After a somewhat long break from writing anything on this blog, I’m really happy to get things going again. I managed to get away for a few weeks on a long, much-needed holiday and I’ve had time to work on lots of new recipes, which will appear here in the very near future. To be honest, writing again lifts a real weight off my shoulders. When I started this blog all those years ago, it was really aimed to be a bit of fun, a foodie distraction. I didn’t realise how important to me it would become, to the point that I start to feel guilty if I haven’t written for a couple of weeks.
This recipe is a cracker, a totally delicious plate of food that is comforting and indulgent despite the modest ingredients. It’s a prime example of how inexpensive, overlooked produce combined with a little time and patience can result in something a little special. Pigs trotters will always be pigs trotters, and there’s no getting around the fact that you are working with a very graphic, often hairy, animal foot. Even in Pierre Koffman’s seminal stuffed trotter dish, it’s still very much that. There is no dressing it up, but looking past all of this allows you to utilise what is in essence a uniquely flavoured and textured cut of pork.
Although the focus will always be on the trotters with a dish like this, my main inspiration for this recipe was actually the swede. The poor old swede has really got the bum deal as a truly unfashionable vegetable, yet it is something which I grew up eating and adore. Combined with the pork and sage as the filling for the pasta, it creates a wonderful, slightly sweet balance of flavour which brings the whole thing together.
As with lots of my cooking, some of the elements are a little on the timely side. When I make these recipes at home, I spread them over a couple of days, leaving only the quick bits and pieces to the day of serving. For this recipe, the trotter and sage filling can be made 3-4 days ahead if necessary, and like the best lasagnes and stews, will most probably benefit from a day in the fridge.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
For the trotter and swede filling:
6 pigs trotters
4 slices of bacon, chopped into small pieces
3 shallots, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 carrot, chopped
10 sprigs of thyme
1 bay leaf
1 glass of white wine
1-1.5 litres of chicken stock
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1 swede
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
5 sprigs of thyme, leaves picked
10 sage leaves, finely chopped
3 tbsp of grated parmesan
For the sauce:
The braising liquid from the pigs trotters
1 good knob of butter
A squeeze of lemon juice
For the pasta:
300g strong ‘00’ grade pasta flour
3 medium eggs, plus 1 spare
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
To finish:
8 baby leeks
Parmesan for grating on top
First braise the pig’s trotters. Place a large, heavy casserole dish onto a medium-high hob and add a good glug of olive oil. Trim the trotters and singe away any hair, then quickly brown in the hot pan. Once coloured on all sides, transfer to a side plate with some tongs. Add the chopped bacon to the now-empty pan and also caramelise for a couple of minutes, before adding the 3 chopped shallots, carrot, garlic, bay leaf and 10 sprigs of thyme. Fry for another few minutes, then pour in the wine. Allow to boil and reduce by half. Return the trotters to the pan and top up with the chicken stock, until everything is just covered. Bring to the boil again, then lower to a gentle simmer. Partially cover the pan with a lid and cook for 3-4 hours, until the flesh on the trotters is very tender.
When the trotters are ready, allow everything to cool slightly before straining the liquid into a smaller saucepan and setting aside for later. Strip the flesh from the trotters and chop very finely with a knife before transferring to a bowl. Discard the now spent vegetables.
While the trotters are cooking, set the oven to 180⁰C (fan).
Peel the swede and chop into rough chunks about an inch in size. Tip onto an oven dish and coat in a little olive oil and seasoning. Slide into the oven and roast for about 45 minutes, until very tender.
Place a small saucepan onto a medium-low heat and add a little oil. Add the remaining shallot, garlic, thyme and sage to the pan along with a little seasoning, and soften gently for 8-10 minutes. When both the swede and shallot/herbs are cooked, transfer them into a food processor and blend well to form a smooth puree. Scrape the mixture into a large bowl and combine with the cooked and shredded trotters and grated parmesan. Taste and season if necessary with salt and pepper or more parmesan. Cover and set aside.
