Crackling roast pork with a flavourful combination of fennel, sage and garlic for a tasty Sunday treat!
There's nothing quite like a satisfying crackling roast pork that's crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside. The secret to having a crispy outer layer is the help of a good quality chef's knife.Whether you need to sharpen your cooking skills at home or in a professional kitchen, the first step is having a good quality knife. I swear by the entire range of Global knives and always have since I was introduced to them on MasterChef Australia. Global's knife blades are incredibly thin to allow for a sleek, sharper edge slice. Food preparation is a much faster process when your knives allow you the ability to slice evenly.
Their seamless stainless steel construction, Global’s signature dotted grip, and the distinctively shaped handles are just one of the things I love about these knives!
It is also commonly said that food is art. Personally, I think a chef’s secret to the most satisfactory visual outcome of a dish lies extensively in the knife work. The Global knife will guarantee that even the home cook is able to create a textural and beautiful dish right in the comfort of their own home. An example is the art of creating the perfect pork crackling. The secret to making the perfect crackling is that the meat's skin and fat must be scored with an extremely sharp knife. Slicing the meat allows the heat to penetrate the fat through the skin to dry it out. Always ensure you thoroughly pat the skin dry with a paper towel, and don’t be shy when adding salt.
The recipe below is largely similar to porchetta, but instead of the traditional pork belly, pork loin is used as we can easily slice around it in preparation for the stuffing. The inside is filled with the perfect marriage of flavours – fennel, garlic, and sage. Lastly, place some vegetables around your roast and serve!
Roast Pork with Fennel and Sage Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 pork loin
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp toasted pine nuts
- 1 tbsp toasted fennel seeds
- Black cracked pepper
- 1 bunch of sage
- 1 lemon rind
- 2 tbsp white wine
- 4-5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
- Rock salt to taste
Roasting extras - fennel, red onion, apple, garlic & rosemary
Method:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 240 degrees.
2. Blitz together the garlic, pine nuts, fennel seeds, black pepper, sage, lemon rind, white wine and one tablespoon of EVOO in a food processor (alternately you can use a mortar and pestle).
3. Pat dry the pork with a paper towel and score the skin horizontally every 2cm in diameter with a very sharp knife.
4. Flip the pork over and carefully slice around the centre as pictured.
5. Rub your fennel and sage herb and spice mix from edge to edge.
6. Turn your pork back to its original position and seal tightly with 4-5 pieces of kitchen twine.
7. Pat the skin dry again if any moisture has escaped.
8. Add the pork to a baking tray and surround it with your sliced apple, red onion, fennel, whole garlic and herbs such as rosemary and thyme (optional).
9. Lather the pork skin with the remaining EVOO and rub on the rock salt.
10. Blast it in the oven for approximately 25 minutes until you can see the skin has crackled. When it has, turn the oven temperature down to 180 degrees and cook for a further 45 minutes or until cooked through.
11. Rest for 15 minutes once out of the oven before removing the twine, slicing and serving.
Next Read: Red Wine Fettucine
