Pork belly with minestrone and poached egg

Name: Pork belly with minestrone and poached egg
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Italy
Ingredients: sea salt and black pepper; 75 g dried spaghetti, broken into short lengths; 1 large carrot, peeled and diced; 4 large eggs; 1 onion, peeled and diced; 1 large courgette, trimmed and diced; 600 g skinned boneless pork belly; 1 bay leaf; flat-leaf parsley leaves, to garnish; 4 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 thyme sprig; 1 tsp white wine vinegar; about 1.5 litres dark chicken stock; 1½ celery sticks, trimmed and diced; 1 rosemary sprig

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Gourmet Food for a Fiver

By Jason Atherton

Published 2010

About

MY FIRST ENCOUNTER WITH MINESTRONE SOUP INVOLVED POURING A POWDER OUT OF A PACKET INTO A BOWL AND ADDING HOT WATER. I AM GLAD TO SAY MY PALATE IS A BIT MORE REFINED THESE DAYS. IT IS VERY SATISFYING TO MAKE THIS SOUP FROM SCRATCH.

Ingredients

600 g skinned boneless pork belly
4 tbsp vegetable oil
1

Europe
Italy
Soup
Mediterranean

Method

Cut the pork belly into 2 or 3 large pieces (so it will fit inside a large cooking pot) and remove any excess fat. Place a large cooking pot over a high heat and add a drizzle of vegetable oil. When hot, add the pork belly and sear on all sides, colouring it evenly. Remove to a large plate and set aside.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the onion, bay leaf, th