Two Recipes from Dinner Below

Garlic Jam

Make a big batch and keep ready in fridge for enlivening any variety of foods: mix a tablespoon into ground beef for a complex-flavored burger, spread on toasted baguettes for a quick cocktail snack or simply add to any soup or stew for potent richness.

Roast 4-5 large heads of garlic in a 400 degree oven for about 45 minutes. You do this by slicing off small end of garlic head to just expose individual cloves and rub all with oil and salt. Bake covered until tender and slightly dark. Now once garlic has cooled squeeze out all into a bowl - you should have the garlic transformed into a thick paste. Stir in 1 T. of mirin or other sweetener, some salt and black pepper and cool then refrigerate.


Slow Roasted and Spice Rubbed Pork Belly

Rub a 2-3 pound piece of pork belly with the following spice blend: 1 part sugar to 3 parts salt, some paprika, cayenne pepper, ground cloves, ground anise, ground coriander and ground cumin. Wrap in plastic and marinate overnight in fridge. Let meat come to room temperature while pre-heating oven to 340 degrees.

Now score top of pork belly with a very sharp instrument (we had to use an exacto blade to cut through the tough skin) but take care not to cut meat. Rub with a tiny bit of olive oil and place pork on sliced onions (these will form a sort of trivet and keep meat from touching pan bottom). Roast for 3 hours, adding a bit of water as needed to bottom of pan. Never ever pour water directly on pork; if you do you will never obtain a crisp 'crackling", or top layer of skin.

When meat is done remove and cool. Pull off "crackling", break into shards and use as a delicious (if unhealthy) garnish.

Confession: the above didn't quite work for Cafe Drake - though it should for all with - a) a convection oven and b) those imbibing less than 3 Sunday Afternoon Gin-and-Tonics before 3PM. (And that's probably not you if you're still visiting us online!) So we employed another method of braising pork in final stages on top of stove. Equally succulent and pure perfection if you follow our overnight dry rub.