Use a mortar and pestle to crush a Tbs fennel seeds, a tsp sea salt and 7-8 black pepper corns to a coarse rub,
stirring in the grated zest of a lemon. Rub this over pork belly slices, cover and let marinate overnight if possible.
When ready to cook, dry the pork slices on kitchen paper towels and sear to brown all over in very hot oil. Drain a can
of cannellini beans and tip into a casserole dish, together with a chopped banana shallot, a crushed clove of garlic and
some chopped fresh sage. Pour over a cup of chicken stock, placed the browned pork slices on top, cover and cook in a
170°C oven for an hour to 90 minutes, removing the lid after 45 minutes to reduce the liquid, until the pork is nice and tender.
Meanwhile, make a salsa verde by combining some chopped parsley, a small shallot finely chopped, a Tbs chopped capers, a small
clove of garlic, finely chopped, the zest and juice of half a lemon a tsp white wine vinegar and a good splash of olive oil.
Then make a raw fennel salad to serve with the pork and beans – shave the fennel very finely using a mandolin and chill in
a bowl of iced water. Just before serving, drain the fennel and dress with a squeeze of lemon juice and a little olive oil.
When the pork is cooked, remove from the top of the beans, stir the salsa verde into the beans then replace the pork to serve,
with the fennel salad alongside.