Featured Food Pairing by Seasonal's Wolfgang Ban

Wolfgang Ban, Chef and Owner from Seasonal Restaurant and Weinbar an Austrian restaurant in New York City, prepared this seasonal BBQ Pork Belly dish and pairs it with a Riesling 08 from Hoegl, in the Wachau region of Austria. Wolfgang has chosen the Hoegl Riesling as a pairing because the high acid of the wine cuts through the fat of the pork belly and the stone fruit character present in the wine is a delicious compliment.

Chef Wolfgang Ban seasons his pickled Heilroom Tomatoes with homegrown “Liebstoekl”, also known as Lovage. He also uses Austrian vinegar, Geenbauer, to give this pork belly dish the necessary acidity. This dish takes two days to prepare, but you still have plenty of time to prepare it for Fourth of July weekend and impress your family and friends with an outstanding dish from an award-winning chef.

Pork Belly

4lb Pork Belly

3g Caraway

1g Garlic

1lb Pork Fat

2 TSP fresh Thyme

For Brine:

4 Cups Water

1 Cup Salt

Put pork belly in oven dish and cover totally with brine for 24hrs in the refrigerator.

After 24hrs empty leftover water and cover pork belly entirely with pork fat and spices. Bake for 3-4 hrs in the oven at 225F till soft.

Cut soft pork belly in squares and grill on the BBQ till perfection.

Chanterelle

1/2 lb Small Chanterelle

2 TSP Butter

Salt

Wash, dry and cut Chanterelles thin slices. Put butter in a frying pan, add chanterelles and a little salt, and sauté till soft.

Baby Heirloom Tomato

1/2 lb Baby Heirloom Tomato

1 TSP Salt

1 TSP Sugar

1 cup Red Wine Vinegar

1 cup of sliced Lovage

Fresh crushed Black Pepper

4 cups water

Wash and cut Heirloom Tomatoes in halves. Mix together spices, water and vinegar, combine with the tomatoes and refrigerate for 48 hrs.

Vinegar Gel

250 ml Gegenbauer P.X. Noble Sauer (available at specialty food shops or Food Emporium in NYC)

5 pieces of Gelatins

1 Cup Water

Put Gelatin in a pot with water and vinegar, stir and bring to boil. Set aside and let cool until it turns into a thick paste. Once cool mix paste until liquefied again and serve with tomatoes, chanterelles and pork belly on the side.