Pot-Roast Half Pig's Head

My first experience of pig's head was a brawn at St John Bread and Wine. Not just a faultless terrine, it was served in its element - sourdough toast, pickles and beetroot leaves. The acidity of the pickles cuts through the fatty terrine and the bitter leaves refresh. Now why didn't I think of that?



Making "head cheese" is not rocket science but to achieve the consistent elegant simplicity of the St John menu is a true feat. St John mastermind Fergus Henderson is such an inspiring man. Though best know for dealing with the rougher cuts of the pig, it his his dedication to the traditional British dining experience which makes him my food hero.

You will just have to get down to St John to see what I mean. Starters include Ox Heart, Beetroot & Pickled Walnut, Brown Shrimp & White Cabbage and perrenial favourite Roast Bone Marrow With Parsley Salad. My preference is to eat in the bar and order 3 or so starters per head. They have a great selection of draft ales and a wonderful wine list so you should plan to wobble home. Finally, if you're there in the festive season, make sure you snaffle a mince pie with a glass of Le Vitriol.

Enough chat. Introduced and lovingly penned by Fergus, here is the recipe...

I say only half a head, as it is a perfect romantic supper for two. Imagine gazing into the eyes of your loved one over a golden pig's cheek, ear and snout.

Ingredients

To serve two

a dollop of duck fat
8 shallots, peeled and left whole
8 cloves of garlic, peeled and left whole
½ pig's head (your butcher should have no problems supplying this) - remove any hairs with a razor
a glass of brandy
1 bundle of joy - thyme, parsley and a little rosemary
½ bottle of white wine
chicken stock
a healthy spoonful of Dijon mustard
1 bunch of watercress, trimmed, or other greens - a case of Liberty Hall
sea salt and black pepper

Method

Dollop the duck fat into an oven tray wide and deep enough to accommodate your half a pig's head and put it on the heat. Add the shallots and garlic and leave them to do a little sweating to improve the flavour of the dish. Shuggle the tin occasionally to prevent any burning, but you do want some colour.

When happy with these, cover the ear of your demi-head with foil so that it doesn't frazzle, then rest the head in the tin. To welcome it to its new environment, pour the glass of brandy over it, nustle in your bundle of joy, add the wine and then the chicken stock. Now, I'm sure we have covered this before - the alligator-in-the-swamp theory - what we are looking for is the half pig's head to lurk in the stock in a not dissimilar fashion to an alligator in a swamp.

Season with salt and pepper, cover the tin with greaseproof paper, offering some protection but not denying the need for the rigours of the hours to come in the oven - which is where you should now put your tin, in a medium oven for 3 hours, until the head is totally giving. Check it after 2-2½ hours; you could remove the greaseproof paper at this point and get a little colour on your cheek.

When ready, remove the head to a warm place. Whisk the Dijon mustard into the pan liquor, in which you should then wilt the bunch of watercress. Finally, on the head presentation platter, make a pillow of shallots, garlic and wilted watercress, where you then rest your head. There you have it, dinner for two; open something red and delicious: Moon, June, Spoon.


Dan can hardly believe his luck

Oh. Now you've read the recipe, why not watch the video?

This recipe is taken from Beyond Nose to Tail by Fergus Henderson and Justin Piers Gellatly, Bloomsbury 2007

Notes for gluttons

Though most butchers can find you a pig's head, they may well need notice. Call the butcher a few days in advance to avoid dispair.

You will end up with a lot of cooking liqueur - far too much indeed to serve with the head. I suggest you remove two thirds of the juice towards the end of the process, reduce it over a furnace until gloopy and mix it back in with the remaining liquid.

Don't be shy about asking the butcher to half the head. However big your cleaver, you're guaranteed to make quite a mess doing this at home.

Slow Baked Quinces With Mascarpone

Quinces are deeply misunderstood. I suspect that kilos and kilos rot under their trees each year as people don't know what to do with them.

