when i went to the strip district about 3 weekends ago, i bought two slabs of pork belly from the asian store, thinking of using them for adobo or binagoongan. the asian store is the only place i know where i can get them. never seen pork belly sold in our local grocery stores. anyway, i saw a recipe for lechon kawali, and i got excited. if i like lechon kawali, hubby loves it. but i hate frying. i don't like oil splatters, specially the amount of cleaning that comes after. then i saw the oven-roasted lechon recipe of Sassy in her pinoycook website, and bingo! i searched some more for other recipes, and i finally did a variation, and came up with my own version.
i boiled the slab in water with sea salt, peppercorns, quartered onion, crushed garlic, and about a quarter cup of vinegar - for about 2 hours. after boiling, i air-dried it for another 2 hours, rubbed it with olive oil, and popped it in the oven at 300 degF until lightly browned. i let it rest until after i picked hubby from the train station at 6pm. when i got back, i broiled it until the skin showed blisterings. i let it rest for about 10 minutes before i served it.
hubby's grin at the sight of the lechon was more than enough consolation for all the labor i put into my first ever lechon. unfortunately, my son is not a big fan of fatty foods so he got himself a bowl of cereals and a couple of bananas for his dinner.
meanwhile, hubby and myself enjoyed the artery-clogging dinner very much, and finished it off with a slice each of chocolate cream cake.
ok. please pass the lipitor now, honey...
honorable mention to the Filipino food blogs i visit all the time. my source, not only of recipes, but much inspiration in the kitchen. you are invaluable to someone like me, who is not an expert.
