetta – Italian-style stuffed rolled belly – is simply in a different league. Mashed potatoes are perfect as a side dish.
Ingredients:
2.5 kg leaner (60-70% fat) skin-on boneless pork belly
5 sprigs of rosemary
10-15 sage leaves
8-10 cloves of garlic
zest of one lemon or small orange
a handful of shelled pistachios or pine nuts
salt
freshly ground pepper
olive oil
Approach:
The greens come first – start with fresh rosemary, just pick the leaves. In the same way, pluck only the sage leaves, peel 8 to 10 cloves of garlic, finely chop the herbs, and coarsely chop a handful of shelled pistachios – or, in the Italian spirit, use pine nuts. You can also use a mortar and pestle for the nuts. Lay out a leaner pork belly with skin, boneless, approximately two and a half kilos on a cutting board. Increase the area of the meat – make an incision about half its height and open it; thus doubling its surface area. And now to get the flavors into it – make diagonal cuts on one side and the other on the surface, so that they form typical “cubes”. Salt the meat thoroughly on all available sides, really don’t skimp here. Treat freshly ground pepper in the same way. Sprinkle the whole surface with herbs and garlic and coat the meat nicely. Be sure not to leave out the citrus peel, you can use lemon or orange. This will give the result an exceptional taste. Literally massage the nuts inside. And you can roll tightly. To make the skin perfectly cooked, make additional cuts with an extra sharp knife. Tie the roll tightly with kitchen twine, first crosswise along the entire roll in at least five places, and finally once lengthwise. Pull really tight. Cover the outside of the skin with more salt, it will draw out the water and the skin will be more crispy. Transfer to a baking tray lined with baking paper, pour olive oil and rub it all over the surface. Set the oven to 120 °C, classic baking. Leave the 2.5-kilogram belly to its fate for about 3 hours, then it will be well-done on the inside, which is the first stage of baking, so you can easily have the porchetta ready the day before. Then just take it out of the fridge, let it come to room temperature and heat the oven to the absolute maximum, so about 250°C. Likewise, increase the temperature if you are baking in one go. In about half an hour, incredible things will happen to the crust in the heat. When the skin is golden brown and crispy, you can take the meat out of the oven. Let it stand for another 15 minutes, so that the juices can disperse again. In the meantime, you have time to finish a side dish, such as mashed potatoes. Then cut with a serrated knife. You’ve never had a crispier belly… You can also serve it with roasted potatoes, creamed spinach leaves, asparagus or sautéed green beans – in any case, cut a good piece for everyone at the table – and most importantly, if there’s some left over, cold porchetta is wonderful sliced instead of salami into thin slices . Enjoy your meal!
2024-01-12 16:05:39
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