Well I've got news for you - there is more to life than quince jelly. This recipe shows of the unique texture of the fruit and ends up with a beautiful aromatic liqueur which also makes a great ice cream base (more on that later).

I am giving you the choice of using a low oven or a slow cooker. The latter is certainly more economical. You may also find that your oven has an auto cut-out after 6 hours or so so keep an eye on it. I've never tried the oven method but I've eaten the result and it is equally sublime.



Ingredients

Serves 4

4 quinces
a bottle of white wine
250ml water
400g sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
2 bay leaves
2 cloves
2 star anise
200g mascarpone or greek yogurt
bay leaves for serving

Method

Heat the oven to 100c (gas mark 1/4) or warm your slow cooker up. Combine the wine, water, sugar and aromatics in a heatproof, ovenproof lidded dish (or a large pan if using a slow cooker) and bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved.

Scrub the quinces, peel them (reserving the peelings) and cut in half lengthways. If oven baking, add to the liquid-filled oven dish immediately with the peelings and transfer to the oven. If using a slow cooker, add the liquid, quinces and peelings to the cooker and set it to low.

Oven bake for 8 hours or slow cook for 10 hours. Over this time the cooking liquor will develop a deep red colour and your entire home will be filled with a glorious smell of Christmas. Once cooked leave to cool, strain out and discard the aromatics and peelings and serve the fruit with their juice, a dollop of mascarpone or greek yoghurt and a bay leaf to garnish.

Notes for gluttons

The cooked quinces keep for up to a week in the fridge so don't be shy, double up the quantities! Unless you guzzle it in a glass, you will have spare cooking liqueur when you have eaten the quinces. This can be reduced and used to flavour a delicious mild ice cream. I'll try and post it soon.

Fegato alla Veneziana (calves liver Venetian style)

It can be hard to find friends to share the delights of offal with. So much so in fact that I have had to start a monthly Offal Club to bring together ther real fans of "the fifth quarter". I think liver is quite an accessible organ and this recipe produces a flavoursome dish which can be enjoyed even by those with weaker stomachs.

Ingredients

Serves 2

225g calves' liver (ask the butcher to slice it thinly)
3 medium onions, peeled, halved and thinly sliced
275 ml dry Marsala
2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 large clove garlic, peeled and crushed
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
10g butter
salt and freshly ground pepper

NB. You will need two frying pans!

Method

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a frying pan over a high heat, then add the onions and keep frying them over a high heat until they are dark round the edges. You'll need to keep tossing them otherwise they'll burn proper and become bitter - about 10 minutes. If they do co over the top (crispy), I suggest you start again.

Add the crushed garlic and toss that round the pan for a brief instant (30-60 seconds) before adding the Marsala and balsamic vinegar. Bring everything up to a gentle simmer, season, and then turn the heat down to its lowest setting and let it just barely bubble (without covering) for about 45 minutes.

Meanwhile prepare the liver by slicing it into approximately 1½ inch lengths keeping the lengths very thin. Imagine Mr Twit eating his worm spaghetti! When the 45 minutes are up, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil along with the butter in the other frying pan and, then when the butter foams, add the liver slices and sear them very briefly. They only need about 1-2 minutes to brown - any more will dry them out. If there's not enough space in the pan, you can do these in batches.

Add the liver strips to a warmed serving dish then deglaze the pan with a dash of marsala being careful to boil off the alcohol before adding the jus to the liver. Pour over the onions and sauce and serve immediately.

I like to serve this with spinach and chips made by shallow frying cold new potatoes. It would be equally at home (and a little more healthy) over a crisp baked potato.

Notes for gluttons

Lambs liver works well with this recipe too.

Octopus Slow Cooked In Wine

This is the first post to feature on YOTG which is designed to be cooked on the car engine. Didn't know you could cook octopus on the car engine? Shame on you. Its high time you had a look at Bangers on Bangers.



