Name: Quick porchetta pork with soft polenta
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 65 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 2 garlic cloves, crushed; 1 tsp fennel seeds, coarsely crushed with a mortar and pestle; 2 tbsp finely chopped sage, plus extra fried leaves to serve; 1 tbsp finely chopped rosemary; 60 ml (1/4 cup) extra-virgin olive oil; Finely grated zest of ½ lemon; 8 pork belly rashes (about 1kg); Sautéed rainbow chard, to serve; PANCETTA CRUMB; 2 tsp olive oil; 4 flat pancetta slices; SOFT POLENTA; 1 litre (4 cups) milk; 150 gm fine polenta; 80 gm unsalted butter, chopped; 100 gm finely grated parmesan, plus extra to serve

Quick porchetta pork with soft polenta

A cheat''s guide to a roast porchetta, golden and crisp from the oven in less than an hour.

Quick porchetta sitting on a bed of soft polenta

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Serves 4

Prep

25M

Cook

40M

Total

1H 5M

Golden pork belly rashers scented with fennel, sage and rosemary delivers all the flavours of classic porchetta with far less effort (and a much shorter roast time for those midweek meals). Served over creamy parmesan polenta with crisp pancetta crumbs and sautéed rainbow chard to mop up all the pan drippings, it’s a richly comforting dish made for cool evenings and generous pours of Italian red.

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Ingredients

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tsp fennel seeds, coarsely crushed with a mortar and pestle

2 tbsp finely chopped sage, plus extra fried leaves to serve

1 tbsp finely chopped rosemary

60 ml (1/4 cup) extra-virgin olive oil

Finely grated zest of ½ lemon

8 pork belly rashes (about 1kg)

Sautéed rainbow chard, to serve

PANCETTA CRUMB

2 tsp olive oil

4 flat pancetta slices

SOFT POLENTA

1 litre (4 cups) milk

150 gm fine polenta

80 gm unsalted butter, chopped

100 gm finely grated parmesan, plus extra to serve

Method

Preheat oven to 200°C fan-forced. Place garlic, fennel seeds, herbs, 2 tbsp olive oil and lemon zest in a large bowl, season, add pork and turn to coat. Set aside to marinate
10 minutes). Drain pork; reserving marinade.

Heat remaining oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Place pork, rind-side down in pan and cook until brown and crisp (4-5 minutes). Transfer to a large oven tray lined with baking paper, spoon over reserved marinade and roast until golden and cooked through (20-25 minutes). Set pork aside to rest (10 minutes).

Meanwhile, for pancetta crumb, heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add pancetta and cook until crisp (1-2 minutes each side) Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel to drain and cool. When cool enough to handle, finely chop. Transfer to a small bowl and season with pepper. Set aside.

For polenta, bring milk to a simmer in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Rain in polenta, whisking continuously, then cook, stirring occasionally, until thick and smooth (8-10 minutes). Add butter and parmesan, beat to combine. Season.

Spoon polenta onto serving plates. Top with pork and rainbow chard. Spoon over resting juices and scatter with extra parmesan and fried sage leaves to serve.

Rebecca Lyall

With over 30 years of experience in publishing, Rebecca Lyall began her career as a freelancer, writing recipes and shooting for magazines and book publishers. Rebecca spent nine years in full-time role at Are Media, Senior Photo Chef contributing to The Australian Women’s Weekly cookbooks, Better Homes and Gardens, Gourmet Traveller, Woman’s Day, and New Idea. Now happily freelancing, she enjoys collaborating with her favourite books and magazines at a more balanced pace, allowing her to blend professional creativity with family life.

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