This recipe by Sam’s Brasserie chef Ian Leckie in Chiswick is home food at its best. Gorgeous taste, wonderfully melting meat, easy preparation, the type of dish you forget in the oven. It also uncovers a chef's best kept secret: pigs’ cheeks. This cheap cut of meat, prized by chefs for its low cost and fantastic stewing qualities, is seldom used outside "the trade" according to my butcher. This is about to change.
Cider braised pig’s cheeks with fresh pea purĂ©e
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Recipe by: Ian Leckie, head chef at Sam’s Brasserie, Chiswick, London Busy:35 min, Total prep time: 2 hours Serves: 6 |
Preheat the oven to 150C.
Chop the onion, carrots, leek, celery and garlic. No need to cut them too finely as they will only be used to flavour the meat and the sauce.
Prepare the pigs' cheeks by lightly flouring them. Heat a frying pan with a bit of olive oil. When hot but not steaming, add the meat and fry for about 5 minutes or until just coloured. Transfer the cheeks to a flameproof casserole dish.
To your frying pan, add all the chopped vegetables and garlic, bay leaves, star anise and a good sprinkling of ground pepper) and cook slowly until the greens are soft and golden, for about 8-10 minutes. Toss the vegetables over the pig cheeks and add the cider, vinegar and stock.
Bring the casserole to the boil on the stovetop then cover with a lid and transfer to the hot oven. Braise for between 60-90 minutes or until the cheeks are meltingly tender.
Remove the casserole from the oven, lift out the pig's cheeks and set aside.
Strain the cooking liquor into a saucepan, bring to the boil and reduce its volume by 1/3 (7-8 mins).
Whisk the butter into the sauce and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.
Reduce the heat and add the pig's cheeks, heat through gently before serving.
Prepare the pea puree
Blanch the peas in gently boiling salted water for about 2 minutes then put in a blender. Add 1 tablespoon of cream and the butter, and blitz until smooth
Slowly, stir in a splash of wine and the remaining cream if needed. You want the puree to be quite thick so only add these if you think the consistency will take it. (for reference, on the picture my puree is too runny but I could not correct it as I was out of peas!)
Season and adjust as required.
Serve the pigs cheeks with the puree and the sauce. For the posh factor, you can also add simple salad of fresh peas and pea shoots. (for the picture I used a mix of baby watercress and rocket salad).
Prepare the pigs cheeks
Preheat the oven to 150C.
Chop the onion, carrots, leek, celery and garlic. No need to cut them too finely as they will only be used to flavour the meat and the sauce.
Prepare the pigs’ cheeks by lightly flouring them. Heat a frying pan with a bit of olive oil. When hot but not steaming, add the meat and fry for about 5 minutes or until just coloured. Transfer the cheeks to a flameproof casserole dish.
To your frying pan, add all the chopped vegetables and garlic, bay leaves, star anise and a good sprinkling of ground pepper) and cook slowly until the greens are soft and golden, for about 8-10 minutes. Toss the vegetables over the pig cheeks and add the cider, vinegar and stock.
Bring the casserole to the boil on the stovetop then cover with a lid and transfer to the hot oven. Braise for between 60-90 minutes or until the cheeks are meltingly tender.
Remove the casserole from the oven, lift out the pig’s cheeks and set aside.
Strain the cooking liquor into a saucepan, bring to the boil and reduce its volume by 1/3 (7-8 mins).
Whisk the butter into the sauce and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.
Reduce the heat and add the pig’s cheeks, heat through gently before serving.
Prepare the pea puree
Blanch the peas in gently boiling salted water for about 2 minutes then put in a blender. Add 1 tablespoon of cream and the butter, and blitz until smooth
Slowly, stir in a splash of wine and the remaining cream if needed. You want the puree to be quite thick so only add these if you think the consistency will take it. (for reference, on the picture my puree is too runny but I could not correct it as I was out of peas!)
Season and adjust as required.
Serve the pigs cheeks with the puree and the sauce. For the posh factor, you can also add simple salad of fresh peas and pea shoots. (for the picture I used a mix of baby watercress and rocket salad).
The pigs’ cheeks, the sauce and the puree can all be made in advance and refrigerated – if you do this, don’t add the butter or final seasoning to the sauce until you are ready to serve it. Also remember to keep the puree properly covered with cling film to prevent discolouration. On the day, remove all from the fridge a little while before warming up to allow the food to come up to room temperature first.
Ingredients
For the pigs’ cheeks:
800g pigs' cheeks, (ask your butcher to trim them for you)
1 small onion
2 carrots
1 leek
4 sticks of celery
2 cloves garlic
1 star anise
250 ml English cider
2 tsp cider vinegar
250 ml chicken stock (or half a cube diluted in water)
20g unsalted butter
Freshly ground salt and black pepper
For the pea puree:
500g podded or frozen peas
3 tablespoons thick cream
25g softened butter
Splash of white wine or chicken stock
Salt and pepper to taste
To serve: pea shoots or baby leaves salad
For the pigs’ cheeks:
800g pigs' cheeks, (ask your butcher to trim them for you)
1 small onion
2 carrots
1 leek
4 sticks of celery
2 cloves garlic
1 star anise
250 ml English cider
2 tsp cider vinegar
250 ml chicken stock (or half a cube diluted in water)
20g unsalted butter
Freshly ground salt and black pepper
For the pea puree:
500g podded or frozen peas
3 tablespoons thick cream
25g softened butter
Splash of white wine or chicken stock
Salt and pepper to taste
To serve: pea shoots or baby leaves salad
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2 Comments to “Cider braised pig’s cheeks with fresh pea purĂ©e”
July 22nd, 2010 at 6:10 pm
Can’t wait to try this if I can get the cheeks. I thought they all went into sausages.
Cod cheeks are a great buy if you can find them too. Used to get them from a fresh fish shop in Lowestoft, owned by one of three brothers, all dealers in fish. The others run a smoke house and a restaurant, both great.
Madi
July 22nd, 2010 at 7:50 pm
Hi Madi, cod cheeks sound great, I don’t think I ever bought those. I will try to get some in Brittany and look out for good reecipes! Any suggestions?