Recipe

I accidentally created a rather nice recipe while experimenting with the air-fryer. I loved what I made so much that I felt compelled to share it, especially with those, like me, who love fennel.

Ingredients:

• Slab of Lidl belly pork.
• Large onion.
• A half bulb of fennel.
• Lidl pure apple juice.
• Salt & pepper.

Get a deep tray with will fit the air-fryer or, in the case of those with a chip drawer, use the drawer without the insert that keeps items from touching the base.

Arrange layers of sliced onion and fennel, laying the pork belly on top. Fennel can be quite tough, so you can use a potato peeler to slice the fennel thinly so it cooks well. Half a bulb will suffice.

Fill to half way up the pork with the pure apple juice (from the chilled shelves in Lidl) and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Do not, under any circumstances, submerge the pork skin.

Cook at 140 degrees for at least 3 hours - 4 hours if you have the time. Occasionally push the onion and fennel under the apple juice to stop it drying out. If the fennel dries out it will go very tough. Add more apple juice during cooking if it starts to disappear.

Brush the skin of the belly pork with oil (and add more salt, if you want). Turn up the temperature to 200 degrees for 20 minutes to half an hour - or as long as it takes to crisp the skin of the belly pork, again ensuring the onion and fennel doesn't catch.

You will end up with a delicious apple and fennel tasting gravy/soup at the bottom of the pan and moist pork belly with a crispy skin.

enjoy!