Braised Pork Belly with a Spinach-Onion

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This beautiful recipe is from the kitchen of Chef Matthew Bousquet, Mirepoix Restaurant in Sonoma County. CA. While attending the California Culinary Academy, Matthew trained with Bradley Ogden at One Market in San Francisco and Grey Kunz at Lepinasse at the St. Regis Hotel in New York. After graduating from the CCA in 1995, he worked with Barbara Tropp at China Moon and then at Silks in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel under Ken Oringer. Matthew then moved to St. Louis to launch Harvest Restaurant, one of the first St. Louis area restaurants to focus on seasonal cuisine. The endeavor was wildly successful as he was featured on the Food Network and invited to present at the James Beard Foundation. Subsequently, Bousquet became the fine dining chef at the Grill Room in the St. Louis Ritz Carlton. He then moved to Colorado where he landed at Bistro Jou Jou, one of Kevin Taylor’s restaurants.

In 2002, Matthew and his wife, Bryan, opened Restaurant Mirepoix in Sonoma County, California. Here Matthew has been featured at the James Beard Foundation in New York, as well as the NBC program “In Wine Country”. Publications including Restaurant Mirepoix are Sunset Magazine, Food and Beverage International, Northbay Biz, and California Home and Design.

Braised Pork Belly with a Spinach-Onion Stew and a Caper-Raisin Sauce

Pork Belly Ingredients:

1 (4 – 6/lb.) Pork Belly

2 cups Zinfandel

6 Bay leaves

2 Shallots (sliced)

1/4 cup Soy Sauce

1/2 cup Brown Sugar

1 cup Canola Oil
1 tbls.

TT Salt and Pepper

Procedure:
Combine all ingredients and marinate overnight in the refrigerator. Sear belly then place in a large pan. Cover with leftover marinade and water, then cook for 3 hours in a 250°F oven or until tender.

Spinach-Onion Stew Ingredients:

1 cup Onion (sliced and caramelized)

2 cups Spinach

1 tbls. Garlic (chopped)

2 tbls. Red Onion (diced)

1 tbls. Thyme (chopped)

2 tbls. Sherry Vinegar

1/2 cup Chicken Stock

1 tbls. Butter

TT Salt and Pepper

Procedure:
Combine first four ingredients and saute in oil for about two minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and cook for another three minutes, or until done.

Caper Golden Raisin Sauce Ingredients:

1/3 cup Golden Raisins

1/3 cup Capers

1/2 cup Water

1 tspn. Sherry Vinegar

TT Salt and Pepper

Procedure:
Combine all ingredients in a pot on low heat until the raisins have plumped. Puree the mixture and season with salt and pepper.

Assembly:
Center the stew in the center of the plate. Place the seared pork belly on top of the stew, then surround with the raisin-caper sauce.

Mirepoix Restaurant

275 Windsor River Rd.

Windsor, CA 95492

(707) 838-0162