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Porchetta with Cinnamon Flower Buds and Herbs


© 2021 | http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com




© 2021 | http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com


Most porchetta recipes call for pork belly and loin, but I prefer this simplified version using just pork belly. The result is an extra aromatic and juicy roast with a super crisp crackling skin, which I can't get enough. The recipe feeds a family of 4 plus some leftovers, which make excellent sandwiches for lunch the next day.
Traditonally this pork roast is flavoured with fennel seeds, herbs, garlic, lemon, and wine, but I am using one of my favourite spices - cinnamon flower buds for this recipe. So, do feel free to substitute or alter herbs and spices according to your taste.
Cinnamon flower buds, also known as cassia buds, are the dried, unripe fruits of the cinnamon tree - cinnamomum cassia which is an evergreen tree of the plant family of laurel family and grows in China and elsewhere in South and Southeast Asia.They have a unique, fine and light cinnamon flavor, mixed with carnation, also musky, sweet and slightly peppery. If you don't have them, use cumin or fennel seeds instead.

  • 2 tbsp Cinnamon flower buds
  • 3-4 tbsp Fresh herbs, finely chopped (I used a mix of sage, rosemary and thyme)
  • 1/2 tsp Black peppercorns, milled
  • 5 Garlic cloves, finely minced
  • 1 tsp Chilli pepper flakes
  • 2 tsp Lemon zest, finely grated
  • 2 tsp Black salt or regular sea salt
  • 2 tbsp Olive oil
  • 2 kg Boneless pork belly
  • 1 Red onion, sliced
  • 1 cup Dried white wine
  • 1 cup Water
  1. Use a mortar and pestle to crush the cinnamon flower buds, and black peppercorns. Finely chop the herbs and 4 of the garlic cloves. Place crushed spices, finely chopped herbs, garlic, chilli pepper flakes, lemon zest and salt in a bowl. Add in olive oil to make a marinade paste.
  2. Pat the pork belly dry with paper towel. Place pork belly skin-side down on a large cutting board. With a paring knife, score the meat 2mm deep in a criss-cross pattern. Flip the meat over and score the skin in a criss-cross pattern, being careful not to pierce the meat on this side.
  3. Rub the marinade all over the pork belly, including the sides and the skin. Place the marinated pork belly skin-side up and fold the pork belly to enclose. Secure tightly with kitchen string at 3cm intervals. Place in a baking dish. Refrigerate, uncovered, overnight or at least 6 hours. This helps dry out the skin, resulting in crunchy crackling.
  4. Next day, remove pork from refrigerator 1 to 2 hours before you want to cook it. Preheat oven to 220C/450F fan-forced. Place sliced onion in a roasting tray and add pork belly on top.
  5. Add white wine to pan with water. Roast for 30 minutes. Rotate the roasting tray half way though. Reduce oven temperature to 150C/300F fan-forced. Roast for an additional 2 hours 30 minutes or until internal temperature of pork reaches 70C/160F . Check at intervals and if the liquid has evaporated, add a little more water.
  6. Set aside for 15 minutes to rest. Remove kitchen string from pork. Cut into slices to serve.
  7. Pour the pan juice together with onions into the blending cup of your immersion blender. Add in the reserved garlic clove. Blend everything until smooth and creamy. Taste an season. Serve with the porchetta.

© 2021 | http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com



© 2021 | http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com




© 2021 | http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com


36 comments:

Natalia 28/3/21 11:32

I have heard about porchetta and I should try it myself, looks soooo good, perfect for Easter table!

[Reply]
DEZMOND 28/3/21 13:19

I've never heard of cinnamon buds before, very interesting.

[Reply]
Tom 28/3/21 13:59

...this looks fabulous, a work of art!

[Reply]
thepaintedapron.com 28/3/21 14:38

this sounds divine, I love pork belly but haven't ever seen a big one before, do you special order it from your butcher? The cinnamon buds sound awesome, where do you get those?
Jenna

[Reply]
Martha 28/3/21 15:13

Oh this looks absolutely amazing Angie! You have me drooling over here.

[Reply]
Martyna 28/3/21 15:17

This looks very delicious :)

[Reply]
Sammie 28/3/21 16:04

What a gorgeous dish you've got here! Absolutely yummy!

[Reply]
Brian's Home Blog 28/3/21 16:11

That looks totally fabulous and yummy! We hadn't heard of cinnamon buds before either!

[Reply]
rodzinatestuje 28/3/21 21:24

Mmmmmm. It's looks amazing!

