Twice Cooked Pork Recipes

Steps:

• The day before you want to eat, lay the pork belly skinned-side down, season generously, scatter over the fennel seeds and crumble over 3 of the bay leaves. From the widest side, roll into a tight log and use some butcher's string to tie at regular intervals. (You could take some fennel seeds and bay to your butcher and ask them to do it for you.)
• Heat oven to 170C/150C fan/gas 3 1/2. Melt the butter in a large, shallow flameproof casserole dish or ovenproof sauté pan. Brown the pork all over (this will take a good 15 mins), then remove from the pan and add the vegetables and remaining bay leaves. Cook for about 10 mins until starting to colour. Nestle the pork among the veg. Pour over the cider and bring everything to a simmer, cover and cook in the oven for 2 hrs.
• When the pork is ready, leave to cool a bit, then remove the pork from the braise and chill. Strain the sauce into a jug and chill. Fish out the bay leaves and blitz the veg to a purée in a food processor. Tip into a bowl and chill.
• On the day, heat oven to 220C/ 200C fan/gas 8. Cut the pork into six rounds. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the pork, then put in the oven for 20 mins, turning halfway through, until crispy. Meanwhile, remove the solidified fat from the top of the braising juices, simmer until syrupy and reheat the purée. Serve everything in the middle of the table or smear some of the purée across plate, sit a piece of pork on top next to a burnt butter cabbage wedge, a piece of potato cake and some crackling (see 'Goes well with', right). Pour over some of the sauce and serve.

Steps:

• Sprinkle meat with salt and pepper. Put a large skillet over medium-high heat; a minute later add 2 tablespoons butter and/or oil. When butter foam subsides or oil dimples, add meat (curve it into skillet if necessary). Brown it well on all sides, for a total of 4 to 6 minutes. Turn off heat, remove meat from pan, and let it sit on a board. When skillet has cooled a bit, proceed.
• Cut meat into inch-thick slices. Once again turn heat to medium-high, add remaining butter and/or oil and, when it's hot, add pork slices to pan. Brown on each side, about 2 or 3 minutes each. Turn heat to low and remove meat to a warm platter.
• Add 1/2 cup water to pan, turn heat to high, and cook, stirring and scraping, for a minute. Lower heat slightly, add cream and cook until slightly thickened. Stir in mustard, lemon juice or Calvados, if you're using them, then taste and adjust seasoning. Serve meat with sauce spooned on top, garnished, if you like, with parsley.

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, place pork, water, soy sauce, slice of ginger, and star anise, and cook, uncovered, over medium heat, for 1 hour.
• Remove pork from liquid and cool thorughly; then slice into thin medallions.
• Mix together miso, sriracha, sherry, vinegar, and sugar, set aside.
• Stir-fry garlic, ginger, and red peppers in wok with oil over high heat for a few seconds, then add onions and pork slices, and cook for about 1 minute.
• Add the bell peppers and cook a few minutes more until the peppers are crisp-tender.
• Add reserved miso sauce mixture and cook until heated through.
• Serve with steamed hot rice.

Steps:

• Place pork, 6 scallions, ginger and salt in large pot. Add water to cover. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until tender. Remove meat, and discard liquid. When pork has cooled, remove skin and any bones. Cut meat in half crosswise, then slice it thinly lengthwise.
• Slice remaining scallions lengthwise, then in 3-inch pieces.
• Heat oil in wok or skillet. When very hot, add pork and stir-fry until lightly browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Pour off excess oil and fat. Add garlic and ginger, and stir-fry 10 seconds. Add scallions, and stir-fry 2 minutes. Add chili paste, rice wine, soy sauce, sugar and Sichuan pepper, and stir-fry another minute. Scatter with cilantro and serve.

Steps:

• Cook pork slightly in a nonstick skillet sprayed with non stick spray just until slightly pink in the center. Let cool 5 minutes and cut into thin strips.
• Heat oil in large skillet or wok over medium high heat. Stir fry onion and garlic for 2-3 minutes. Add cabbage, carrots, bell pepper, mushrooms, pork, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper; stir fry for 5 minutes until vegetables are crisp tender.
• Combine chicken broth and cornstarch in a small cup until smooth. Add to skillet; cook and stir gently about 1 minute or until slightly thickened.
• Serve over rice.

