The London Veg Box Sunday Roast: Crispy Pork Belly with Seasonal Vegetables

Week 1 October

This feast heroes the seasonal produce from your London Veg Box, transforming simple ingredients into a meal of exceptional flavour and texture. The pork belly benefits from a strategic two-stage roast, ensuring succulent meat and perfect crackling, while your vegetables caramelise beautifully alongside.

Serves: 4 Prep time: 30 minutes (plus overnight drying for pork) Cook time: 2 hours 15 minutes (Pork Belly), 25-35 minutes (Roasted Veg/Corn), 10-12 minutes (Broccoli)

Core Ingredients from Your London Veg Box:

• 1 piece Pork Belly , skin on (approx. 1.2-1.5kg)
• 1 medium Black Kat Squash (approx. 800g-1kg)
• 800g Potatoes (Desiree Red)
• 5-6 medium Carrots
• 1 large bunch Purple Sprouting Broccoli
• 2 cobs Corn on the Cob
• 1 large White Onion or 2 small
• Garlic (several cloves for various uses)

Pantry & Protein Essentials:

• Olive Oil
• Sea Salt Flakes (essential for crackling)
• Freshly ground Black Pepper
• Fresh Thyme (4-5 sprigs)
• Honey (3-4 tablespoons)
• Unsalted Butter (2 tablespoons, softened)
• Fresh Parsley or Coriander (1 tablespoon, finely chopped, for corn, optional)
• Lemon (1, for broccoli)
• Optional: Apple Cider Vinegar or a splash of white wine (for pan juices)

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Method:

Part 1: The Crispy Pork Belly (Start Day Before)

Preparation (Essential - Day Before):

1. Score & Dry: The key to perfect crackling! Using a very sharp knife, score the Pork Belly skin deeply at 1cm intervals, making sure to cut through the skin and fat layer, but not into the meat. Pat the entire pork belly, especially the skin, completely dry with kitchen paper.
2. Salt: Rub the skin generously and thoroughly with sea salt flakes .
3. Chill: Place the pork belly, skin-side up, on a wire rack set over a baking tray. Refrigerate uncovered overnight (or at least 6-8 hours). This crucial step draws out moisture from the skin, ensuring crisp crackling.

Cooking (On the Day)

Preheat Oven (Initial Roast): Preheat your conventional oven to 150-155°C

1. Prepare for Roasting: Remove the Pork Belly from the fridge. Wipe off any excess surface salt (but leave a good base layer). Rub the skin lightly with a little olive oil .
2. Initial Roast (Tenderness & Rendering): Place the pork belly, skin-side up, on a wire rack set in a sturdy roasting tray. You can add one roughly chopped White Onion to the bottom of the tray with a cup of water or cider/white wine to create moisture and flavourful pan juices.
   • Roast at 150-155°C for 1 hour 30 minutes . This moderate heat gently cooks the meat through and slowly renders the fat, building tenderness.
3. Increase Heat for Crackling: After 1 hour 30 minutes, significantly increase the oven temperature to 225-230°C
   • Continue to roast for another 30-45 minutes , or until the skin has puffed up beautifully, is deeply golden brown, and shatteringly crisp. Rotate the tray if necessary for even crackling.
4. Rest: Once the crackling is perfect, remove the Pork Belly from the oven and transfer it, uncovered, to a clean cutting board. Rest for at least 15-20 minutes before carving. Resting allows the muscle fibres to relax and reabsorb juices, ensuring succulent meat.

