Pork belly marinated in milk

Name: Pork belly marinated in milk
Ingredients: 6 thick slices of pork belly (1200 g); 200 ml milk; 1 teaspoon hot curry paste; 2 teaspoons shrimp paste; 15 ml lemon juice; 450 g Barilla penne rigate; 4000 ml water; 20 g salt; 15 ml olive oil; 1 garlic clove; 1 teaspoon curry powder; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; 200 ml cooking cream (20% fat); 70 g smoked cheese; 5 g fresh basil leaves

Meat - Pork belly marinated in milk by Valentina B. - Recipia

Pork belly marinated in milk cooks slowly in the oven until browned, and the meat stays tender. The curry, shrimp paste and lemon marinade goes with pasta in a thick smoked cheese sauce, so the side doesn’t sit apart from the meat. I tried this version with just a few additions and serve it on a plate alongside the pasta. Prep: 20 minutes. Cook: 1 hour and 42 minutes. Rest: 4 hours and 15 minutes. Total time: 6 hours and 17 minutes. Servings: 6. Approximately 1490 kcal and 32 g protein per serving.

Ingredients

For the pork

6 thick slices of pork belly (1200 g)
200 ml milk
1 teaspoon hot curry paste
2 teaspoons shrimp paste
15 ml lemon juice

For the pasta

450 g Barilla penne rigate
4000 ml water
20 g salt
15 ml olive oil
1 garlic clove
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
200 ml cooking cream (20% fat)
70 g smoked cheese
5 g fresh basil leaves

Preparation

1. Pat the pork slices dry with kitchen paper. Mix the slightly warm milk with the hot curry paste, shrimp paste and lemon juice. Put the meat in the marinade, turn the slices to coat them and leave covered in the fridge for 4 hours, turning them every 20-30 minutes. 2. Heat the oven to 150°C. Put the meat and all the marinade in a baking dish and bake for 70 minutes. 3. Turn the oven up to 200°C and bake for another 20 minutes, until the slices are browned and a fork goes easily into the meat. 4. Take the cream out of the fridge and leave it at room temperature for 15 minutes. Bring 4 litres of water and 20 g of salt to a boil. Cook the pasta for 10 minutes, one minute less than the time on the packet, then drain and reserve 250 ml of the cooking water. 5. Heat 15 ml of olive oil in a clean frying pan. Add the crushed garlic, curry powder and ground cumin and stir for one minute, until the spices are fragrant. 6. Add the pasta to the pan with 100 ml of the reserved water. Stir in the cream, then mix 3 tablespoons of hot sauce from the pan into it. Pour the cream back into the pan and simmer the sauce gently for one minute. 7. Take the pan off the heat, add the finely grated smoked cheese and stir. If the sauce is too thick, gradually thin it with up to 150 ml of the reserved water. Tear the basil leaves and scatter them on top.

Notes

The slices should be roughly the same thickness. Much thicker ones may need another 10-15 minutes in the oven, while thinner ones will brown faster. Pork belly with alternating layers of meat and fat works better than a piece that is almost all fat. Shrimp paste is salty, so salt the pasta water moderately. For an overnight marinade, keep the meat covered in the fridge, not on the counter. Store leftover meat and pasta separately in sealed containers in the fridge for up to 3 days. The meat has a texture reminiscent of slow-cooked roast pork; I serve it with a simple green salad. Rigatoni can replace the penne in the same quantity, checking the cooking time on the packet. The dish contains dairy, crustaceans and gluten.