I’m taking a bit of a break from lamb (but not for too long). One cannot neglect the the pig for too long and this dish. Here’s another taverna classic that falls in the realm of “tiganias” or sauted skillet dishes. Large fry pans or platters arrive at the table, much to the delight of the hungry Greek parea (company).
The cut of pork that’s used quite a bit in Greece is the pork belly. It can be sliced to make chops for the grill, cubed and skewered to make souvlaki or made into a tigania like this dish. If you cannot find pork butt, the pork butt (from the shoulder) also works well. It’s important to note that this dish needs some fat to succeed in having a moist, tender and flavourful end result. I do not recommend pork loin or tenderloin for this dish.
I buy a whole pork belly and I then remove the thick skin which I freeze to use to for a future pork loin roast. The remaining pork belly has a layers of lean meat and fat. Trim as much fat as you wish but leave some fat on. The fat left on your pork belly cubes will render and are key this dish being successful. The pork browns in its own fat and then the cubes of meat get a welcome splash of wine and stock and simmer, absorb the liquid and take on some flavour.
After thirty minutes, most of the liquid is gone, the meat – tender and just a fresh lemon juice, olive oil and herbs are needed to finish off an easy and most delicious dish. The name of this dish “ladorigani” is a compound word in Greek that simply means “oil and oregano”. What you see in the pan with the pork is the olive oil and lemon juice that were added at the end. Think souvlaki in a pan!
Pork Ladorigani (xοιρινό λαδορήγανη)
(meze/appetizer for 4)
1 kg. of pork belly, skin removed and cubed
coarse sea salt
fresh ground pepper
2 tsp. sweet paprika
1 cup white wine
1 cup water or stock
2-3 strips of lemon peel
juice of 1 lemon
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp. dried Greek oregano
1 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
- Remove the skin from the pork belly and cut into cubes. Season with coarse sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Place a large skillet on your stove-top over medium-high heat and place the pork in the skillet and brown on all sides. The fat left on the pork will render and brown the meat (this step will take about 10-15 minutes).
- Add the wine, stock (or water), lemon peels, and paprika and bring back to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for about 30 minutes.
- Take lid off and simmer for another 10-15 minutes or until most of the liquid is gone. Squeeze the lemon juice over the pork, add the olive oil and sprinkle your dried Greek oregano and chopped fresh rosemary. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
- Serve with lots of crusty bread and a pair with a Pavlou Estate Rose.
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© 2007-2010 Peter Minakis
28 Responses
Are you sure you’re not secretly Portuguese? We have a similar dish…with the exception of oregano. :) Pass the bread!
I thought it said “LARDorigani”! Shows where my mind is, haha! I certainly am one of those people who can’t ignore the pig for too long either – and what a great dish to remind me! ;)
I wish I had this for lunch right now. More ideas for pork belly.
This looks so so yumm. I have to admitt i am not a pork belly fan, when ever i make pork which is rare i buy the most leanest piece. I know they don’t tast good as the belly, but i can’t stand the fat .
I am sure if i make this once for my in laws they will love it as they eat every part from pork.
MIL makes pea soup from trotters , you can imagine how my face expression was when i saw that for the first time :-)
Impossible not to love that dish if you are a big fan of pork like me!
Cheers,
Rosa
Μου δωσες ιδÎα τι να μαγειÏÎψω αÏÏιο!!
ΩÏαίο φαγάκι και εÏκολο!
Φιλιά, καλή βδομάδα!
ότι Ï€ÏÎπει για βουτιÎÏ‚, πατÏίδα!!! και το κÏασάκι απαÏαίτητο, εις υγείαν
another fabulous dish peter. i wish pork belly was easier to find around where i live–all we have is lobster (i tire of it).
Pork belly is my favourite cut, but I have never tried it like this before. I have been missing out!
My mouth literally watered as I read the words the pork browns in its own fat and then gets a welcome splash of wine and broth. I’m with Dragon above…pass the bread!
Pork belly is a bit hard to find in my neck of the woods – much to my dismay. It’s such a beautiful cut of meat.
I don’t mind taking a break from lamb for pork. I think I love them both equally!
I wish I could find pork belly around here!
That looks amazing. Looks a lot like some pork I ate at a place that’s famous for roast pork located near Krestina in 2004!
This dish looks so yummy, inviting, and flavorful.
I love this classic dish…my dad used to make this with pork also and sometimes he would do it with lamb chops (with a nice amount of fat on the meat). I’ll echo Joan’s words and say “pass the bread”! also!
This recipe sounds fantastic and it is so simple!
no, we must never neglect the pig! you’ve honored porcine quite nicely here, peter. leave the lambies alone. :)
Peter, this looks devine! Can’t wait to try. Pork belly was introduced to me when we first went to Hong Kong (1997) as it’s a popular cut of pork for the Chinese. Since then, I seek out pork belly if it is in a menu & have cooked it at home (Asian style).
Oh man, bring on the pig! Matt & I are taking a class in cooking with pork belly tomorrow & I’m so looking forward to it.
Such simple flavors, yet I cannot imagine leaving one of them out….the balance would not be the same….clever combo of flavors Peter!
Beautiful! I wonder if country-style pork ribs might also work? I’m not quite sure how to ask for pork belly at the butcher’s. And while we’re at it – any idea what beef “skirt steak” might be called in Greek..?
Looks good. I just bought some pork belly the other day to make Red-Cooked Pork. It’s pretty much exactly the same except olive oil and oregano instead of soy sauce and anise. I think I’ll give this a try.
Ooh Ooh Ooh
I never made pork belly, it’s on my list.
Love the flavors here!
LL
I read this last week, and I FELL IN LOVE with it! I made it for Saturday’s lunch using pork shoulder (currently, all the pork belly we get ends up as bacon!) – it was absolutely magnificent! I used a bit of last year’s home-grown Greek oregano, and the first of this year’s fresh rosemary to finish it, and it was just amazing. Thank you so much.
Hi, I’m not sure if you’re still monitoring this post or not – I wanted to come back and thank you (again!) for this fabulous dish! I didn’t realize it had been so long, but – this has been in semi-regular rotation since I first saw it – over 12 years now! We now buy our pork by the half-pig, and I have the belly cut into smaller slabs – and this never disappoints. Since there are just two of us, and it’s such a rich dish, there are usually leftovers, which are fabulous tossed with some pasta for a quick lunch. Thank you again for your generosity!
Thank you Kris, I am still here and adding new recipes.