Part 2: The Honey-Thyme Roasted Black Kat Squash, Desiree Potatoes & Carrots (Cook during pork resting or concurrently with crackling)

1. Prepare Vegetables: While the pork is in its final crackling stage or resting, peel, deseed, and cut the Black Kat Squash into 1.5-inch chunks. Scrub the Desiree Potatoes clean (peel if preferred) and cut into similar 1.5-inch chunks. Peel the Carrots and cut into 1-inch batons or thicker chunks, aiming for similar sizes for even cooking.
2. Season & Roast: On a large baking tray (or two, to avoid overcrowding, which steams rather than roasts), combine the cubed Squash , Potatoes , and Carrots . Drizzle generously with olive oil , add the picked leaves from 4-5 sprigs of fresh Thyme , and season well with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper . Toss everything together until evenly coated.
   • Roast at 225-230°C for 25-35 minutes , flipping halfway, until the vegetables are tender, golden brown, and slightly caramelised. The high heat encourages caramelisation and develops deep flavour.
3. Honey Glaze: In the last 5-7 minutes of cooking, drizzle 3-4 tablespoons of honey evenly over the roasted vegetables and toss gently to coat. Allow the honey to lightly caramelise and adhere to the roasted surfaces. Adding honey at the end prevents it from burning at high temperatures.

Part 3: Roasted Corn on the Cob with Herb Butter (Cook concurrently with roasted vegetables)

1. Prepare Herb Butter: In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons softened unsalted butter with 1 minced garlic clove (if using), 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley or coriander , a pinch of sea salt , and freshly ground black pepper . Mix well.
2. Prepare Corn: You can roast the corn either with husks on (peel back, remove silk, then pull husks back up) for a steamed effect, or naked (husks and silk completely removed) for more charring. For this roast, naked corn is recommended for better caramelisation.
3. Roast Corn: If cooking naked corn, brush or rub each cob with a little olive oil or some of your prepared herb butter. Place the prepared Corn on the Cob directly on the oven rack or on the same baking tray as your other roasted vegetables during their cooking time.
   • Roast at 225-230°C for 15-20 minutes , turning occasionally to ensure even cooking and light charring.
4. Finish & Serve: Once cooked, remove the corn. If roasted with husks, carefully peel them back. Rub each hot cob generously with the remaining herb butter .

Part 4: Garlic-Lemon Purple Sprouting Broccoli (Pan-fried while pork rests)

1. Prepare Broccoli: Trim any tough ends from the Purple Sprouting Broccoli . If the stalks are thick, peel the tough outer layer, then slice them thinly.
2. Sauté Garlic: Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large frying pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add 2-3 cloves of sliced garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant, being careful not to burn it.
3. Cook Broccoli: Add the prepared Purple Sprouting Broccoli to the pan. Sauté for 5-7 minutes, tossing frequently, until the florets are bright green and the stalks are tender-crisp. For perfectly cooked broccoli, it should retain a slight bite.
4. Season: Season with sea salt and black pepper . Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the broccoli just before serving.

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Chef's Notes & Zero-Waste Principles:

• Pork Belly: For perfectly cut crackling, use kitchen shears or a very sharp, heavy knife.
• Squash Seeds: Don't discard the Black Kat Squash seeds! Clean them, toss with salt and a pinch of smoked paprika, and roast until crisp for a nutritious snack or garnish.
• Carrot Tops: If your Carrots came with their green tops, blend them into a vibrant pesto with nuts, garlic, and Parmesan, or a fresh salsa verde to serve alongside the roast.
• Corn Cobs: After slicing off the kernels (if desired, though roasted cobs are delicious to eat whole), simmer the bare cobs in water to create a surprisingly sweet and flavourful stock for soups.
• Broccoli Stalks: The thicker stalks of Purple Sprouting Broccoli are delicious; just peel the tough outer layer and slice them. Cook these a minute or two before the florets.
• Onion Skins: The papery skins of your White Onion can be saved for your next batch of deeply coloured and flavourful vegetable stock.
• Pan Juices: The juices left in the roasting tray from the pork, combined with the roasted onion and a splash of wine/water, make a fantastic base for a simple gravy. Strain and reduce if desired.

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Serving Suggestion:

Carve the rested Crispy Pork Belly into thick slices. Arrange beautifully on a platter with the golden Honey-Thyme Roasted Black Kat Squash, Desiree Potatoes & Carrots, the charred Roasted Corn on the Cob, and the vibrant Garlic-Lemon Purple Sprouting Broccoli. Drizzle with any pan juices or a simple gravy.

Enjoy this truly bespoke and delicious meal, crafted especially for you and your London Veg Box!