Pork and Cannellini Beans

1.	In a deep casserole, heat the olive oil and add the onions, carrot, celery and chilli. Sauté the aromatics together and add the star anise and bouquet garni with the tomato paste and sugar. Add the wine, beans and trotter.
2.	Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes. Carefully insert the pork belly into the casserole. Pour the chicken stock over the meat, cover and simmer for at least 2 hours until the beans, trotter and pork belly are succulently tender.
3.	Remove the trotter from the pan and debone. Return the meat to the now well-reduced sauce. Taste and season.
4.	Garnish with a little chopped sage before serving.
5.	* If you are short of time, use cooked, canned organic cannellini beans. You can add them to the casserole 1 hour and 40 minutes into the final cooking process.

	75ml good olive oil
	2 brown onions, finely chopped
	1 carrot, sliced into circles
	1 stalk celery, with leaves, chopped
	1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped
	2 star anise
	1 bouquet garni
	30ml tomato paste
	30ml demerara sugar
	375ml red wine
	350g dried cannellini beans, soaked overnight*
	1 pig’s trotter
	1kg pork belly (preferably acorn fed), sliced into 3cm pieces
	500ml chicken stock
	salt and pepper to taste
	chopped fresh sage for garnishing