To make the pasta dough, pour the flour into a large bowl and use a wooden spoon to create a well in the middle. Break the eggs into the well and add the olive oil and a large pinch of salt. Use a fork to whisk the eggs, gently incorporating the flour at the same time. When a dough is formed, tip it out onto a board and knead really well for about 10 minutes. Wrap the dough with cling film and allow to rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
When the dough has rested, use a pasta machine to roll it into a sheet at the thinnest setting. Crack the spare egg into a small bowl and whisk well. Using a large circular-cutter about 3” in diameter, cut circles of pasta and top with a small tablespoon of filling in the centre. Lightly brush one edge with the beaten egg, then take the pasta in your hands and fold into a semi-circle, sealing the pasta around the filling and expelling any air bubbles. Repeat until 24 agnolotti have been made. Cover with a clean tea towel and set aside.
To make the sauce, set the saucepan containing the leftover braising liquid onto a high heat. Bring to the boil, and allow to reduce by half-two-thirds, until it turns into a thick and concentrated sauce that coats the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and whisk in both the lemon juice and butter.
For the leeks, place a heavy griddle or frying pan onto a high heat. Toss the leeks in a little oil, then place onto the hot pan, cooking for a few minutes on each side until lightly charred and cooked through.
Bring a large saucepan of well-salted water to the boil. When the water is rolling, add the agnolotti and cook for 3 minutes. While the pasta is cooking, pour a ladle or two of sauce into a large frying pan and warm through. When cooked, use a slotted spoon to transfer the pasta into the warm sauce, gently turning to glaze all sides.
To plate up, arrange two leeks onto each plate along with six agnolotti. Spoon over a little more warm sauce and finally grate a generous amount of parmesan on top.
“There a pig’s head in our kitchen?!” she said down the phone, in a way that even without seeing her came with raised eyebrows and scepticism. “Are you sure that you don’t just want to go to the pub instead?” and “please can it not be staring out of the fridge when I get home” (this was not a question) followed. I couldn’t help but grin wryly. There was a huge temptation to divulge that I was in the process of ridding her supper of impressive facial hair and ear wax. There was a vague temptation to decorate my clothing with the ears, tongue and teeth for when she walked through the door. This was quickly discarded, but I revelled in the challenge of making her a lunch that she had already squeamishly written off. This was going to be fun.
I love a good project, and this one had been long in the making. For months I looked at trendy menus that contained pig’s head this way and that, and it just always remained one of those things that I would get around to doing at some point. I had never tackled anything of the sort; apart from eating the cheeks and spying ears on the odd bar menu I had no idea what else was there. This seemed the best way to find out, and before I knew it I was sitting on the bus home next to a large bag, hoping dearly that a child didn’t peek inside.
It was surprisingly easy to tackle once home, and before long most of the meat was in manageable portions. Although I could have got the butcher to do most of this, and he probably would have made the whole process look so much neater, I felt rewarded in learning a small skill.
I only needed the ears and the small, dark nuggets of cheek meat (plus a couple of extra) for this recipe, so against my dear lady’s wishes a few largish bits of pig ended up finding their way into the fridge. But they were certainly not wasted, and in the next couple of blog posts I’ll be writing about the recipes that followed. For such a cheap, unglamorous cut of meat it really went far. I’ll certainly be getting another before too long, to roast whole until crisp or make stunning rillettes out of if nothing else.
In terms of flavours used in this recipe, I’ve stayed fairly safe and traditional. Pork loves sweetness, and this comes through in the beetroot and the leeks. For me this needs to be balanced though, and I often avoid pork dishes when eating out as it tends to come with a sugar overload. The addition of earthy black pudding and savoury sauce achieve this equilibrium, and the tarragon gives an additional fresh tanginess that rounds everything off.
