A Porky Blinder

Bucatini seems shy on successfully twirling, and instead, rather brash on hastily untwirling and giving an unexpected blow to the cheek. Therefore, I present to you a less-hazardous version of my favourite Neapolitan chef, Luigi's 'Bucatini with Tomato Sauce & Pork Belly' with a twist. Buon appetitio.

Gli italiani have a knack for turning the simplest ingredients into the most sublime dishes. The fresh, flavoursome ingredients, the abundance of healthy fat, the absence of fear, and the convivial and companionable culture. All of this combines to create a feast, free of pretentiousness, and merely to bring together, to eat, and to enjoy.

They also make it look easy. Too easy. When I myself put on my Italian hat, there is not an absence of fear, rather plenty of it. I cannot bring myself to freely glug in as much extra-virgin olive oil as is needed, my English supermarket tomatoes fail to emit the fragrance and flavour that romantically permeates the Mediterranean air, and with tensions running high, the atmosphere I create is thus anything but convivial and companionable. It is a battlefield: sharp vegetables and even sharper words are thrown; a pan steams and bubbles out of control; relationships and love are (albeit temporarily) lost.

My first post in honour of ‘National Meatball Day’, introduced you to my favourite Neapolitan chef, Luigi, and his famous (in-my-eyes) ‘Sugo al Pomodoro’. The intensity of flavour he manages to materialise from the same ingredients I bemoan, re-sparked my long, unrealised ambition to create the ‘simple’ tomato sauce.

When I declared that the time had come, and I was to conjure up his latest creation ‘Bucatini with tomatoes [sic] sauce and pork belly’ the arising atmosphere was one of nerves, disquiet, and palpitations. The inevitable battlefield was in sight, slowly but surely approaching.

I’ll spare you readers the bloody and offensive process. All you need be assured of is that the finale of this particular combat, did in fact result in a victory, and a victory both tangible and of good taste. One of the pointers possibly to my advantage is that I surrendered to the abundance of healthy fat. Yes, I closed my eyes, and just poured. Despite a few misses and near slips & slides, the majority of the oil ended up in the pan, and my resulting ‘Sugo al Pomodoro da Luigi’ was full of fragrance, colour, and most importantly, flavour. Admittedly, I still fall greatly short of the man himself, but alas, “you must have a level of discontent to feel the urge to want to grow”.

I share with you my take on Luigi’s ‘Bucatini with Tomato Sauce & Pork Belly’, with the variation of conchiglione (bucatini seems shy on successfully twirling, and instead, rather brash on hastily untwirling and giving an unexpected blow to the cheek), and the pork belly roasted and post-shredded into the sauce. Buon appetito!

Conchiglione with Pork Belly & Sugo al Pomodoro da Luigi'

🍝 Serves 4

Ingredients

700g pork belly 2 500g cans tinned cherry tomatoes Extra virgin olive oil Salt Black pepper Fresh basil 3 cloves crushed garlic (just whack it with a knife) 500g conchiglione Pasta water (remember to reserve some when cooking)

Method

1. Slit your pork belly.

2. Give it a good massage with salt, pepper, and olive oil.

3. Let it sit out and bask in its flavours for a short while.

4. Preheat the oven to 210’ (fan).

5. Cook for 30 minutes.

6. Take out, turn oven down to 130’ (fan), and cook for a further 15 minutes.

7. Pump the heat back up, take it back to its 210° (fan), and cook for another 30 minutes.

8. Take out, and now concentrate on your ‘Sugo al Pomodoro da Luigi’.

9. Get your water onto the boil.

10. Pour blindly and generously your extra-virgin olive oil into a large pan, crush your garlic, and on medium-high heat, fry it up (refraining from burning it).

11. Add your tinned cherry tomatoes, your handful of basil (give it a friendly pat to release the flavour), your salt & pepper, and take it all down to a simmer.

12. Salt your pasta water, and chuck in the conchiglione.

13. Cook for 10-15 minutes until al dente.

14. Whilst your pasta is cooking, pull the underside of your pork away from the crackling and shred into chucky pieces, adding it to your tomato sauce.

15. When the pasta is cooked, reserve some pasta water, drain, and then toss into your simmering pork belly-infused tomato sauce.

16. Break up your crackling into small, bite-size pieces, and decorate on to your dished & plated-up ‘Conchiglione with Pork Belly & Sugo al Pomodoro da Luigi’. It’s a bit of a mouthful, but a tasty mouthful at that.

17. Buon appetito… you’ve cooked yourself up one Porky Blinder.