A delicious roasted pork belly with pesto is essential to a Sunday dinner. The soft meat and rendered fat makes for an amazing savoury main dish.
Porchetta with Pesto Sauce
Ingredients
- One boneless pork belly, about 5 pounds
- 2 tbsp fennel seeds (crushed)
- 3 tbsp chopped mixed herbs (rosemary, sage, thyme leaves)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- Salt and pepper
Pesto Sauce
- 1 bunch (about 2 cups) basil leaves
- 1/2 cup pine nuts
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
- 1/2 olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place pork skin-side down. Score the pork belly with diamond pattern.
- Now place the pork skin-side up. I use a meat tenderizer to put holes in the skin. Season with salt and refrigerate uncover for overnight. This will reduce the moisture and result in a crispy skin.
- If you see some moisture on the pork belly, use a paper towel to remove it.
- Mix fennel seeds, mixed herbs, garlic, salt and pepper. Rub the mixture into the cracks in the meat. Season the skin with salt and pepper only.
- Roll belly into tight log. Tie around the log with butcher’s string.
- Preheat the oven at 300ºF, roast for about 2 hours. Check and it should have very little resistance when you poke it.
- Increase oven temperature to 500ºF, continue roasting until completely crisp.
Pesto Sauce
- Combine all ingredients into a food processor. Pour in olive oil slowly with the processor running.