Pork belly with apples

Now if you are looking for a Sunday lunch on a budget then try and make belly pork like this. The good thing about belly pork is it that it is cheap and does not take long to cook. So to roast this takes about  50 minutes altogether. Also if you are like me you enjoy a Sunday lunch one of the few times when all the family get to sit and eat together, but you do not want to spend half the day in the kitchen cooking it. So this is perfect if you are short of cash or short of time.

You will need.

1.5kg/3lb 5oz pork belly, skin scored
3 medium apples
2 medium onions
Fresh sage leaves
Fresh thyme
Sea salt
Ground black pepper
2tsp plain flour
200ml/7floz cider
 l00ml/3½floz water 

Now if you have one, use a big heavy frying pan that you can put in the oven. If not heat up a roasting tin in the stove top to start with. But first take your pork and plunge it in to boiling water. Let it cook for just a few seconds then out of the water. Dry off as much as the water as you can then place the pork skin side down on the roasting try of frying pan and let the skin start to cook.  As the pork is cooking cut all the apples and onions in half. Once all the skin has started to go drown remove it from the pan and arrange the apples and onions in the pan so you can rest the pork on them.

Take the pork and cover in a good coating of sage, thyme, salt and ground black pepper.  Now place the pork skin side up on the apples and onions.

Then place the pork in a preheated oven, you want the oven hot about 240c/475fto start with but when you put the pork in turn it down to 180c/350f. Cook for about fifty minutes to an hour so the meat is really tender.

Once cooked remove the pork from the roasting dish and place on the side to rest. Then as best you can remove the onions and the apple and set them to one side.  The take the roasting dish and set that on the heat. Add the flour and work that in to the juices in the roasting tin to make a roux. Now slowly add the cider and the water and cook until you have rich gravy. Clave the pork and lay it over the onions and apples and then serve the gravy over the pork.

Now all you need is some good roast potatoes and vegetables and you will have a Sunday lunch that did not take all day to make.