RECIPE: Confit pork belly by Matt Sworder, The Corner House Canterbury

Ingredients

1 x pork belly skinned and boned

3kg pork fat

2 tablespoons toasted and chopped fennel seeds

3 tablespoons garlic and shallot confit (see below)

Zest of 2 lemons

1/3 bunch rosemary, picked and chopped

Method

Lightly season the pork belly on what would be the inside once rolled.

Rub the confit on the pork before sprinkling the toasted fennel seeds, lemon & rosemary liberally across the pork.

Tie tightly with butcher’s string, place in a deep roasting tray and cover with pork fat, baking parchment and tin foil

Confit for approximately 3 hours on 150ºc until tender

Cut away the string and wrap tightly in cling film for a perfect barrel shape

Chill in the fridge to firm up before portioning

Once firm, slice a portion 2.5cm and bake in an oven for 12 minutes at 180ºC

Garlic and shallot confit

Ingredients

100g garlic, peeled

100g shallot, peeled

200ml rapeseed oil

1tbsp chopped thyme

Salt and pepper

Place all the ingredients in a saucepan, excluding the thyme, cover with baking paper and have on a low heat for 20 minutes until the garlic and shallots are totally soft

Whizz in a blender, add the chopped thyme, and season with salt and pepper

This is a fantastic basic ingredient to keep in your fridge. It will keep refrigerated for 1 month if covered with cling film and stored correctly