Dark, herby 'tea' flavours in rich, honeyed balsamic vinegar - great taste from every angle!
Grape vinegar, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, liquid glucose, apple & grape fruit concentrate, honey (5%), modified corn starch, rooibos flavour (0,1%), caramel, sulphur dioxide.
Onion & Garlic, roast with Honey & Rooibos Reduction - the perfect side for pork belly...
See the recipe here.
The people who make the Infused Balsamic Vinegar Reductions (we never have found a shorter name worthy of the product!) are totally committed to excellence - there are no half-measures, no expedient compromises - and that is a very good thing.
This is an exceptional flavour-maker.
A rich, dark vinegar reduction with satisfying viscocity and distinctive notes of honey, supported by the sweet, herby, 'tea' notes of Rooibos.
It is the well modulated sweetness and warmth that earn this infusion its fans: it is gentle enough to dress a herbed leaf-salad with blood oranges, tomatoes and gentle yellow pepper slices, and it has sufficient presence to stand its ground with pork and game birds (like quail).
A great friend of mustard - it works exceedingly well in a mustard sauce - provides the sweet and sour 'bookends' that make mustard sauces glow.
Our pork belly, roasts in a cider bath, with the veg - carrots, onions, garlic, a bit of celery (or fennel bulbs if you can get them) and slices of green apple - and is then crisped under the grill. As long as the skin has been kept dry, it will crisp.
We seem to get the best results if we prepare the meat before it goes into the oven. Ideally, 2 hours or so before you plan to cook it, brush the cut sides of the pork with a little Rooibos and Honey Reduction mixed into a splash of sunflower oil (avoid the skin, it will spoil the crackle!). Season with Grill Seasoning and Savoury Salt, and set it uncovered in a flat tray in the fridge. This dries out the skin and settles the meat.
Once the pork and vegies are in the oven, roasting in their cider bath, cook up a large, peeled green apple in a splash of cider with a shake of All Spice for a sauce to serve on the side.
When the pork comes out of the oven, transfer the pork to a grill tray. If you grill the crackling in the tray it cooked in, the grill will burn your gorgeous vegies and pan-juices!
While the crackling is grilling - do keep an eye on it, it will burn quickly - add a splash or two of Rooibos Honey Reduction to the roasting pan and - if necessary, a little water or extra cider - just enough to make a viscous gravy.
From the roasting pan, take a clove or two of roast garlic, half a roast onion and a spoonful of the gravy and blend it into the apple sauce with a stick blender (adds an intriguing 'flavour echo'). Taste the sauce - adjust the seasoning and balace the acid - it may need a squeeze of lemon or a splash of vinegar.
Serve the pork belly-roast on a platter with the pan-roasted vegies, the pan gravy and the apple sauce on the side. Choose your side veg depending on what's in season - one side of our family make roast potatoes and steamed cauli/broc. The other side of the family will make gingered sweet potato mash (or parsnip mash) and steamed courgettes...
Enjoy the delicious smells while you're cooking - almost as much fun as eating that crackling!
