Porchetta with Home-made Apple Sauce Recipe

How to Make Porchetta with Home-made Apple Sauce

Method

  1. Remove pork belly from packaging and pat dry with paper towel. With a sharp knife, score (or re-score) the rind at 1cm intervals, being careful not to cut into the meat. Place unwrapped pork belly in baking dish, uncovered for a minimum of 1 hour, preferably overnight for best results.
  2. Preheat oven to 220°C (200°C fan-forced). Rub the pork skin with olive oil and season with salt – both on the meat and skin.
  3. Finely chop the parsley and rosemary and place in a medium-sized bowl. Add the oregano, lemon zest, garlic and oil and combine. Place the pork skin-side down on a chopping board. Spread the herb mixture over the pork. Roll up the pork, skin on the outside, to form a log shape. Tie with kitchen twine at 3cm intervals to hold the roll in shape.
  4. Place pork in a roasting pan. Roast for 30 minutes or until the skin starts to crackle. Reduce heat to 180°C (160°C fan-forced) and cook for 1½-2 hours or until the meat is tender and crackling is crisp. Remove and set aside to rest, loosely covered with foil, for 15 minutes before cutting into thick slices using a serrated knife to cut the crackling.
  5. Meanwhile, cut the red onion into wedges. Peel, core and cut apples into wedges. Place onion and apple in a baking dish and drizzle with oil and vinegar, then sprinkle with thyme leaves. Season with salt and black pepper. Bake in the oven alongside the pork for 30-40 minutes or until very tender. Roughly chop 3 apple wedges and fold into the apple sauce, if you like it chunky.
  6. To make the apple sauce, wash, peel and core your apples. Zest and juice the lemon.
  7. Combine 2 tablespoons of cold water, apples and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice in a small saucepan. Bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 12-14 minutes or until the apples soften. Stir in the sugar and lemon rind. Allow to cool slightly. With a stick mixer, purée the apple mixture until smooth.
  8. Serve apple sauce warm or cold with your porchetta.

For more tips on how to make the perfect pork crackle, see our recipe and video here: https://www.aldi.com.au/en/recipes/main-meals-recipes/perfect-pork-crackle-recipe/