Ingredients

Pork Belly:

600g piece of pork belly, skin on

Large handful parsley

Large hanndful sage

Large handful rosemary

4 large cloves garlic

1/2tbsp fennel seeds

1 white onion

75ml olive oil + extra to coat onions

Sea salt

Sausage & Apricot Stuffing:

1tbsp butter

1/2tbsp olive oil

1/2 white onion, diced

25g pine nuts

8 sage leaves, finely chopped

Small handful parsley, finely chopped

60g dried apricots, diced

75g bread crumbs

200g sausage meat

Salsa Verde:

Large handful of parsley

Large handful of basil

Small handful of mint

1 large garlic cloves

4 anchovy fillets

1tbsp capers

40ml extra virgin olive oil

Sandwich Assembly:

Nice bread – ciabatta or foccacia work well

A few tbsp good quality mayo

Pork Belly:

1. Preheat the oven to 250°C/230°C fan (or as hot as it will go)
2. Toast the fennel seeds in a dry pan until fragrant. Grind them in a pestle & mortar.
3. Put the herbs, garlic, fennel seeds & olive oil into a food processer & pulse until the garlic & herbs are broken down. You want this to be a little chunky still, not a paste.
4. Slice your onion into coins & place these in the bottom of the roasting tin, this will form the bed for the pork. Lightly coat these in olive oil.
5. Score the pork belly skin in diagonal strips. Score the underside of the belly into diamonds (i.e. diagonal cuts in both directions)
6. Rub the fleshy side of the pork generously with sea salt, followed by the herb mix. Place the pork herb side down onto the onions.
7. Pat the skin dry with kitchen roll, then salt the skin generously. It’s important to do this just before you put it in the oven, if left out the salt will draw the water of the skin and will need to be dried again.
8. Put the pork in the over for 10-20 mins or until the skin crisps up. Reduce the heat to 160°C/140°C fan & cook for a further 1-1.5 hours.
9. If at the end of the cooking time the skin needs crisping up a little, cook under a hot grill until crisp. Keep a VERY close eye on this, it can burn very quickly.

Sausage & Apricot Stuffing:

1. Heat the butter & oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the onion & cook until softened (about 5-10 mins) – try not to let these catch.
2. Toast the pine nuts in the oven with the pork for about 5-10 mins until golden. Keep a very close eye on these as they can burn very quickly!
3. Combine all remaining ingredients in a bowl, with the fried onions & toasted pine nuts. Season with salt & pepper (you can taste for seasoning by frying up a small amount)
4. Push the stuffing mix into a baking dish (22x16cm)
5. Bake in the oven for 45mins-1hour until golden on top & cooked through.

Salsa Verde:

1. Chop all ingredients bar the oil on a board until finely chopped.
2. Transfer this to a bowl & mix with the oil.

Assembly:

1. I like to warm the bread in the oven for 5-10 mins before assembly.
2. Remove the crackling from the pork belly & set aside. Slice the pork belly.
3. I like to make my sandwiches on a piece of foil so when they’re done I can wrap them up tightly. This makes for easier eating
4. Cut the bread open. Spread mayo on the bottom layer, add the pork belly on top followed by the roasting tin onions. Add stuffing followed by a heapinng dollop of the salsa verde. Top with the other half of the bread & enjoy!