PORK BELLY SKEWERS WITH SUGAR SNAPS & WATERCRESS SAUCE

Recipes & food styling Ben Bayly / Photography Sam Stewart

	600g pork belly, de-skinned
	zest of 2 lemons, plus juice of 1 lemon
	5g ground peppercorns
	15g flaky salt
	1 tablespoon chopped thyme leaves
	1 tablespoon chopped rosemary leaves
	1 teaspoon ground fennel seeds
	a lug of good olive oil
	SUGAR SNAPS
	100ml apple cider vinegar
	20g mint, crushed plus an extra 10g, chopped, to serve
	2 handfuls sugar snaps
	100g peas
	2 tablespoons olive oil
	WATERCRESS DIPPING SAUCE
	200g watercress
	50ml crème fraîche
	zest of 1 lemon
	30ml olive oil

1.	Slice the pork belly into squares about 3cm x 3cm and ½ cm thick.
2.	To make the marinade, mix together the lemon zest, peppercorns, salt, thyme, rosemary and fennel seeds.
3.	Rub into the pork and marinate for 2 hours in the fridge.
4.	Skewer the pork belly, leaving a small gap between each slice so it cooks evenly.
5.	Fire up a charcoal barbecue and let the coals die down low – pork belly needs to be cooked long and slow, so be patient.
6.	Cook for 15-20 minutes, turning frequently.
7.	Be careful of flare ups with the hot fat; if that happens it means your coals are too hot.
8.	Once cooked through, season with lemon juice and olive oil.
9.	Serve with the sugar snaps and watercress dipping sauce.
10.	SUGAR SNAPS
11.	Simmer the vinegar and crushed mint for 1 minute, then let it sit for 5 minutes off the heat.
12.	Strain the vinegar and reserve.
13.	Discard the mint.
14.	Gently fry the sugar snaps and peas in olive oil for a few minutes until tender.
15.	Deglaze the pan by adding the vinegar and letting it bubble up, scraping the base of the pan with a wooden spoon.
16.	To serve, scatter over the fresh chopped mint.
17.	WATERCRESS DIPPING SAUCE
18.	Bring a pot of water to the boil add a tablespoon of salt.
19.	Add the watercress and boil for 1 minute, then strain through a sieve, pushing out any excess water with a ladle.
20.	Put the watercress in a blender with the crème fraîche, lemon zest and olive oil and blend until smooth.
21.	Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
22.	Serve warm or chill in the fridge to thicken and serve cold for a contrast in temperature to the hot, fatty pork skewers.

Ben Bayly

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