Recipe by Southern Ocean Lodge, Kangaroo Island
Serves 8
Pork belly
2kg free range boneless pork belly, skin on
2tbsp table salt
2tbsp sea salt flakes
¼ cup olive oil
Pre-heat oven to 180°C. Score the pork belly skin with a sharp knife 5mm deep then rub table salt into skin and leave to sit for 15min to cure. Remove table salt with damp cloth and dry with paper towel. Rub skin of pork belly with sea salt flakes and olive oil and place roasted tray, skin-side down, and cook in pre-heated oven for 90min. Turn pork belly over and cook skin-side up for a further 45min or until skin is blistered and crispy. Remove pork from oven and let rest for 20min before cutting.
Curry mustard mayonnaise
200ml cottonseed oil
1tsp Japanese mustard powder
1tbsp mild curry powder
1 dried curry leaf
6 white peppercorns
1tbsp black mustard seeds
1 cup mayonnaise
3tbsp sheep’s milk yoghurt
Zest of 1 lemon
Sea salt and ground white pepper, to taste
Combine cottonseed oil, mustard and curry powders, curry leaf, peppercorns and mustard seeds in a small heavy based pot and cook on low until bubbling, remove from the heat and cover to infuse for at least 2 hours, or ideally overnight. Once cool, strain through a coffee filter to discard spices. Gradually whisk oil into mayonnaise then add yoghurt and lemon zest and season with salt and ground white pepper to taste. Refrigerate until needed.
Muscatel relish
500g brown sugar
500ml water
2tbsp Earl Grey tea
250g dried muscatels (or sultanas)
2tsp fresh tamarind purée
50ml sherry vinegar
1 bay leaf
2 star anise
1 cinnamon quill
Bring sugar and 500ml water to boil then let boil for 3min. Pour hot syrup over tea and cover tightly. Set aside and steep for 7min. Strain syrup into a clean pot and discard the tea. Add muscatels, tamarind, vinegar and spices and cook on a medium heat until it becomes a thick and jam like consistency for approx 10-15min. Cool to room temperature, remove spices and refrigerate until needed.
Brassicas
300ml rice wine vinegar
300g raw sugar
1tsp salt
1 head purple or parmac cauliflower, trimmed into small florets
2 heads broccolini
1 head green cauliflower or broccoli, trimmed into medium florets
2tbsp olive oil
3tbsp unsalted butter
10 sprigs lemon thyme
Make pickling liquid by boiling rice wine vinegar, sugar and 1tsp salt in a heavy based pot. Cool pickling liquid to room temperature and pour over purple cauliflower florets. Place a piece of plastic cling wrap on top to submerge cauliflower florets and refrigerate overnight to pickle. Blanch green cauliflower in salted boiling water for 1min and refresh in iced water. Drain well and pan roast in olive oil, butter and thyme until slightly caramelised and still slightly firm to the bite. Season with sea salt flakes and cracked pepper and set aside. Blanch broccolini in salted boiling water for 1min and refresh in water as above. Drain well, season with salt and olive oil and char on grill or a very hot pan until slightly charred. Set aside.
To serve
16 caper berries
16 caper leaves
150g hazelnuts, toasted, peeled and cut in half
100g petite red elk leaf (or other petite mustard leaf)
Cut pork belly skin-side up with a sharp serrated knife into 8 even pieces and warm in oven. Spoon curry mustard mayonnaise onto a plate. Arrange pickled purple cauliflower, roasted green cauliflower and charred broccolini on top of the mayonnaise. Spoon muscatel relish irregularly around the brassica arrangement. Place two caper berries and two caper leaves on the plate. Sprinkle hazelnut halves over brassicas. Place pork belly on plate and garnish with red elk leaf.