Serves 2
Ingredients:
For the braised cheeks:
4 pork cheeks, sinew removed
2 carrots, roughly chopped
1 leek, roughly chopped
1 onion, roughly chopped
5 garlic cloves, crushed
10 sprigs of thyme
2 bay leaves
2 star anise
30g butter
500ml good quality dry cider
1.5ltrs good chicken stock
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
For the crispy ears:
1 pig’s ear, any hair and wax removed
Oil for frying, approx. 1ltr
Salt
For the burnt leeks:
6 baby leeks
Olive oil
½ lemon, juice only
Salt and pepper
For the black pudding:
2 slices of black pudding, cut into 1cm cubes
Olive oil
For the beetroot puree:
2 beetroots
8 sprigs of thyme
2 garlic cloves
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
20g butter
Splash of hot water
For the tarragon mayonnaise:
250ml rapeseed oil
1 large bunch of tarragon, leaves picked
1 egg yolk
½ a garlic clove, finely chopped
Splash of white wine vinegar
½ lemon, juice only
Salt and pepper
For the sauce:
Approx. 200g of trimmings from the pig’s head, excess fat removed
1 shallot, finely chopped
¼ leek, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
5 sprigs of thyme
1 star anise
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp sugar
2 bay leaves
150ml good dry sherry
500ml of the braising stock
20g butter
Salt and pepper
First braise the cheeks and ear. Heat a large stockpot with a little oil to a high temperature. Season the cheeks and brown very well on all sides, then remove to a plate. Add the onion, leek, carrot, garlic, herbs, spices and seasoning to the pan and sauté for a couple of minutes. Pour in the cider and bring to the boil, then add the cheeks and ear and cover with the stock. Return to the boil and then reduce to a low simmer, cover and cook for 3 hours. Once the meat is tender and cooked, remove from the heat and allow to cool. Carefully remove the cheeks and ear from the liquid to a plate and set aside or refrigerate until needed. Strain the stock, discard the vegetables and reserve the liquid to make the sauce.
Preheat the oven to 200⁰C (fan).
Make the beetroot puree by putting the beetroot, garlic, half the thyme, seasoning and a little olive oil into a small oven dish. Tightly cover with foil and bake in the preheated oven for 1 – 1 ½ hours, or until very tender. When cooked, remove from the oven and carefully peel the beets and garlic. Transfer to a small food processor along with the butter, the rest of the fresh thyme leaves, seasoning and a small splash of water. Blitz very well until you get a fine puree texture. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then pass through a sieve. Set aside for reheating later.
While the beetroot is cooking make the tarragon mayonnaise. Pour the rapeseed oil into a food processor with the tarragon leaves and blitz well until the oil is a vibrant green colour. Pour into a jug and clean the processor bowl. Put the egg yolk, salt, garlic and vinegar into the clean mixer and blend well. With the blade still running pour in the tarragon oil very slowly, until the mixture thickens and emulsifies. When all the oil has been mixed add the lemon juice and taste for seasoning. Let the mayonnaise down with a little water if too thick. Transfer to a sauce bottle and refrigerate until needed.
For the sauce, heat a large skillet or saucepan to high and add a little oil. Brown the trimmings well on all sides before adding the leek, shallot, garlic, fennel seeds and herbs and frying until coloured. Carefully add the sherry and burn off the alcohol and then top up with the stock. Reduce right down until left with a thick sauce, about 15-20 minutes. Strain into a small saucepan.
Heat the frying oil for the ears in a saucepan to 180⁰C. Dry the ear with kitchen roll and slice into thin strips. When the oil is hot carefully lower in the strips and cook for a minute or two until crispy and golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain. Sprinkle with salt and set aside.
Fill a saucepan with salted water and bring to the boil. When hot blanch the baby leeks for a minute, then transfer to a large bowl of cold water. When cool, remove and pat dry. Put aside for grilling later.
Heat the oven to 180⁰C.
When the oven is hot, arrange the black pudding onto a baking tray and drizzle over a little olive oil. Bake in the oven for 4-5 minutes.
While the black pudding is cooking finish off the other elements of the dish:
Heat a frying pan to a medium-high temperature and add a little olive oil. When hot add the braised cheeks and cook for 2 minutes on each side until browned. Halfway through cooking add the butter and a good tablespoon of the reduced sauce and baste well.
Heat a heavy griddle pan to a high temperature. Toss the blanched leeks in a little olive oil. When the griddle is hot sear the leeks for a couple of minutes until the outsides start to blacken. Remove to a plate, season well and squeeze over the lemon juice.
Reheat the sauce and stir in the butter thoroughly just before serving.
Gently reheat the beetroot puree.
To plate up, arrange two pig cheeks onto each plate and three baby leeks around and on top. Spoon a quenelle of the beetroot puree to one side and squeeze some of the mayonnaise around the plate. Scatter on some of the black pudding and crispy ear. Finally spoon over a little of the thick sauce.
