Cauliflower & Rocket Salad

Name: Cauliflower & Rocket Salad
Yield: Serves 6
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 300 g boneless pork belly; 1 large clove garlic, peeled and bruised with the flat of a knife; ½ cup sea salt flakes; 6 sprigs thyme; 1 dried bay leaf, crumbled; 500 ml olive oil; a little extra olive oil to fry the pork; a little extra olive oil to fry the pork; 1 small cauliflower; 2-3 bunches rocket leaves, washed and dried, with any coarse stalks discarded; ½ cup walnut kernels, each broken into 4 pieces; 3-4 tiny cornichons, cut into small dice; 2 egg yolks; 1 small clove garlic, peeled and bruised with the flat of a knife; salt; 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard; 120 ml cream [35% fat]; 150 ml olive oil; 30-50 ml verjuice or lemon juice; 30-50 ml verjuice or lemon juice; a few gratings of nutmeg; freshly ground black pepper

Preparation info

Serves
6

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

French

By Damien Pignolet

Published 2005

About

This is a classic Bistro Moncur entrée that also marries well with yabbies or prawns to make a light main course. The cauliflower’s sweetness is given an earthy contrast by the walnuts and is enriched by the confit pork, while acidity comes from the cornichons. I like to serve this salad on a platter as an entrée on a summer’s day.

Ingredients

300 g boneless pork belly
1 large clove garlic, peeled and bruised with the flat of a knife
½

Europe
Oceania
France
Australia
Main course
Starter
Gluten-free
Summer
Mediterranean

Method

Cure the pork belly at least 6 hours in advance. Rub the inside of a non-aluminium bowl with the large garlic clove then discard the debris. Scatter with ½ of the salt, thyme and bay leaf, and add the pork belly. Repeat with the remaining salt and herbs. Cover and leave at room temperature for 2 hours then turn, re-cover and leave for 2 more hours. Refrigerate in warm we