Christmas 2022 PORCHETTA & ROOT VEGGIES
Ingredients
PORCHETTA
- 2-3kg Sunpork Pork Belly
- 2-3 tbs salt flakes
- Olive oil
- 200ml salt reduced chicken stock
PORCHETTA STUFFING
- 1 pkt Dan & Steph Three Aussie Farmer Farmhouse sausages we use approx 3 – skins removed
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tbs fennel seeds
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- handful of fresh parsley
- 10 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 1/2 bunch fresh sage
- 1 green apple grated
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries chopped
- zest of 1 lemon
- Twine for tying
ROOT VEGETABLES
- 1 large sweet potato peeled & cut into wedges
- 1 bunch of beetroots trimmed (no need to peel them)
- 1 red onion peeled & wedged
- 1 bunch of baby carrots trimmed (no need to peel)
- 2 parsnips or normal potatoes peeled & cut into wedges or half
- 5 sprigs of fresh rosemary
- the other thyme & sage you have left over from the stuffing
- olive oil
- salt flakes
Notes
- The day before cooking your porchetta, prepare it & then you must leave it in the fridge over night before cooking – take the pork belly out of the packaging, pat dry the skin & score the skin in lines across the shortest width with a Stanley knife or sharp knife
- Stuffing – toast fennel & pine nutsÂ
- To a processor add garlic & herbs – process until broken down – add sausage meat, olive oil, lemon zest – process again until well combined – then add grated apple, cranberries, fennel & pine nuts – use your hands to mix well
- To stuff the pork belly – flip the belly over meat side up & evenly spread the stuffing all over the meat leaving about 2cm edge
- Roll the pork belly up making a long porchetta – keep the seem on the bench – get your twine & tie a good tight knot about 2cm from one end bringing them roll together – trim your twine but leave a good amount hanging (6cm or so) usually best to work from the end that’s closest to youÂ
- Now with the twine, with your right hand twist the twine into a loop & it should be the length of your porchetta – now use your left hand to lift up the porchetta & loop under with your right – now wiggle it down close to your first not then pull to tighten when in place – leave about 1.5/2cm gap between ties. When at the end loop the twine around the end of the porchetta (length ways) going under & then meeting the first bit of hanging twine at the top where you started – tie a good knot & trim your twine neatly – if this is too tricky just tie all the loops individually
- 30mins prior to baking – Rub over a good amount of olive oil & then sprinkle a good amount of salt getting into the scores you’ve made & place back into oven dish & add chicken stock so it just touches the porchettaÂ
- Preheat oven 250 degrees C – place into oven for 30mins minimum or until you have crackling all over – leave it a little longer if you don’t – this first step is the most important – dont reduce the oven temp until you have the crackling you desire – then reduce the heat to 150 degrees C for 2.5hrs & back to 250 degrees C for 15mins if your not satisfied with the crackle
- ROASTED ROOT VEGE –Prepare a large baking tray with some olive oi
- Arrange all your root vegetables over the tray – then place over herbs
- Give a generous sprinkling of salt & pepper and then a good glug of olive oil all over
- Bake in oven for the last 40-50mins of the porchetta – cook until all tender – perhaps half way through give them a little shake on the tray
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
