Month: September 2019

500g lean beef mince
6 sausages, taken out of their skins
1 tsp chilli flakes
1 tsp salt
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 slice bread, blitzed into breadcrumbs
a large handful of fresh parsley
5 hard-boiled eggs (boiled for 8 minutes, then plunged into cold water), peeled
500g ready-rolled puff pastry
3 tsp yeast extract, mixed with 1 tsp warm water
1 egg, beaten, for eggwash

Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C.

Put the mince, sausage meat, chilli flakes, salt, onion and breadcrumbs into a bowl and mix together with your hands. Add the parsley and mix until you have flecks of green all through the meat mixture.

Lay two long lengths of clingfilm on your worktop, one overlapping the other. Turn the meat mixture on to it and pat it out with damp hands into a rectangular shape about 30cm x 25cm. Line up the hard-boiled eggs in a row down the centre of the rectangle, short end to short end. With the aid of the clingfilm, create a large sausage shape. The eggs should be encased by the meat, rather like a long Scotch egg. Twist the ends of the clingfilm and put the roll into the fridge.

Roll out the pastry to about 35cmx 35cm and 5mm thickness and brush the surface with the yeast extract mix. Remove the meat roll from the clingfilm and place lengthways on the rolled-out pastry, just off centre. Bring the larger side of the pastry over the meat roll, then pinch the edges together to close. Crimp all the way round.

Brush the pastry with the egg wash and place on a baking tray. Put it into the preheated oven and bake for about 1 hour, or until the pastry is golden and the roll is cooked through.

1 5–6-pound piece fresh pork belly, skin on
1 (trimmed) 2-3-pound boneless, center-cut pork loin
3 tbsp fennel seeds
2 tbsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 tsp minced fresh thyme
1 tbsp minced fresh rosemary
Kosher salt
1/2 orange, peel trimmed off, seeded, thinly sliced
1 lemon, zested

Recipe Preparation

Put belly skin side down; arrange loin in center. Roll belly around loin so the short ends of the belly meet. If any of the belly or loin overhangs, trim meat. Unroll; set loin aside.

Toast fennel seeds and red pepper flakes in a small skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Tip spices into a bowl; let cool. Finely grind spices, herbs and lemon zest in a spice mill or mortar and transfer to a small bowl.

Set belly skin side down. Using a knife, score the belly flesh in a checkerboard pattern 1/3″ deep so roast will cook evenly.

Flip belly skin side up. Using a paring knife, poke dozens of 1/8″-deep holes through skin all over belly. Don’t be gentle! Keep poking.

Turn belly and generously salt both it and loin; rub both with fennel mixture. Arrange loin down middle of belly. Top with orange slices.

Roll belly around loin; tie crosswise with kitchen twine at 1/2″ intervals. Trim twine. Transfer roast to a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet.

Refrigerate roast, uncovered, for 1 day to allow skin to air-dry; pat occasionally with paper towels.

Let porchetta sit at room temperature for 2 hours. Preheat oven to 225C. Season porchetta with salt. Roast on rack in baking sheet, turning once, for 40 minutes.

Reduce heat to 150C and continue roasting, rotating the pan and turning porchetta occasionally, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into center of meat registers 145F/62C, 1 1/2-2 hours more.If skin is not yet deep brown and crisp, increase heat to 225C and roast for 10 minutes more. Let rest for 30 minutes.