Preparation Time: 20 Minutes
Cooking Temperature: High
Cooking Time: 7-9 Hours
Serves: 4
Pork belly is available in one piece in some supermarkets, but this is a cut that is best bought from a specialty butcher. Remember to ask for the "thickest" pat of the pork belly as this will be leaner and meatier.
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion chopped
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into chunks
1 yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into chunks
2 zucchini, about 12 oz, cut into chunks
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
13 oz can chopped tomatoes
2/3 cup red wine or chicken stock
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2-3 stems rosemary, leaves torn from sprigs
13/4 lb piece thick end pork belly, rind and string removed
Salt and pepper
Mashed potatoes, to serve
Directions:
Preheat the slow cooker if necessary; see the manufacturer’s handbook. Heat the oil in a skillet, add the onion and fry, stirring for 5 minutes or until just beginning to turn golden.
Add the peppers, zucchini, and garlic and fry for 2 minutes, then mix in the tomatoes and the wine or stock. Mix the cornstarch to a smooth paste with a little water, then stir into the pan with the rosemary leaves and some salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, stirring.
Pour half the mixture into the slow cooker pot, add the unrolled pork belly and cover with the rest of the vegetable mixture. Cover with the lid and cook on high for 7-9 hours or until the pork is almost falling apart.
If you like a thick sauce, ladle the juices out of the slow cooker pot into a saucepan and boil for 5 minutes to reduce. Cut the pork into 4 pieces, then spoon into shallow dishes and serve with mashed potatoes and the tomato sauce.
Excerpted with permission from The Complete Slow Cooker by Sara Lewis. Copyright Octopus Publishing Group Ltd 2010. Photo credit: Stephen Conroy.
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