Mediterranean Pork Belly Strips

This is a simple but immensely satisfying meal that is very easy on the purse-strings too.

Pork belly strips are very inexpensive but deliciously fatty. Picked up for only £3-4, when these are treated nicely they are just fab and this meal is particularly comforting.

I very simply baked on a bed of cherry tomatoes, peppers and black olives with garlic for a real taste of the Mediterranean and when accompanied with Greek Roasted Lemon Potatoes it really is to die for. Rather than a sauce, the juice made from the pork fat, tomatoes and peppers works a treat.

Once the chopping and assembling is done – this can all be bunged in the oven for 45 minutes and you can sit and relax with a glass of wine, or get on with bits and bobs at home, safe in the knowledge a gorgeous meal is in progress that takes next to no nurturing.

Here’s how:

·         Packet of pork belly stips

·         Handful of cherry tomatoes

·         Handful of black olives

·         Few cloves of garlic, skin on

·         1 red and yellow pepper

·         1 tbsp olive oil

·         Salt & Pepper

·         1 tbsp dried oregano

Firstly get the oven on around 180-200 degrees and prepare the veg. The tomatoes need to be halved, the peppers sliced and the olives sliced into 2-3 pieces, depending on the size. Then scatter with the garlic into an oven-proof dish.

Season the pork belly strips generously on both sides then place on top of the ‘bed’ of tomatoes, olives and peppers. Next drizzle over a good glug of olive oil, the best quality you have to-hand and finally scatter over some dried oregano.

Place into the oven and roast for 45 minutes-an hour, depending on your oven and how crispy you like the strips to be.

Enjoy with the Greek Roasted Lemon Potatoes.

Greek Lemon Roasted Potatoes - Serious Sides

These are the first in my ‘Serious Sides’ series of posts. I’ve realised that I have a ton of side dishes that I constantly make, that friends ask for when visiting that need to get a mention on here.

These Greek Lemon Roasted Potatoes are a favourite, whether with a roast chicken, fish, or with pork as I used with my Mediterranean Pork Belly Strips.

This recipe is enough for two with leftovers that make a very tasty accompaniment to sliced meat and salad for lunch the next day.

Here’s how:

·         400g large Charlotte potatoes

·         1 onion

·         3 cloves of garlic

·         1 tbsp dried oregano

·         150ml olive oil

·         1 ½ lemons

·         Salt & Pepper

I prepare the potatoes as I would for general roast potatoes. Firstly pop the oven on around 180-200◦ and then peel and wash the potatoes. Cut into half or quarter and plunge into boiling, salted water and par-boil for 15 minutes.

In the meantime, peel and slice your white onion and garlic cloves and squeeze the juice from the two lemons and set aside. Then cut the lemons into chunks and place into an ovenproof dish.

After fifteen minutes, drain the potatoes and give a good shake to ‘scuff up’ a little in the colander. Then place into the ovenproof dish. Throw over the onion and garlic and give a good mix with a wooden spoon.

Pour over the olive oil, lemon juice, season well and give a good scattering of oregano and then give a good shake. Cover with foil and place into the oven for 30 minutes.

Remove the foil from the dish and replace to the oven for a further 30 minutes or until just starting to crisp.

You should be left with deliciously soft centred, just-crisp on the outside and lemony fragrant potatoes that are divine.