Cider-Braised Pork Belly with Cranberry Chutney and Apple Frisée Salad

By tulawdog

Ingredients

• Pork:
• 1/4 * 1/4 cup canola oil
• 11/2 * 11/2 lbs pork belly
• 1 * 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1/2 * 1/2 small onion, chopped
• 1 * 1 small carrot, chopped
• 2 * 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 * 2 bay leaves
• 2 * 2 tsp black peppercorns
• 1/4 * 1/4 c red wine
• 1 * 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 * 1 cup apple cider
• 1/2 * 1/2 cup veal stock
• 1/4 * 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• * salt to taste
• Chutney:
• 1/2 * 1/2 lb frozen cranberries
• 3/4 * 3/4 cups sugar
• 1/4 * 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 1 * 1 cinnamon stick
• Celeriac Puree
• 1 * 1 small head celery root, washed, trimmed, and chopped
• 1/2 * 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 * 1/2 cup cream
• 1 * 1 tsp caraway seeds
• * salt to taste
• Apple Frisée Salad:
• 1/2 * 1/2 head frisée, yellow part only
• 4 * 4 slices Granny Smith Apple, julienned
• 2 * 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 * 1 tsp fresh lemon juice

Preparation

Step 1

Pork: Preheat oven to 300˚F. Heat oil on high in a large Dutch oven. Add pork belly and sear until browned on both sides, don’t skimp on the browning step! Take out pork and put it on a plate. Add celery, onion, carrot, garlic, bay, and peppercorns and sweat on medium low until soft, about 6 minutes. Return the pork to the pot, add the red wine and simmer about 6 more minutes. Add remaining ingredients (not the chutney or the puree), bring to a boil, then cover the dutch oven and place it in the oven for 2 to 3 hours. Turn the pork every 45 minutes or so. The liquid should be just barely simmering, so if it’s boiling when you take it out, turn the heat down slightly. When the pork is very tender, remove pork from the liquid and strain the liquid through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth. Return the sauce to heat on the stovetop and reduce by two-thirds to a nice sauce consistency, skimming as necessary.

Chutney: Place cranberries, sugar, vinegar, and cinnamon stick in a saucepan and cook, stirring often, until the liquid evaporates. Cover and set aside.

Celeriac Puree: Place celery root, milk, cream, caraway, and salt in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until celery root is tender, about 20 minutes. Drain, reserving about ¼ cup of the liquid, and place the celery root in a blender. Process to a smooth puree, adding some of the milky liquid as necessary.

Salad: Whisk together olive oil and lemon juice, adding a pinch of salt if desired. Mix frisée and apples in a bowl and toss with dressing.

Crisp the Pork: Preheat the broiler. Reheat the chutney and the celeriac puree. If the pork is cold, place it in the reduced cooking liquid and reheat on medium until hot, if it’s still warm inside, don’t bother. Portion the pork belly into 2 to 3 pieces. Place pork on a baking sheet and broil briefly about 3 to 4 inches from the heating element to get the exterior slightly crisp. Be very careful here, you don’t want it to burn. It should only take about a minute before you need to turn it to crisp the other side, so keep a close eye on it. Alternatively, you can sear the pork belly briefly in some hot oil on the stovetop, but I prefer the broiling method.

Plate: Swirl the celeriac puree on warmed individual serving plates and place a generous dollop of chutney on top. Place a portion of pork belly on top. Arrange the frisée salad around each dish and finish with a drizzle of the sauce over the pork belly.