Recipe of the day: crispy roast pork belly with avocado

This dish is a delicious fusion of flavours and textures, perfect for any occasion. The star of the meal, the pork belly, is seasoned to perfection and slow-roasted until its skin turns irresistibly crispy, creating a satisfying crunch with every bite. The rich, tender meat beneath the crackling contrasts beautifully with the freshness of creamy avocado.

• Prep: 30 minutes + refrigeration

Recipe

For the pork belly:

• 2 kg (3-4 cm thickness) boneless pork belly with the skin
• 2 heads garlic, broken into cloves and peeled
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) avocado or olive oil
• 60 ml (¼ cup) sea salt flakes
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) cumin seeds
• 2 handfuls sage

  For the avo mustard sauce:

• ½ x 385 g tin condensed milk
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) white wine vinegar
• 15 ml (1 tbsp) whole grain mustard
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) milk
• ½ avocado, mashed
• Salt and pepper

For the spiced avo:

• 15 ml (1 tbsp) smoked or plain paprika
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) Cajun spice
• 15 ml (1 tbsp) dried chilli flakes
• 2 avocados, halved, stoned and peeled

Method

1. For the pork belly, score the skin 1 cm apart with a sharp knife or minora blade. To dry out, leave the pork uncovered in the fridge for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 180°C. Scatter the garlic over the base of a baking dish. Rub the oil all over the pork, followed by half of the sea salt flakes. Place the pork skin-side down on top of the garlic and sprinkle with cumin. Roast for 1 hour.
3. Increase the oven to 230°C. Turn the pork over and sprinkle with the remaining salt. Tuck the sage in underneath the pork and roast for about 1 hour or until the skin is golden and crunchy (cover pieces that browns too much with foil).
4. For the sauce, blitz together all the ingredients. Season with salt and pepper.
5. For the spiced avo slices, combine the paprika, Cajun and chilli flakes. Press the avo halves, cut side down into the spice mix.
6.  Thickly slice. Serve with the pork and sauce.

Recipe supplied by: avocado.co.za

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