Pork Belly & Scallops
WITH A RED CURRANT JUS
A lot of the dishes I cook at home are inspired from either something I have eaten or the availability of ingredients. For this dish, I found myself with left over redcurrant and bacon jelly that I had made for Christmas day. I really wanted to create a dish that looked like a restaurant quality dish and the colours of the scallops against the pork belly worked really well. While the belly is slowly cooked, it is compressed by a brick which gives it a uniform shape and looks much better when served. Chilling the pork in the fridge before cooking not only allows you to cut the pork more easily, it also allows a second chance to crisp the skin as you warm it up! WINE SUGGESTION: Pork belly goes well with a light red, and this is a perfect half way house for a meaty shellfish and crispy and soft pork belly.
Ingredients
Pork
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500g organic pork belly
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Handful of chopped sage
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Salt and Pepper for seasoning
Redcurrant Jus
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1 tablespoon redcurrant jelly
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200ml good red wine
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1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
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500ml chicken stock or 1/2 stock cube
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A knob of butter
Scallops
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2 Scallops (per portion)
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Butter for cooking
Hints & Tips
You can dress the scallops with some very finely chopped shallots and friend pancetta for an additional porky flavour.
Method
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Season the pork with salt and pepper and cover the meat side with the sage.
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Place the fat side down onto a preheated baking tray, cover in foil and place a brick or another heavy object on top to ensure the pork stays flat while cooking. Cook for 4 hours on gas mark 3. When cooked, allow to cool and then place in the fridge (still under weight)
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Place the red wine, redcurrant jelly and balsamic vinegar into a small saucepan and reduce until it starts to get sticky and dark.
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Add in the chicken stock and reduce by 3/4.
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Whisk in a knob of butter and then take off heat.
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Sear the scallops for 2 minutes each side while basting with the butter.
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While the scallops cube the pork to inch size and fry gently, fat side down basting with the butter from the scallops, plate and serve.