Drinking red wine with good food in good company has to be one of life’s most rewarding pleasures.

So why not cook up a storm, and get family or friends around the table for a Cabernet Sauvignon inspired Asian pork belly pairing with pickled ginger mash, on International Cabernet Sauvignon Day tomorrow, 27th August.

Try this delicious, good value for money recipe perfected by TV personality and well-known chef, Mynhardt Joubert. We have paired the dish with KWV Classic Collection Cabernet Sauvignon and the pork belly with the pickled ginger mash – a match made in heaven.

This vibrant wine, is oak matured for eight to ten months and exudes aromas of blackcurrant, mulberry and fynbos with hints of cigar box, herbs and cedery oak; with a well balanced tannin structure that ensures a full and lingering finish.

For the Pork Belly

Ingredients: (Serves 6 to 8)
1 whole pork belly, bones removed skin on 1.5kg to 2kg (ask your butcher to provide you with the meat bone removed and skin on)
125ml of good quality soya sauce
2 cups of chicken stock
2 cups of water
4 large brown onions chopped
8 cloves of garlic crushed
50g of fresh ginger grated
1 green chilli chopped
100g of lemongrass

Method: Place all the ingredients in a large enough roasting pan with all the liquids over and place the pork belly skin side up on top of the ingredients. Tightly cover with foil and cook at 200 degrees Celsius for about 20 minutes and then turn down the heat to 160 degrees and cook for about 3 and a half to 4 hours.

Remove the pork belly gently and place in a large enough dish with a piece of cling film over and cool down for about an hour. Place another flat roasting pan or dish on top of the pork belly and weigh down with weights to press the pork belly and leave in the refrigerator over night. Strain the liquid off into a saucepan and reduce the liquid to a saucy consistency to use over the pork belly and mash.

Remove the next day, score the skin and cut up the belly into portion sizes. Just before serving, roast the belly in a hot oven of 200 degrees Celsius for about 8 to 10 minutes until crisp and golden brown.

Tip: Use old magazines wrapped in cling film as weights to press the pork belly – it works wonderfully

For the Sweet Potato Pickled Ginger Mash

Ingredients:
8 large sweet potatoes peeled
125g of butter
One table spoon of fresh ginger grated
80 grams of pickled ginger, drained and chopped finely
50ml of cream
salt and white pepper

Method: Boil the sweet potatoes and As soon as they are cooked, strain the water off and add the rest of the ingredients and mash. Serve the dish with the pickled ginger mash, reduced pan juices, fresh coriander KWV Classic Collection Cabernet Sauvignon.

KWV Classic Collection Cabernet Sauvignon is available at retailers nationwide at a cost of R62.95 or buy online via the KWV Wine Emporium.