Akaroa Salmon And Havoc Pork Belly

Ingredients

10 whole cloves
2 cinnamon sticks, broken into bits
1.2kg piece pork belly
1 large onion, thickly sliced
1 large carrot, sliced lengthways
25g caster sugar
100ml cider
50ml white wine vinegar
salt
ground black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
½ Granny Smith apple, skinned, peeled
and finely diced
150ml Madeira Sauce (see recipe below)
½ savoy cabbage
250ml cream
1 tbsp black truffle paste or 1 medium
white or black truffle, finely diced
1 small side of salmon, skin on, boned and
cut into 6 portions salt, preferably herb
salt if available
Madeira Sauce (400mls)
300ml Madeira port
300ml water
2 tbsp Simon Gault Home
Cuisine beef stock
4 tsp corn flour
1 tbsp butter
Cracked pepper to taste

Instructions

Pork Belly

In a food processor, blend together the salt, cardamom, bay leaves, peppercorns, cloves and cinnamon. Rub this mixture on both sides of the pork belly, then place the meat on a tray and refrigerate for 7 hours or overnight. Rinse the pork under cold water then score the skin with a very sharp knife at 5mm intervals, penetrating just through the skin. Place the pork in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil, then remove the pork from the water. Place the chopped onion and carrot on a baking tray with the pork belly resting skin-side up on top of the vegetables. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Roast for between 1¾–2 hours depending on the thickness or until the scored skin is crispy and golden.When cooked, the meat should easily pull apart. Set aside until ready to use.

Creamed Savoy Cabbage

Trim the stalks and thinly slice the cabbage leaves. In a large saucepan of boiling salted water, blanch the cabbage until soft. Rinse under cold running water and drain. In a medium saucepan, bring the cream to the boil. Add the truffle paste or diced truffle and simmer until the bubbles start to slow and the mixture begins to thicken. Add the cabbage, season with salt and pepper, then set aside.

Apple cider gastrique

Caramelise the sugar with 2 tablespoons of water over a low–medium heat, taking care that it does not burn. Add the cider and vinegar. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the apple and Madeira sauce. Set aside

Maderia Sauce

Heat a sauce pan and pour in the Madeira port, bring to the boil and reduce by half. In a bowl mix the water with 2 tablespoons of beef stock concentrate & corn flour. Pour the water mixture into the pan and stir while bringing back to the boil, then whisk in the butter and remove from the heat and finish with the cracked pepper. Set aside until required.

Assembly

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Season both sides of the salmon with salt. In a large ovenproof frying pan, heat the oil until it begins to shimmer. Place the salmon, skin-side down, into the pan and immediately transfer it to the oven for 6–8 minutes. The salmon flesh will lighten in colour when it is cooked. While the salmon is cooking, reheat the pork, cabbage and gastrique sauce. Cut the pork belly into six even pieces. Place one at one end of each hot plate and a serving of the creamed cabbage at the other end. Top the cabbage with a piece of salmon, then finish by saucing the pork belly with the gastrique.