1205. CARAMELIZED PORK BELLY with PRAWNS and POTATO and BACON SAUCE

serves 4


For the pork belly
1 lb., 12 oz. pork belly
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons caster sugar
1¾ pint melted duck fat

For the prawn sauce
8 large prawns, shells removed, de-veined
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ carrot, chopped
1 celery stick, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 shallots, chopped
1 tablespoon tomato purée
1 sprig rosemary, leaves only
1 sprig thyme
16 fl oz white wine

For the crisp bacon
8 thin slices streaky bacon

For the potato and bacon sauce
1¾oz butter
2 shallots, chopped
1 sprig rosemary, leaves only
5¼oz smoked streaky bacon, finely chopped
5oz potato, peeled, chopped
7fl oz whole milk

To serve
4 young spring carrots, peeled, boiled
4 asparagus spears, peeled, blanched
4 spring onions, fried for 2-3 minutes
dash olive oil

For the pork belly, preheat the oven to 285F. Place the duck fat into a large roasting tray. Season the pork belly with salt and sugar and place into the roasting tray. Transfer to the oven to cook for four hours, or until tender. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the duck fat.

For the prawn sauce, preheat the oven to 340F. Lightly season the prawns with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then vacuum pack in a vacuum bag. Place the reserved prawn shells onto a clean roasting tray with the oil, carrot, celery, garlic and shallots and place into the oven to roast for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and add the tomato purée. Stir to coat and add the rosemary and thyme sprigs. Return to oven for a further 15 minutes Remove from the oven and place the roasting tray over a medium heat. Add the wine and stir to deglaze the tray, removing any brown bits from the bottom of the tray. Transfer the contents of the oven tray into a large pan over a medium heat with 2¾ pints of water and simmer for 1½ hours. Skim the surface when necessary. Strain the liquid through a fine sieve into another large pot. Place over a medium heat and boil until the volume of liquid has reduced to approximately 1¾fl oz. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

For the crisp bacon, preheat the oven to 150F. Place the bacon onto a baking tray and place into the oven to cook for 1-1½ hours, or until crisp.

For the potato and bacon sauce, melt the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the shallots, rosemary and half of the chopped streaky bacon. Fry for five minutes.
Meanwhile, boil the chopped potato in a large pan of boiling salted water until tender. Drain and pass through a ricer into a bowl until smooth (or mash until very smooth). Add the milk to the mashed potato, mash again, and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add the mashed potato to the bacon mixture and cook over a low heat for five minutes. Strain the potato and bacon mixture through a very fine sieve, then spoon into a siphon ready to create a foam.

For the pork belly, heat the grill to its highest setting. Trim the cooked pork belly and cut into squares of approximately 5in. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the pork belly squares and fry until golden-brown. Transfer to a grill tray and brush with a little prawn sauce. Place under the grill to further caramelize. Add the reserved chopped streaky bacon to the pan the pork belly was cooked in and fry until golden-brown. Remove from the pan and drain on kitchen paper. Place the vacuum-packed prawns into a water bath at 140F and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until just cooked.

To serve, place the carrots, asparagus and spring onions into the center of four plates and place two pieces of crisp bacon on both sides of each plate. Place a pork belly square onto each portion of vegetables and crisp bacon. Place a cooked prawn onto each slice of crisp bacon and add a little potato and bacon sauce foamed from the siphon. Add a little prawn sauce onto each piece of pork belly. Sprinkle the crisp chopped bacon pieces over the potato and bacon sauce and serve.


courtesy of: Danny Millar, Great British Menu, BBC Food