Yay, a fellow veggie and chilli grower!!!!!
Rocotos come from Peru. They are on the same heat scale as habaneros but a different flavour (not as fruity). The heat hits you early rather than a shock later like the habs LOL
Winter is hard here, I usually go with leeks, onions, winter brassica, rocket etc. We have six or so varieties of tomato, including a new pink one that is suprisingly delicious, along with the usual diggers heirlooms including a little yellow pear mini tomato which is just the best in salads. I have been eyeing off a smoker for a while now to do the meats but also to do some chillies, smoked mozerella stuffed jalapeño.... mmmm...
Here's the pork belly recipe - a bit of work but well worth it.
1 kg pork belly - skin on
spice rub
1/2 cinnamon stick
5 cloves
4 star anise
1 teaspoon fennel seeds.
- dry roast these in a pan on low heat for 5 - 10 min and grind.
Preheat oven to 200 c
make the braise - whisk 1 litre chicken stock, 3 tbs rice wine, 3 cloves minced garlic, 2 birdseye red chillies (dried is fine and chilli to taste really) 1/2 cup chopped coriander roots.
score parallel cuts into the pork belly
rub spice rub with a good tablespoon of seasalt into the top of the pork belly
place in small roasting tray so it fits reasonably snug (if you have a roasting tray that is as high as the pork belly that is preferred)
add braise around the belly so it comes up to just below the skin (crackling) line
roast for 20 minutes then reduce the heat to 160 and roast for a further 2 hours. top up the braising liquid as needed.
Move the belly (leave the braise behind) to wire rack and set this inside another roasting tray.
pump the oven back up to 200c and put belly in medium to high level in the oven and cook for further 25min or until there is a good top of crackling
remove and cool (overnight is good - but 3-4 hours minimum).
Now at this point, you need to work out elegance versus taste. I've done 2 versions and found that if I kept the belly in one piece until the next phase of cooking was done rather than cutting cooled it came out with much more moisture than cut cooled. In terms of presentation, pieces have better shape when cut cool than hot.
preheat oven to 200c
cut porkbelly into 3cm cubes (or wait until cooked for less elegant but more succulent bites!)
Roast this dry for 20 minutes and cut as needed then pour dipping sauce over it.
Dressing
mix 1/3 to 1/2 cup ketchup manis
1/2 cup light soy
1 to 2 tablespoons balsamic
1 teaspoon of minced garlic
1 teaspoon finely chopped red chilli or to taste
1 tablespoon of sesame oil
1/2 a shallot (stem) finely diced
2 cm of fresh ginger finely grated
root and stem of fresh coriander (2 stems or thereabouts - to taste!)
Prepare a mixed asian greens salad (or buy a bag and wash!)
scatter porkbelly dipped in sauce over the salad.
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