Bitter greens, chilli, pork crackling
The best part of a pork roast is the crackling, so it’s only right that there is a pasta dish to
celebrate this. Of course, the Italians have already created such a dish in the form of a stu¥ed
pasta with bitter greens that gets tossed through a topping of chilli and pork crackling. The
dish hails from Puglia – the region best known for its deeply rooted¬‘cucina povera’¬traditions.
This means that the cuisine tends to be simple, cheap and makes use of absolutely everything,
including pig skin. In fact, it could be argued that some of the most famous (and delicious)
meals were invented by people who were short on time, money and resources, making the
most of the ingredients available. This dish is no di¥erent: simple, a¥ordable and full of avour.
You can pick up pig skin from your local butcher or direct from market stall-holders for
about $2. Cime di rapa, also known as broccoli rabe, is a bitter green that comes into season in
autumn. If you can’t £nd it, which I admit can be di¢cult if you don’t have access to a farmers’
market, cavolo nero, chicory, spinach, rainbow chard or kale leaves work just as well. And like
the thrifty Italians, if you have some radishes you could also throw in the tops with the greens,
which adds a further layer of bitterness and makes use of the whole ingredient.
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Serves 4
250–300 g piece of pork skin
2 tablespoons extra-virgin
oliveoil
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon chilli akes
½ teaspoon fennel seeds
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 bunch of cime di rapa, cavolo
nero, chicory, spinach,
rainbow chard or kale, leaves
stripped and roughly chopped
large handful of grated
Parmigiano Reggiano,
plus extra to serve
zest of 1 lemon
FRESH PASTA FOR 4
orecchiette, cavatelli/
malloreddus
DRIED PASTA FOR 4
gnocchetti sardi, rigatoni
Preheat the oven to 220°C fan-forced.
Using a sharp knife, score the pork skin vertically at 5 mm
intervals. This helps the heat of the oven and the salt work their
way through the skin, drying out the moisture and making your
crackling really crisp.
Rub 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, the salt, ½ teaspoon of the chilli
akes and the fennel seeds all over the pork skin and place on a
wire rack over a baking tray (this allows the fat to drip down o
the skin as opposed to the skin sitting in its own fat). Roast for
45 minutes, then carefully turn the pork skin over and roast for
a further 10–15 minutes, until bubbles appear and the crackling
is golden and crisp.
If you’re like me, resist the urge to nibble the crackling and leave
it to cool for at least 5 minutes before cutting up into small shards
ready for sprinkling. Now you can enjoy a small piece – the
cook’s treat – I won’t tell.
Bring a large saucepan of water to a lively boil and season as
salty as the sea. Add the pasta and cook until al dente.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil in
afrying pan over medium heat. Add the remaining chilli akes
and the garlic and cook for 30 seconds or until the garlic just
starts to soften, but not brown. Throw in the greens and toss
tocoat until wilted.
Add the pasta directly to the greens, along with a 125 ml (½cup)
of the cooking water. Add the Parmigiano Reggiano and lemon
zest and give everything a good toss, adding a little extra
cooking water if needed to loosen things up.
Divide the pasta among bowls and rain over the pork crackling.
Be generous. Sprinkle with extra Parmigiano Reggiano and serve.