Pork loin, belly and ravioli with apple-cinnamon puree and eggplant caviar

Ingredients

• 1 lb pork belly
• 1½ cups soy sauce
• 1 cup mirin
• ½ cup rice wine vinegar
• 3 slices fresh ginger
• 1 Tbsp bonito flakes
• 1½ lbs bone-in pork loin, cleaned
• 5 carrots, coarsely chopped
• 5 ribs celery, coarsely chopped
• 3 onions, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 3 sprigs thyme
• 6 bay leaves
• ¾ cup+ 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb pork cheeks
• 8 oz pork tongue
• Pinch of Chinese five-spice powder
• 1 cup white wine
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups brown veal and chicken jus
• 3 small dill pickles, chopped
• 1 lb pasta dough
• 3 Tbsp butter
• 3 cups vegetable oil for deep-frying
• 1 cup flour for dredging
• 4 baby bok choy

• 1 eggplant, halved
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 sprig thyme
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp chopped parsley

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and roughly sliced
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• ½ stick cinnamon
• ½ cup water

Seared Pork and Ravioli
1. Place the pork belly in a shallow bowl. In a small bowl, mix together soy sauce, mirin, rice wine vinegar, ginger and bonito flakes. Pour this mixture over the pork belly and marinate for 24 hours.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
3. Cut the pork loin into four thick chops and refrigerate until needed. Cut the pork bones into 2-inch pieces and place them in a roasting pan. Roast the bones in the oven until golden brown, about 30 minutes.
4. Combine carrots, celery, onions, thyme and bay leaves in a large bowl.
5. Heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot on medium high heat. Add one-third of the vegetables and herbs and roast until golden brown, about r 10 minutes.
6. In a medium saute pan, heat another 2 Tbsp of olive oil. Add pork cheeks and sear for 3 minutes on both sides on medium heat. Add the cheeks to the roasted vegetables. Also add pork tongue, five spice powder and wine and cook on medium heat until wine has reduced by half, about 15 minutes. Cover with chicken stock and veal and chicken just. Cover the mixture with a cartouche-a round of parchment paper cut to the diameter of the pot with a hole in the centre to allow steam to escape-and braise in the oven for 2 hours, or until tender. Drain and set aside in the refrigerator.
7. In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil on medium high heat. Add one-third of the unroasted vegetables and herbs and roast until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add the roasted bones. Cover with the braising liquid, then simmer on medium-low heat for 1½ hours. Strain the liquid through a sieve into a large saucepan and continue to cook on medium heat until it has reduced by three-quarters, or until the sauce sticks to the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes. Strain this pork just again through a fine sieve and cheesecloth and set aside.
8. Preheat the oven to 300°F.
9. Heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a pot on medium heat. Roast the last third of the unroasted vegetables and herbs until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add the pork belly and its marinade. Braise for 2 to 2½ hours or until tender. Meanwhile, line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Take the belly out of the braising liquid and place it on one of the lined baking sheets. Place the other baking sheet and a 5-lb weight on top and press the belly in the refrigerator until firm, up to 24 hours. If the belly has its skin on, remove the skin.
10. Break the pork cheeks into small pieces and mix with dill pickles and 2 Tbsp of the pork just. Season with salt and pepper.
11. Roll the pasta to the thickness of a dime and cut out 8 rounds, each 2 inches in diameter. Place 1 Tbsp of the pork cheek mixture onto a pasta round. Moisten the edges of the pasta with water and cover the filling with another pasta round. Press the edges of the pasta to seal. Repeat until you have made 4 ravioli.
Eggplant Caviar
12. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
13. Score the cut side of the eggplant several times with a sharp knife. Tuck the garlic slices and thyme into the slits and drizzle the eggplant with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Wrap each eggplant half in aluminum foil and bake for about 40 minutes, until the eggplant is tender. Scoop out flesh, making sure to discard the skin and seeds. Chop the flesh coarsely into a bowl. Add parsley when ready to serve.
Apple-Cinnamon Puree
14. In a medium saute pan, heat olive oil on high heat. Add apples and cook for 2 minutes but do not brown. Add sugar and cinnamon stick. Cover with water. Cover the apples with a cartouche and cook on high heat for about 10 minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick, then puree the mixture in a food processor and pass it through a fine sieve.