Crispy pork belly & pea risotto

Vacation! Finally the time for vacation came and here in Croatia we all love spending our summer at the seaside. I had some time off and for the last week I’ve been swimming and sunbathing all the way from Split to the islands of Hvar and Vis which are one of the most beautiful islands in the Adriatic. I’ve visited my family in Split since both of my grandfathers were from the Dalmatian islands and I have family all over the coast, I’ve been sunbathing on the beaches of island Vis and Hvar, enjoying every second.

Since I was at the seaside and my hotel wi-fi was down I didn’t get the chance to share all of the moments with you when they happened but now back in Zagreb I have time to tell you all about it.

Croatian seaside by far is one of the most beautiful coasts in the world. Crystal blue sea, cocktails on the beach, stone houses dating back for centuries, castle ruins overlooking the islands, the scent of pine trees all around you and su much sun you look for shade after being a few minutes outside.

For the first time in a while I didn’t cook for a week or so, it’s the most time in years that I haven’t been cooking. The hotel food was ok, but there were also so many beautiful rustic restaurants with dishes that can blow your mind. But most of all I’ve been relaxing, taking in the sun, swimming for hours which really made me happy since I was training swimming since I was 3 years old.

So let me know – Have you ever visited Croatian coast and would you like to? You’ve probably heard of all the TV shows being filmed here, like Game of Thrones and many of you visited Dubrovnik because of it, but did you visit any other cities? How did you like your stay here?

Enjoy my new recipe and stay tuned for more of my recipes and photos from the seaside! Happy summer!

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Preparation: 25 min

Cook time: 1 h 25 min

Servings: 4

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Ingredients

• 600 g pork belly
• 3 dl dark beer
• 1 tsp white pepper
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp red paprika
• 1 tsp chili pepper
• 1/2 red onion, sliced
• 1/2 onion
• 250 g green peas
• 2 tsp olive oil
• batch fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 tsp marjoram
• 1 tsp celery leaves, chopped
• 300 g rice
• 400 ml vegetable stock
• salt & pepper to taste

How to

1. Season the pork belly with salt, white pepper, garlic powder, red paprika, chili pepper and place it in a bowl with sliced red onion and dark beer. Let it marinade for at least 30 min.
2. Preheat the oven to 180° C and sprinkle some vegetable oil over a baking tray. Place the marinated pork belly in the baking tray and using a fork prick some holes on the skin, sprinkle some vegetable oil over it.
3. Bake the pork belly in a preheated oven for about 1 h and 20 min. Keep checking if it’s crispy baked every now and then, sprinkle some beer from the marinade over it and turn it over if needed so the meat can cook better. Bake until crispy and golden.
4. Meanwhile in a medium sauce pan heat olive oil and cook half an onion on each side for a few minutes. Remove half an onion from the sauce pan and add green peas & rice. Stir a few times, add half of vegetable stock and let it cook. Stir every now and then and when it is half-cooked add chopped parsley, marjoram, celery and stir in most of the leftover vegetable stock or all of it if needed.
5. Serve crispy pork belly with green pea risotto and Sriracha sauce. Enjoy!