[Reply]
Pedro 28/3/21 21:30

Rich and delicious porchetta!
Congratulations!
(The cinnamon bud is not cooked here either)
Greetings

[Reply]
Nancy Chan 29/3/21 03:33

Beautiful and delicious looking porchetta. You are a great cook!

[Reply]
speedy70 29/3/21 08:34

Complimenti, molto appetitosa la tua porchetta!!!

[Reply]
Kitchen Riffs 29/3/21 15:54

Wow. This looks spectacular. Love how you've flavored this, too -- very creative. Excellent recipe -- thanks.

[Reply]
Anonymous 29/3/21 18:37

Porchetta is one of our favorite things, Angie! Yours look totally mouthwatering.

[Reply]
Angie's Recipes 29/3/21 19:17

@thepaintedapron.com You can order cinnamon flower buds from amazon. And yes, I ordered pork belly from my butcher.

[Reply]
savorthebest 29/3/21 20:57

Porchetta is such a fun dish to make, this looks delicious

[Reply]
Tanza Erlambang 29/3/21 23:05

your porchetta looks so good....

have a wonderful day

[Reply]
Chef Mimi 30/3/21 00:03

Oh my goodness that is simply beautiful! I need to look into these cassia buds. They must taste wonderful! Great photos!

[Reply]
Heidi | The Frugal Girls 30/3/21 00:49

What a feast for the eyes... this is one truly fabulous pork dish! The herb mix is perfect.

[Reply]
Eva Taylor 30/3/21 06:13

That day sh looks mouth-wateringly delicious!
Eva http://kitcheninspirations.wordpress.com/

[Reply]
Yvonne @ Fiction Books Reviews 30/3/21 07:35

This dish looks amazing and I can smell those lovely aromas from here.

However, I'm afraid that belly pork and I just don't agree, my pork has to be of the loin steak variety, boneless and definitely fat free - sorry!

All goes back to a time before I was married, when I visited my future in-laws on quite a regular basis and just because I had been polite and forced down belly pork on my first visit, hubbie's mum assumed it was one of my favourite meals and used to serve it up every time I visited! She had no idea just how difficult it was to swallow those lumps of fatty pork, without chewing first!!

And it definitely never looked as yummy as your roast does :)

[Reply]
Claudia 30/3/21 15:35

Adoro la porchetta, complimenti perchè ti è venuta molto bene; anche io adoro la pelle appena cotta bella croccante.

[Reply]
Jeff the Chef 30/3/21 16:20

My God, you should open a restaurant! This looks so good. I've never heard of cinnamon flower buds - interesting!

[Reply]
mjskit 30/3/21 19:25

Pork Belly is something I've never even considered trying to make, but your recipe and the beautiful results is very inspiring. Maybe, just maybe enough to readjust my thinking. It looks delicious!

[Reply]
Pam 30/3/21 19:41

Nicely done!!! It looks amazing.

[Reply]
tigerfish 31/3/21 01:46

The crisp crackling skin is enticing! Cinnamon flower buds is intriguing.

[Reply]
Pattie @ Olla-Podrida 31/3/21 03:07

This combination is unique to my experience. I have never heard of cinnamon buds before, in fact, I didn’t even know that they existed. I like pork, but I have no experience with pork belly at all. This was an interesting post.

[Reply]
Julie 31/3/21 13:54

Delicious one, makes me hungry.. Wish J could grab a slice;)

[Reply]
bread&salt 31/3/21 21:32

It looks restaurant quality dish. Looks really hearty and tasty. Homemade foods are always better. Thank you for the recipe.

[Reply]
Karen (Back Road Journal) 4/4/21 18:45

Your Porchetta looks and sounds delicious. Oh to be able to go to your butcher for such a lovely cut of meat. If you can find pork belly at all where I live, it doesn't have the skin and is sliced thin like bacon. When I made porchetta, I used a pork loin that I butterflied and stuffed with herbs.

[Reply]
SavoringTime in the Kitchen 4/4/21 23:47

I don't think I've ever seen cinnamon flower buds! You find the most unique ingredients, Angie! What a mouth-watering porchetta roast. I'd love to find such a high quality pork belly as you used. It looks absolutely delicious.

[Reply]
Valentina 6/4/21 20:43

I've been served Porchetta many times but never made it. This preparation sounds lovely with all of those warm spices. I must try. :-) ~Valentina

[Reply]
Izaa 8/4/21 17:31

woow looks mega appetizing

[Reply]


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