OK, so you've got the background. This dish was dreamt up for a long journey to the lake district. The cause of the trip is a swimming race so this will be high-protein, high carb and, most importantly, lip-smackingly tasty.

Leaving London at 8am, this should be ready for a lakeside lunch. The early departure will affect cooking time - a fast passage out of London will make for an even, low heat all the way. If you are starting your journey in heavy traffic (such as a Friday evening), you'll need to alter the recipe to allow for a high heat at the start followed by lower heat as you hit the motorway. I'd take an hour off the cooking time.

Ingredients

Serves 2

250g prepared octopus (the smaller, the better)
10-12 cherry tomatoes halved
1 small bunch of parsley
1 lemon
1 glass white wine
good olive oil
sea salt and black pepper
2 heaped tsp. plain flour
1 thinly sliced small potato

Method

Rince the octopus thoroughly in water and pat dry with kitchen roll. Slice the octopus as you like, but keep the chunks reasonable small, say not more than 2cm in any direction. Since it is quite a beautiful animal, you'll need to use your creative flair here to cut up the fish in a way that preserves its natural beauty.



In a mixing bowl add the octopus, flour, seasoning and parsley. A good pinch of sea salt is needed here but only a couple of twists of pepper. Stir until the flour is well dispersed. Add the juice of the lemon, stiring as you go, then do the same with the wine being sure to avoid lumps. When the liquid is looking smooth, add the halved cherry tomatoes and stir in gently.

Pour a generous splash of olive oil into a foil takeaway tray and line the tray with the sliced potato. This will stop the octopus from getting too hot and thus becoming tough. Add another glug of oil then with a slotted spoon, spoon in the octoups until it comes up to just below the top of the foil tray. Top up with the remaining liquid leaving about a centimetre gap at the top of the tray to minimise spillage. It doesn't mater if there are bits of octopus poking above the liquid as these will steam.

Seal the container as described on Bangers on Bangers and get on the road. I think this will need at least 4 hours of motorway driving but I'll probably give it 5 to be safe.

Serve with crusty bread to mop up the juice.

Notes for gluttons

Hands up if you've cooked octopus on a car engine. I reckon this to be a first but would love to be proved wrong. Remember where you saw it first.

Bobotie

This has been a favourite of mine at Tupelo Honey for a long time. Last time I went, I decided to reconstruct it. The recipe is of South African origin and the internet is riddled with recipes. This recipe is a mixture of those I found online. It works well.



Ingredients

Serves: 6

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 onions, peeled and sliced
2 1/2 pounds good quality lean ground lamb
1 thick slice of white bread
3/4 pint milk
1 tablespoon curry powder*
1 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 1/2 tablespoons malt vinegar
1/2 cup seedless raisins
50g flaked almonds
2 tablespoons Slap and Pickle (or similar) chutney
2 bay leaves
3 large or 4 small/medium eggs

* I use 1 part ground cumin, 1 part garam masala, 2 parts ground coriander, 1/2 part chilli powder. You probably have your own recipe.

Method

For the meat:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Heat oil in large sauté or very large frying pan. Add the onions and cook over a medium heat until transparent. Add the meat and fry until lightly browned and crumbly. Break it up with a wooden spatula as you go - I hate large lumps in my mince! Soak the bread in the milk, squeeze out excess milk and mash with a fork. Reserve the milk for the batter and set aside.

Add the bread, curry powder, sugar, salt, pepper, turmeric, vinegar, raisins, almonds, chutney to the meat mixture and continue to fry for 5 minutes. Spoon the mixture into a baking dish, press it down well so that it has a flat surface and there are minimal gaps. Nestle in the bay leaves and bake for 50-60 minutes.

For the batter:

Beat the eggs with the remaining milk, season well and pour over the meat mixture about 20 minutes before end of the baking time. Turn the oven up to 220 for the last stretch and keep a close eye on the batter crust. When it goes golden brown it's done. If it goes too dark, it probably means you've dried out the dish.

