Pork skepasti recipe (2024)

• 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

• 300 gm plain flour, plus extra for dusting (2 cups)
• 5 gm dried yeast

• 100 gm mayonnaise
• 100 gm Greek yoghurt
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 garlic clove, finely grated
• 1 tsp ground sumac, plus extra to serve

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).

  See Also

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• 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.