‘‘I've tried to make these as fool-proof as possible for people using everyday ingredients.''
One of the ways to reduce the stress was to find dishes which could be prepared ahead of time allowing people time to spend with friends and family.
‘‘It's the prep ahead stuff people love.''
The time it took to cook pork belly could put people off as an option for summer barbecues.
‘‘Pork belly is so succulent if slow-cooked but try to fast-cook it and it can become quite tough.''
Annabel's solution is to cook it twice. She slow-cooks it to start with and then, on the day, cuts it up and puts it on skewers, glazing the meat with a sticky sauce that is a result of cooking the pork.
‘‘They don't take long at all.''
Annabel Langbein's Twice-Cooked Pork Belly Skewers
You have to plan a little in advance for these delicious Asian-style kebabs, but that makes them a great idea for entertaining because all the work is done in advance.
Prep 10 mins + chilling
Cook 2 hours
Serves 6-8DF
GF
Ingredients
2 cups water
2 tbsp each hoisin sauce, soy sauce and sugar
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
2kg boneless pork belly, skin removed
Method
Preheat oven to 160degC fanbake. In a roasting dish that will fit the pork snugly, mix together water, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, sugar and ginger.
Add the pork and turn to coat in the liquid, adding more water if needed to ensure it is fully covered.
Cover dish tightly and bake for 2 hours. Turn pork over and leave to cool in the liquid. Once fully cooled, remove from liquid and chill for at least 2 hours or up to 48 hours.
While pork is chilling reduce the cooking liquids to a syrupy glaze and chill until needed.
When ready to barbecue, soak wooden skewers or chopsticks in water for 30 minutes. Cut pork into 3cm cubes and thread on to skewers or chopsticks.
Brush with glaze and barbecue over lowish heat until golden (about 2 minutes each side).
TAKE IT FREE RANGE: Serve with a little chutney or pickle.
● This recipe is an extract from Annabel's new summer annual Annabel Langbein A Free Range Life: Endless Summer (Annabel Langbein Media, $24.95), available from Paper Plus, the Warehouse and all good supermarkets and bookshops.
Freebie
We have six copies of Annabel Langbein A Free Range Life: Endless Summer to give away. Send your contact details with Annabel in the subject line to playtime@odt.co.nz by January 12.
