Slow-Braised Pork Belly with Wilted Greens, Olives and Capers Recipe

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Pork Belly with greens, olives and capers photo
Pork Belly with greens, olives and capers photo
(Image credit: Smashing Plates by Maria Elia)
Serves4
By
published
in Recipes

A delicious pork recipe that makes for a wonderful Autumn dinner, try this tasty meaty dish today.

HOW TO MAKE SLOW-BRAISED PORK BELLY WITH WILTED GREENS, OLIVES AND CAPERS

Taken from Smashing Plates by Maria Elia (Kyle Books; £19.99)

Method

  1. Remove the skin from the pork belly and cut the meat into four equal pieces; season each with salt. Heat a little olive oil in a large,

  2. heavy-based saucepan. Add the pork and cook over a high heat until browned on each side. Transfer to a plate

  3. Add the onion, leek, fennel, garlic and anchovies to the pan and cook over a medium heat for about 10 minutes, or until the onion and leeks are tender. Return the pork to the pan, add the wine and heat until reduced by half

  4. Add the chicken stock (this should be about 2cm short of covering the pork) then bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 1½ hours

  5. Add the greens, broccoli, capers and olives and stir to combine the leaves with the cooking liquor. Cover and simmer for a further 30 minutes, by which time the pork should be tender and the greens and broccoli wilted. If necessary, continue to cook the pork, covered, until the meat is tender (the time taken will depend on the thickness of the belly); if you want to serve the pork with butter beans or black-eyed peas, add them now. Remove the pork and leave it to rest in a warm place

  6. Add the lemon juice and season the greens to taste. Stir in the parsley and serve in deep bowls.

Ingredients

  • 1.5kg piece of pork belly
  • a good glug of olive oil
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 leek, finely chopped
  • 1 small fennel bulb, finely sliced
  • 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 6 salted anchovies, finely chopped
  • 350ml white wine
  • 800ml chicken stock
  • 500–600g mixed leafy greens, such as a mix of spinach, chard (red or green), kale, dandelion or similar, torn into rough pieces
  • 200g broccoli, roughly chopped
  • 50g capers, rinsed
  • 100g pitted green olives, roughly chopped
  • juice of ½ lemon, to taste
  • 30g finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Top Tip for making Slow-Braised Pork Belly with Wilted Greens, Olives and Capers

If you prefer, you can cook the pork (covered) in the oven instead of simmering on the hob. Cook for the same length of time at 180C/Gas 4.