Serves

4

Information

Preparation Time: 15 min Cook Time: 30 min plus 2hrs in the oven

Ingredients

1 piece of pork belly, about 30cmx30cm • Olive oil • 1 garlic bulb, cut in two • 1 onion, finely chopped • 250ml white wine • 500ml stock; chicken or pork; cubes or powder made up to 500ml • 1 bunch of thyme • 4 leeks, washed and thinly sliced • Butter • 250ml whipping cream • 6 tablespoons “Colmeia do Minho” runny honey

Method

Score the pork rind liberally, or ask your butcher to do this for you • Preheat the oven to 220ºC • Season the pork belly with salt and pepper, brush with olive oil and place into a roasting tin with the garlic bulb (reserve one clove for later) • Roast the pork for 1½ to 2 hours • After about an hour, remove the pork from the oven and brush with lots of honey • Continue this ritual throughout roasting, until the meat is tender and the crackling crispy • Remove the pork from the oven and leave to rest for 30 min. • Meanwhile, take the remaining fat from the roasting tin, add the onions and the wine, stir, and squeeze the garlic bulb into the liquid • Add the stock and thyme and bring to the boil • Reduce to about half, strain and season • Fry the leeks with the clove of garlic in some butter, until soft • Add cream and boil until the cream has thickened • Season and keep warm • To serve, slice pork into 5-cm pieces and place on top of the leeks • Pour sauce around the meat and serve with mashed potatoes