Tom Kerridge Pork belly in brine recipe with black cabbage salsa on Tom Kerridge’s Proper Pub Food

Tom Kerridge cooks pork belly in brine with lentils and black cabbage salsa on Tom Kerridge’s Proper Pub Food.

Tom says: “Pork belly is a fantastic and relatively inexpensive cut of meat. The generous covering of fat gives great flavour, brilliant crackling and prevents the meat drying out. Tom serves his with a fresh salsa to cut through the richness of the dish and lentils to provide substance.”

The ingredients for the brine are: 150g demerara sugar, 200g sea salt, 1 tbsp black peppercorns, 2 cloves, 1 bay leaf and sprig fresh thyme.

For the pork belly and lentils: 1kg piece pork belly, oil, for frying, 70g bacon, diced, 1 onion, finely chopped, 1 tbsp herbes de provence, 200g Puy lentils, 175ml white wine and 400ml chicken stock.

For the salsa: 25g fresh mint, leaves picked, 25g fresh parsley, leaves picked, 50g cavolo nero, 2 garlic cloves, peeled and grated, 10g salted anchovies, roughly chopped, 35g capers, drained, roughly chopped, 1 shallot, very finely chopped, 1 tsp salt, ¼ tsp cayenne pepper, 1 lemon, zest only and 150ml olive oil.