Kale and Ale
Kale & Ale
Kale Pesto and Sweet Crusted Pork Belly
Kale, the winter dish, is often heavy and greasy. After all, cabbage is considered a superfood and has a high vitamin C content. It is important that the cabbage is not "boiled to death", but gently steamed or stewed for a short time. As a pesto with hazelnuts and sufficient acidity, cabbage tastes fresh. Serve with a confit pork belly to counteract the cold outside. It goes perfectly with a non-alcoholic Pale Ale.
The pesto:
200 g kale
100 g hazelnuts roasted
80 g parmesan grated
2 lemons / juice
Clean the kale, wash, remove the hard stems and roughly chop. Cook the kale in boiling sugar - salted water for about 2-3 minutes, rinse in cold water and shake dry well. Peel and chop the garlic. Roast the hazelnuts in a pan. Puree the kale with the hazelnuts, Parmesan, garlic, lemon juice, salt, pepper, a pinch of sugar and oil to a creamy pesto. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
The belly:
600 - 800 g organic! pork belly.
3 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
4 shallots, roughly chopped
5 star anise
3 cloves
6 allspice seeds
1 teaspoon black pepper
120 g salt
60 g honey
500 ml water
100 ml soy sauce
Olive oil amount depending on the mould (the meat must be well covered)
1/2 teaspoon honey
1 tablespoon icing sugar
The whole process takes 3 days, marinate for 1 day, cook for 1 day and then leave to cool overnight
Day 1:
Mix garlic, shallots, spices, honey, water, soy sauce and salt in a pot and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes and then cool.
Place the pork belly with the pickle in a ziplock bag and leave in the fridge overnight. The pork belly should always be completely covered with the pickle.
Day 2:
Preheat the oven to 110 ° C. Remove the pork belly from the brine, rinse thoroughly and pat dry. Place the belly, skin side down, in an ovenproof dish only slightly larger than its contents. The more suitable the size, the less fat is needed to confit the pork. Heat sufficient oil to cover the pork belly in its mould by at least 2 cm, then cover with aluminium foil.
Cook the pork in the oven for 4- 5 hours until soft and tender.
Gently lift the meat out of the mould. Place on a board with the skin facing up. Prick the skin carefully. Use 30 toothpicks tied with a rubber band. Do not prick the fat layer underneath.
Place the pork belly skin side down in a baking dish, cover with cling film and weigh down with a flat plate.
Day 3:
Cut the pork belly into squares or rectangles, depending on the size. Heat three tablespoons of the confit fat in a non-stick frying pan and carefully brown the pork belly slowly, skin side down.
Allow the skin to crisp up over a low heat for about 14-18 minutes. Then turn briefly to heat the meat side as well.
Brush the skin side thinly with honey and cover with an even layer of icing sugar. So thick that you can't see the skin underneath. Caramelise the sugar with a flambe burner. Leave the caramel layer to harden. Turn the pork belly crème brûlée side down and cut into bite-sized pieces with a super-sharp knife.