Steps:

• Day 1: Prep the pork:
• Place pork shoulder on a rimmed baking sheet. Season with 1 tablespoon each kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Cover pork with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
• Day 2: Cook the pork:
• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Heat a large heavy pot (such as a Dutch oven) over high; add 1/4 cup oil, onion, carrot, and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables start to sizzle; reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, herbs, and spices and sauté for 1 minute more. Add the wine and bring to a simmer.
• Place the pork on top of the aromatics and add enough stock or water to come halfway up the pork. Bring liquid to a simmer, and then cover pot with a lid or a couple layers of foil.
• Transfer pot to oven and cook for 10 minutes; reduce heat to 325°F and cook until the meat is quite tender, about 3 hours. (To test for doneness, insert a slender, sharp knife into the middle of the roast; it should pull out easily.)
• When meat is cooked, transfer it to a separate container, reserving the pan juices. Set a colander over a large bowl, and strain the pan juice into the bowl, pressing on the solids to extract all the liquid. Let strained pan juices until fat rises to the top, about 5 minutes. With a small ladle, skim off and discard the fat. Pour the skimmed, strained pan juices over the pork and let cool to room temperature; cover and refrigerate overnight.
• Day 3: Crisp the pork and make the sauce:
• One hour before you're ready to serve the pork, remove the meat from its cooking liquid and cut (while still cold) into neat 1-inch slices; set aside. Pour cooking liquid in a medium saucepan; bring to a simmer and reduce by a third. Season to taste, cover, and keep warm.
• While your pork comes to room temperature, prepare the salsa verde. Line a large plate with a paper towel, and place it next to the stove, alongside a slotted spoon or "spider" spatula. In a small skillet, heat 1/2 inch of vegetable oil over medium heat. When the oil starts to look swirly, drop in a single rosemary leaf to test for readiness: if it sinks quietly to the bottom, the oil's not ready. When a leaf sizzles, but not in a frantic way, you are ready to fry.
• Add the rosemary leaves to the oil and fry until the sizzling subsides, about 1 minute. Using the slotted spoon or spider, scoop the herbs from the oil and place the on the paper-towel-lined plate. Repeat with the sage leaves in the same oil; remove skillet from heat.
• On a cutting board, gather the parsley leaves into a ball, holding them down on the cutting board as if they were trying to run away. Slice this parsley bundle thinly, as if it were a single vegetable. As you slice, the ball will come apart, but just bunch it back together as best you can, keep slicing, and you'll have a nice head start on the chopping that remains. Anchor the tip of the knife to the cutting board and use a paper cutter-like motion to chop away at your pile. Go over it a couple of times, then slide the knife under, like a spatula, and flip it over. Continue chopping and flipping until the parsley is finely chopped; transfer to a medium bowl.
• Render the garlic a paste by either pounding it in a mortar with a pinch of salt, or with a knife on a cutting board, again with salt. When the garlic is almost a thick liquid, transfer it the bowl with the parsley; add the fried herbs and the olive oil. Stir salsa verde to combine, adding more salt or oil as needed.
• To serve:
• Heat a grill, grill pan, griddle, or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, coat the grill or pan with 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Working in batches and adding more oil as needed, cook until well browned and crispy on both sides, about 2 minutes per side.
• Pour the reduced pan juices onto a serving platter with the pork (but not over the slices or they will lose some crispness) and arrange pork slices on top. Serve with salsa verde spooned over the top, or served alongside.

Steps:

• Place bacon and ginger in a medium stockpot. Cover with water. Bring to a boil, skimming as necessary to remove fat. Reduce heat to simmer, and cook, covered for 40 minutes. (This can be made ahead up to this point and refrigerated overnight.) Remove bacon from liquid. Remove bones, and discard. Slice meat crosswise into slices 1/4 inch thick. Reserve liquid for Pork Broth with Tofu and Vegetables. Discard ginger.
• Place wok over high heat. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil and heat until smoking. Add garlic, hot bean sauce, and sliced bacon. Cook until lightly browned, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Transfer from wok to plate. Rinse wok, and wipe dry.
• Return wok to heat. Add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Heat until smoking. Add kohlrabi and salt. Stir to combine. Add cooked meat, scallions, soy sauce, and chile oil. Cook until heated through, about 2 minutes. Remove from wok to serving dish. Drizzle with sesame oil. Serve immediately.