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Jack Monroe’s Spicy Pork Belly with Prune Chutney

Canned fruit is great to work with, as it's always in season! In this thrifty recipe, Jack Monroe marinates pork belly in Chinese 5 spice and fennel - this dry rub is then used to flavour a silky prune chutney. It's a great autumnal supper recipe - serve with creamy mash and seasonal veg.

20 minutes, plus overnight marinating time prep, 1 hour 40 minutes cook

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

1 x 425g can of Del Monte Prunes in Juice

2 fat cloves of garlic

1 tbsp light coloured vinegar (cider, red, white or rice are all fine)

1 tbsp light cooking oil

1 tsp Chinese five spice

1 tsp fennel seeds

½ tsp coarse salt

Plenty of black pepper

800g pork belly, sliced

1 large onion, sliced finely

2 large stalks of celery, sliced finely

Method

Strain the prunes, separating the juice into a large jar with a lid for the marinade. Set the prunes to one side while you make the marinade for the pork. Peel and crush your garlic and add to the juice, along with the vinegar and a little oil. Mix together the Chinese five spice, fennel, and salt and pepper. Add most of this seasoning to the marinade jar, keeping a little to one side. Screw the lid on tightly and shake well to mix and emulsify the marinade.

Pop the pork into a container and pour three quarters of the marinade carefully all over. Refrigerate for 6-24 hours.When it’s time to cook the pork, remove it from the fridge and leave for 20 minutes to reach room temperature.

Preheat your oven to 210°C/ Fan 190°C/ Gas 6. Transfer the pork to the small roasting dish and pour over the marinade to just below where the top fat layer starts. Rub the remaining salt-and-spice marinade onto the exposed fat. Pop the pork belly in for 10-12 minutes to crisp the fat to crackling. Turn the heat down to 140°C/ Fan 120°C/ Gas 1 and cook for a further 90 minutes.

Remove from the oven and place each piece on a wire rack to rest for 10 minutes before serving.

For the gravy, combine one tbsp each of oil (or butter) and flour in a small saucepan over a low heat. Gradually add the juices, stirring the whole time, and thin with a little stock or water as desired. Taste and season.

For the chutney, de-stone the prunes by gently squeezing them, and pop them into a saucepan. Add the onion and celery along with the remaining marinade and an extra tablespoon of vinegar. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for around 25 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer to a clean, heatproof jar, screw the lid on while it’s hot and leave to cool completely, before labelling and popping in the fridge.

Cook’s Tip: If you don’t want to use the left-over juices to make a gravy, you can use them as the base for a casserole or stew with any leftover pork, beans and root vegetables – it’s far too good to waste!