Spanish-style longanisa, crispy pork belly and garlic breadcrumbs

"Everybody likes pork," says Peter Kuruvita "and nobody loves pork more than the people in the Philippines". In this recipe Peter pairs the much loved Filipino pork sausage (longanisa) with succulent roast pork belly, garlic, chilli, orange and crisp breadcrumbs. A marriage made in heaven.

• serves

  12

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  25 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 500 g crusty bread, torn into large chunks
• 200 g cooked pork belly with crackling (see Note) 
• 10 raw Longanisa sausage, or Spanish chorizo
• 125 ml (½ cup) olive oil
• 6 garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika 
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 oranges, peeled and sliced 
• chive flowers and chopped parsley, to serve

Chilli vinegar

• 100 ml suka iloko (sugar cane vinegar)
• 3 red or green birds eye chillies, finely chopped 
• 1 small onion, finely chopped 
• 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced

You will need to begin this recipe 1 day ahead.

Instructions

Place the torn bread into a sealable container. Add a pinch of salt. Pour 125 ml (½ cup) water over the bread. Cover and shake, then refrigerate overnight.

Remove the crackling from the pork and reserve. Cut the meat into 1 cm-thick slices.

For the chilli vinegar, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.

Place the longanisa sausage and 250 ml (1 cup) water into a heavy-based frying pan. Cook over high heat until the water has evaporated and the sausages start to cook in their own oil. Reduce the heat to low and continue cooking until the longanisa has a nice golden colour. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon, reserving the oil in the pan.

Add the pork to the pan and cook over high heat for 2 minutes or until golden, then remove from the pan and set aside. Reduce heat to medium, then add the olive oil and unpeeled garlic cloves to the pan. Cook until the cloves are soft inside and the skin is golden. Remove the cloves from the pan and set aside. 

Drain the bread and squeeze in your hands to remove the excess water. Add this to the pan and stir until golden and crunchy. Add the paprika, pork, Longanisa and garlic. Season to taste and stir until heated through. Serve with a slice of orange, a piece of crushed crackling and a sprinkling of chopped chive flowers and parsley. Serve with the chilli vinegar on the side.

Note

• To cook the pork belly, place the meat in a bamboo steamer, covered, over a wok of boiling water for 30 minutes. Remove and, while the belly is still hot, lightly score the skin at 1 cm intervals using a sharp knife, then rub salt into the score marks. Place the belly on foil, folding the sides up to the skin, leaving the skin uncovered. Place into a deep tray and add water until the belly is half submerged. Roast for 30 minutes at 240°C (fan-forced) or until the skin is crisp and crackling.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.