Porchetta sandwich

Makes 8 Sandwiches Starters and mains

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Method

Cut the sinews, gristle and uneven bits from the pork belly so that you end up with a completely square, evenly thick bit of pork. Since crackling that isn’t crispy is pretty horrid, make a mock porchetta by rolling it up as tight as you possibly can and mark where the rind will be overlapping itself. Roll out the meat again, cut off the excess bit of rind (keeping the meat of course) and, for a maximum crispy result, leave the meat to dry in the fridge for as long as possible – up to 2 days works fine.

Before cooking, remove the pork belly from the fridge and leave at room temperature for 1-2 hours. Score the rind, making a nice criss-cross pattern and rub in a generous amount of salt.

Toast the fennel seeds in a dry frying pan. Transfer to a pestle and mortar and crush with the chilli flakes, sage, rosemary and garlic. Spread the crushed spices over the meat, then roll the porchetta up the same way as you practised in step 1 and tie securely with cooking string.

Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7, then roast the porchetta for 40 minutes. Lower the heat to 150C/300F/ Gas 2 and continue to cook it for a further 11⁄2-2 hours, until the inside temperature has reached 63C/145F. If the crackling isn’t crisping up nicely, turn the oven up to max and cook for another 10 minutes, or remove the porchetta from the oven and leave it to cool.

For the salsa verde, combine all the ingredients, then season to taste with salt and freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Assemble the sandwiches by cutting the buns in half and frying them in a little butter in a frying pan over medium heat until they get a bit of colour and turn crispy. Add a layer of rocket, a layer of sliced porchetta (don’t forget the crispy crackling) and to finish off, a little salsa verde.