Pork belly recipe by David Trafford with roasted sweet corn and red pepper salsa served with roast sweet potatoes and dates.
Ingredients
3 kg pork belly, skin on and bone-in
30 ml ground cumin
30 ml ground coriander
30 ml smoked paprika
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 sweet corn on the cob (mealies)
1 red pepper
½ onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped
15 ml peeled and finely chopped root ginger
1 red chilli, finely chopped
juice of 1 lemon
2 tomatoes, blanched, peeled, de-seeded, and diced
A handful of fresh coriander, roughly chopped
Recipe
Serves 8
Score the pork skin with a sharp knife. (We get our excellent pork from loostenberg Deli and Bistro in Stellenbosch, where it's already scored.') Mix together the cumin, coriander, and paprika and season with salt and generous amounts of pepper. Rub the seasoning into the meat.
Prepare a generous braai fire outside or in a Weber ('you'll need coals for at least 3 hours). While waiting for the coals, blanch the sweet corn whole in boiling water for 10 minutes, and then drain. Place the sweet corn and the whole red pepper on the grid while the coals are still hot, and blacken slightly all over.
Remove the sweet corn and pepper. Set aside the corn to cool but quickly peel the pepper while still hot and then set aside. Place the pork belly in the Weber over indirect coals. Roast for about 3 hours, turning frequently and keeping the coals going.
While the meat is roasting, prepare the salsa. Cut the red pepper into large strips, removing the pips. Shuck the cooled corn.
In a medium bowl, mix together the onion, garlic, ginger, and chilli. Add the lemon juice and set it aside to macerate for 10 minutes. Add the diced tomatoes, corn kernels, and red pepper strips and mix. Add the coriander, season with salt and pepper, mix again and set aside.
The pork will be ready when the skin is crisp, the meat starts coming away from the bone and clear juices run when a skewer is inserted into the meat. Remove from the grid and leave to rest in a warm place for 15 minutes before cutting into thick slices along the rib bones.
Serve with the salsa and Rita's roast sweet potatoes and dates.
Wine Pairing
De Trafford Syrah 393
Wine Notes
'A recent vintage is perfect with this dish: the youthful, intense fruit, a touch of spice, and soft texture work well with the spicy salsa and rich, fatty pork. The perfect combination to get fat and drunk at the same time!'
Recipe courtesy of Peter Goffe-Wood's Kitchen Cowboys
Rita’s roast sweet potatoes and dates
Ingredients
8 medium, red-skinned sweet potatoes, washed
45 ml butter
30 ml olive oil
juice of 2 oranges
12 fresh dates, de-pipped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Recipe
Preheat the oven to 200°C. Top and tail the sweet potatoes cut them into chunks and place in a roasting pan. Melt the butter, mix with the olive oil and pour over the sweet potatoes. Mix well, ensuring the sweet potatoes are well glazed.
Pour over the orange juice and mix well. Roast for 20 minutes, turning over the sweet potatoes halfway through the cooking time. Add the dates and continue to roast for a further 20 minutes until sweet potatoes are tender.