This is real comfort food. Its like a shepherd's pie with a twist. I serve it with a salad of flat leaf parsley, cubed tomatoes and cucumber dressed with a mustardy vinegarette.

Notes for gluttons

Try substituting 1/2 pound of lamb with the same weight of minced fatty pork. I tried this and the extra moistness was noticable.

If you like more of a curry flavour, try substituting the Slap and Pickle chutney for Patak's Brinjal Pickle.

Date, Fig & Fennel Chutney

Ingredients

2.5 kg fennel, roughly sliced
750g figs, roughly chopped
400g dates, roughly chopped
2 pints cider vinegar
180g ginger, finely chopped
750g soft brown sugar
4 tsp salt
4 onions, finely chopped

Method

Combine all ingredients and bring to a boil in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan. The bigger the pan, the better as it will help to reduce the liquid. You will need a pan that is at least 7.5 litres to fit the above in. Simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated. Bear in mind that the chutney will thicken as it cools, so make sure there is some liquid left. Spoon into jars straight from the hot pan. This will ensure a vacuum seal.



Notes for gluttons

If you're planning on keeping the chutney for a while (say, more than 6 months) then I recommend leaving a bit more liquid. This somehow helps the flavour to develop and prevents the chutney from drying out. If the chutney doeas get too dry, or if you want to cook it a little longer to make the flavours richer, you can add a bit of water. Just make sure the chutney has a good boil after you've added it so that any nasties are done away with. Now don't touch the chuntey for 3 months so that it has a chance to mature. Ideally, aim to cellar it for a year or more. As long as its moist enough, this chutney will keep for about 3 years. I bet it wont last that long!

Slow cooked pig trotter and hock terrine

Serves about 10 as a starter.



Ingredients
2 pig's trotters, each chopped into 3 or 4 pieces
A 1kg unsmoked ham hock
300g fatty pork belly strips
2 small onions, roughly chopped
2 sticks celery, chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled
4-5 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bayleaves
1 large glass white wine
1 tsp redcurrant or crab apple jelly
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Method

I didn't ask the butcher to cut the trotters into pieces as I wanted to try out my new cleaver. Big mistake, I was hacking away for a while, so get your friendly butcher to see to this for you.

I made this in a slow cooker. I am a big fan of the slow cooker, especially where bones are concerned. The product is always that bit richer and I have been known to leave it running on the lowest setting for 24 hours. You could just as easily use a heavy saucepan or a cast iron casserole.

Wash the trotter pieces well being sure to clean between the toes (a strange sensation to say the least), then place in the slow cooker, along with the whole hock, belly, vegetables and herbs. Pack everything in as well as possible, then pour in the wine and enough cold water to cover. Turn on the slow cooker and run it for 8-10 hours. By now, the trotters will be tender and the skin should fall away from the bone. Remove the meat and set aside.



Strain the cooking liquid through a sieve lined with muslin or a clean tea towel into a clean pan. Bring to the boil, reduce by three-quarters, then stir in the fruit jelly. Taste and adjust the seasoning as required. You will need to add a generous pinch of good salt. Remember you're going to serve this chilled, so the flavour will be surpressed.

Pick all the skin and meat from the trotters, and the meat from the hock and belly. Here you can make a decision about how rustic you want your terrine to be. I chose to discard a lot of the skin and some of the fatty bits. On reflection, I think I was a bit heavy-handed as the terrine came out a little lean. Roughly chop the meat, skin and fat into pieces about 1cm square and put in a bowl. Stir in the prosciuto fat. Pour over the reduced cooking liquid, stir and check the seasoning again. Pack into a terrine (or several ramekins or a medium pudding basin), place a weight on top if necessary, then leave until completely cool. Chill for at least a few hours to set before serving (ideally a day or two).

Serve with crusty bread and your preference of cornichons, chutney and/or mustard.