• The sweet gooseberries are a perfect match for the soft and tender pork with crunchy crackling. This rolled pork belly with gooseberry and almond chutney is the perfect Sunday lunch.

    Rolled pork belly with gooseberry and almond chutney

    Serves: 4
    Cooking Time: 3 hrs

    Ingredients

    • Rolled pork belly

    • 1,2kg pork belly
    • 15ml (1 tbsp) garlic, finely chopped
    • salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
    • olive oil, to drizzle
    • Gooseberry and almond chutney

    • 10ml (2 tsp) olive oil
    • 1 (about 180g) onion, peeled and finely chopped
    • 5ml (1 tsp) fresh ginger, finely grated
    • 5ml (1 tsp) garlic, finely chopped
    • 130g yellow apples, chopped
    • 155g gooseberries + extra, to garnish
    • 180ml (¾ cup) orange juice
    • 125ml (½ cup) red wine vinegar
    • 125ml (½ cup) water
    • 100g brown sugar
    • 5ml (1 tsp) yellow mustard seeds
    • 1,25ml (¼ tsp) salt
    • 50g almonds, finely chopped
    • microherbs, to garnish
    • raw baby spinach salad, to serve (optional)

    Instructions

    1

    For the pork belly, preheat the oven to 200°C. Lay the belly, skin-side up, on a clean surface. Position it so that the shorter sides are on the left and right. Using a sharp knife, score the skin without puncturing the meat by making long, thin slits from left to right. Turn the pork belly over and rub the 15ml (1 tbsp) garlic onto the meat. Season and roll it up, with the skin on the outside, from one short side to the other. Secure with a few pieces of kitchen string. Drizzle with olive oil and roast in the oven, 20 minutes. Lower the heat to 180°C and roast for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Turn the heat back up to 200°C and roast for a further 30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow the meat to rest, 10 – 15 minutes, before carving.

    2

    For the chutney, heat the olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the onion and gently sauté for 5 minutes. Add the ginger, 5ml (1 tsp) garlic and apples and fry for a further 2 minutes. Stir in the gooseberries, orange juice, vinegar, water, sugar, mustard seeds and salt and simmer until tender, 30 minutes, stirring regularly. Add the chopped nuts and allow to cool.

    3

    Serve the pork belly slices with a bit of chutney on the side and garnish with microherbs and fresh gooseberries. To complete the meal, you can serve this dish alongside a simple baby spinach salad with a splash of olive oil and lemon juice, if desired.

    ALSO SEE: Sticky maple and ginger-glazed pork belly with crunchy crackling and hot English mustard

    Sticky maple and ginger-glazed pork belly with crunchy crackling and hot English mustard

    Imka Webb
    Author

    Imka Webb is a freelance digital marketing expert and the digital editor of Food & Home Entertaining magazine.  www.imkawebb.com