Pork Entertaining Main

Anthony Puharich's porchetta recipe is the only one you'll need this year

Name: Easy and simple porchetta recipe
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 85 min
Total time: 115 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 1kg piece of boneless pork belly, skin on; 20.00 ml fennel seeds; 1 pinch dried chilli flakes; 8 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 1 small handful sage leaves, chopped; 2-3 thyme sprigs, leaves picked; 20.00 ml olive oil, plus extra for drizzling; Finely grated zest of 1 lemon; Lemon wedges to serve; 30.00 ml sea salt; 3 large handfuls of wild rocket (arugula); 3 peaches, stones removed, sliced into wedges (optional); 1 large handful flat-leaf parsley; 1 large handful mint; Extra virgin olive oil, to taste; Red wine vinegar, to taste

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30m

1h 25m

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by Anthony Puharich

Owner of Victor Churchill, butcher-in-chief at delicious.

Feb 15, 2019

“You’ll need to allow a day in advance to dry out the pork skin, uncovered, in the fridge, which will help achieve crisp crackling. The fat from the roast that drips into the pan is liquid gold; use it to roast potatoes to serve alongside the porchetta, or strain into a container to use later. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator" - Anthony Puharich. This is an edited extract from Meat by Anthony Puharich and Libby Travers (Murdoch Books, $79.99). On sale now.

1kg piece of boneless pork belly, skin on
1 tbs fennel seeds
1 pinch dried chilli flakes
8 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 small handful sage leaves, chopped
2-3 thyme sprigs, leaves picked
1 tbs olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
Lemon wedges to serve
1 1/2 tbs sea salt

Wild rocket salad

3 large handfuls of wild rocket (arugula)
3 peaches, stones removed, sliced into wedges (optional)
1 large handful flat-leaf parsley
1 large handful mint
Extra virgin olive oil, to taste
Red wine vinegar, to taste

Method

1.

Score the pork skin at 5mm intervals using a very sharp knife (score just down to where the skin meets the fat). Turn the pork over and lightly score the flesh with a sharp knife (you only need to make shallow incisions).
2.

Dry-roast the fennel seeds and chilli flakes in a small frying pan over mediumhigh heat, shaking the pan occasionally, for 30 seconds to 1 minute until fragrant. Transfer to a bowl to cool, then coarsely crush. Stir in the garlic, herbs, olive oil, lemon zest and 2 tsp sea salt, and mix to a paste. Rub the paste into the flesh of the pork.
3.

Place the pork, skin-side up, on a tray. Rub the remaining 1 1/4 tbs sea salt into the skin, making sure you get right into the incisions. Refrigerate overnight, skin-side up and uncovered, to dry out.
4.

Preheat the oven to 220°C (fan-forced).
5.

Lay the pork belly, skin-side down, on a clean work surface. Roll into a cylinder and tie at 2-3cm intervals with kitchen string. Set aside for 1 hour to come to room temperature. Thoroughly pat skin dry with paper towel.
6.

Transfer the pork to a wire rack in a roasting tin, drizzle with olive oil and roast for 40 minutes until the skin beings to crisp and crackling forms. Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C and open the door briefly to let the heat out. Continue to roast the pork for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until cooked to medium: the internal temperature will read 58°C, and the pork will continue to cook as it rests.
7.

Cover the pork loosely with foil and set aside to rest for 30 minutes, then remove the string and thinly slice.
8.

While the pork rests, toss the rocket, peach slices and herbs in a bowl. Dress with olive oil and vinegar to taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve with the sliced pork and the lemon wedges.