Name: Pork skepasti
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 80 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 kg piece boneless pork belly, skin scored; 2 tsp finely chopped thyme; 2 tsp finely chopped oregano; 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped; ½ tsp fennel seeds, crushed with a mortar and pestle; ½ tsp cumin seeds, crushed with a mortar and pestle; 1 tsp paprika; 2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling and frying; 3 sebago potatoes, peeled and cut into 7mm-thick chips; 1 cup torn flat-leaf parsley; ½ small Spanish onion, thinly sliced; 2 pickled green chillies, thinly sliced; Finely grated lemon rind, to serve; Pita bread; 300 gm plain flour, plus extra for dusting (2 cups); 5 gm dried yeast; Sumac mayo; 100 gm mayonnaise; 100 gm Greek yoghurt; Juice of 1 lemon; 1 garlic clove, finely grated; 1 tsp ground sumac, plus extra to serve

Pork skepasti

Pork skepasti recipe - Place pork belly skin-side up on a wire rack in the sink. Pour boiling water over the skin until score marks open up, pat dry and refrigerate, uncovered, overnight for skin to dry out.

Serves 4

Prep

30M

Cook

50M

Total

1H 20M

It could be said that this gyro classic is a little over the top, but what’s not to love about a sandwich stuffed with roast pork and hot chips? We’ve made small pita for this recipe, but shop-bought will work fine. Start this recipe a day ahead to dry the pork skin.

Ingredients

1 kg piece boneless pork belly, skin scored

2 tsp finely chopped thyme

2 tsp finely chopped oregano

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

½ tsp fennel seeds, crushed with a mortar and pestle

½ tsp cumin seeds, crushed with a mortar and pestle

1 tsp paprika

2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling and frying

3 sebago potatoes, peeled and cut into 7mm-thick chips

1 cup torn flat-leaf parsley

½ small Spanish onion, thinly sliced

2 pickled green chillies, thinly sliced

Finely grated lemon rind, to serve

Pita bread

300 gm plain flour, plus extra for dusting (2 cups)

5 gm dried yeast

Sumac mayo

100 gm mayonnaise

100 gm Greek yoghurt

Juice of 1 lemon

1 garlic clove, finely grated

1 tsp ground sumac, plus extra to serve

Method

Main

1.Place pork belly skin-side up on a wire rack in the sink. Pour boiling water over the skin until score marks open up, pat dry and refrigerate, uncovered, overnight for skin to dry out.

2.Preheat oven to 220C. Place pork skin-side down on a work surface and season. Combine thyme, oregano, garlic, fennel seeds, cumin seeds and half the paprika in a small bowl, scatter on pork belly, then roll into a cylinder and tie at intervals with kitchen string. Place skin-side up in a roasting tin, drizzle with a little olive oil, season generously with sea salt and roast until skin starts to crackle (25-30 minutes). Reduce oven to 150C and roast until just cooked through (10-15 minutes). Rest for 30 minutes, then thinly slice.

3.Meanwhile, toss potatoes with 2 tbsp olive oil, season to taste and roast with pork at 220C until golden brown and crisp (25-30 minutes), then set aside. When ready to serve, return chips to the oven to warm through, then season to taste and toss with remaining paprika.

4.Meanwhile, for pita, stir flour, yeast and 1 tsp salt in a bowl to combine and make a well in the centre. Add 200ml lukewarm water to well and mix to form a soft dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface, knead until smooth and elastic, cover with plastic wrap and rest at room temperature to prove slightly (30 minutes). Divide dough into 8 equal balls and roll out as thinly as possible on a lightly floured work surface. Heat a large frying pan over medium high heat and cook each flatbread, turning once, until lightly scorched on each side (2-3 minutes).

5.For sumac mayo, stir ingredients in a bowl to combine and season to taste.

6.Place half the pitas on a work surface and top with sliced pork. Drizzle with mayo, top with parsley, onion and chilli and a small handful of chips, scatter with lemon rind and extra sumac, season to taste and sandwich with remaining pita.

7.Heat a splash of oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat and fry skepastis in batches until golden brown on the base (1-2 minutes), then carefully turn over and repeat. Serve with extra chips.