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Recipes
From "The Whole Hog"
Each winter for the last 23 years, The Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite National Park has hosted an event called Chefs' Holidays in which food lovers come for cooking demonstrations, kitchen tours and gala dinners. One of the 2008 sessions was The Whole Hog, a weekend dedicated to the favorite hoofed animal. Reporter Lisa Morehouse went to have a taste and brought back these recipes.
Crispy Pig's Trotters
Serves 8
These trotters are a staple at Moody's
Bistro in Truckee. When chef Mark Estee took them out of rotation,
customers complained so much that he put them right back on the
menu.
- 2 whole pig's feet whole
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1 whole onion
- 1 cup white wine
- 4 bay leaves
- Pinch of mix peppercorns
- Water (as needed)
In a large pot place washed pig's feet. Rough chop the onion and add to the pot, then add the garlic, onion, wine, peppercorn, bay leaf and cover with water. Simmer for four hours, check the water level and add more if needed. The water should just cover the feet. After the first four hours, check the feet. The meat should be falling from the bones. If not, continue simmering until it does. Strain the meat from the stock. SAVE THE STOCK. Pick the meat and skin from the feet. Set aside. Let the stock cool. Chop some fresh herbs, and add some salt and pepper to the feet meat. Once the stock has cooled completely, it should be very gelatinous and firm.
In a food processor bowl, add the seasoned feet meat and pulse in the cold stock. You want to pulse until it becomes the consistency of mayonnaise. Remove from the bowl and cool down.
To cook, heat a large skillet on medium heat. Spoon the mixture into the pan and let it carmelize. Gently push on the meat and you will see it begin to come together. Once set and browned, flip over and repeat. Keep warm or serve right away.
Pig Heart di Lambusco
Serves 4-6
From chefs John Stewart and Duskie Estes of Zazu
Restaurant & Farm and Bovolo.
For the heart and marinade:
- 1 pig heart
- 3 cups cold chicken stock
- 1 cup red wine (we use lambrusco, an italian
red sparkling they often serve with salumi, but you can substitute
any drinkable red
- 1 carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 celery stalk, roughly chopped
- 1/2 red onion, roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 onion, julienned
- 1/2 cup quality extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
to taste
To cook the heart, bring all the ingredients to a
simmer together on the stove for 2 1/2 hours. Let cool in the liquid
in the refrigerator. Once completely cool, cut the heart in half
and slice as thin as you can. Gently toss with marinade ingredients
just to combine.
For the potato salad:
- 3 yukon potatoes
- 1/2 cup quality extra virgin olive oil, we
use dry creek, mcevoy, or da vero
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons grain mustard, or more to taste
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
to taste
Bring the potatoes, water, and some salt to a simmer,
until just done, about 40 minutes. Let cool at room temperature.
Once cool, cut into bite-size pieces. Toss with olive oil, vinegar,
olive oil, grain mustard, salt and pepper. Adjust to taste.
To plate: In a shallow bowl, spoon some of the
potato salad, top with the marinated pig heart and garnish with
more extra virgin oil. The marinated pig heart will hold for several
days in the refrigerator.
Spicy Pork Rillettes
& Salad
Serves 8
Cookbook author Georgeanne Brennan prepared the following recipe
for the pork rillettes and the salad (along with pig trotter terrine
and pate) for the first course of the Whole Hog dinner. More about
Brennan and her book, "A Pig in Provence," is on her
website.
Rillettes are simply meat that has been slowly
cooked with seasonings in fat, then drained and shredded, with
a little fat added to make a spread. They are typically used spread
on toasts or bread as an appetizer, but also make a wonderful
sandwich spread.
The rilletes:
- 8 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1 teaspoon quatre-epices
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly
ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup brandy
- 3 juniper berries,
crushed
- 1/2 pound pork shoulder,
cut into 2 1/2 -3 inch pieces
- 1/2 pound pork belly,
cut into 2 1/2 -3 inch pieces
- 1/2 pound back fat
or leaf fat, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup dry white
wine
In a large bowl, combine
the garlic, quatre-epices, salt, pepper, brandy, juniper berries,
pork and pork belly. Turn well, cover and marinate overnight,
refrigerated.
The next day, in a large,
heavy bottomed saucepan, melt the fat cubes with the water over
low heat, stirring occasionally. When the fat has almost melted
(about 15 minutes) add the cubed meat and pork belly, and cook
until the meat releases some of its juice, being careful not to
brown it. Stir, and continue to cook until the fat becomes clear.
Cover with a round of
parchment paper with and “X” cut in the middle, pressing the parchment
until it touches the meat and fat. Cover with a lid and lower
heat to as low as possible. Simmer until the meat easily shreds
with a fork, about 3 1/2 hours. After 1 1/2 hours, add the wine,
replace the parchment and the cover.
Drain the meats over
a sieve, capturing both juices and fat and reserving them. Move
the meat to a platter, and, with two forks, shred it. Allow to
cool and pour off the fat into another bowl.
Bring the meat juices
to a simmer and add the shredded meat, stirring to mix well. It
will be a bit stiff. Gradually pour in enough fat to make the
mixture spreadable. Remove from the heat, but keep stirring as
the mixture cools to ensure distributing the fat, not allowing
it to separate. When it has cooled to about 50 degrees F, it will
stop trying to rise to the surface. Do not pack warm into the
terrine. Spoon
the mixture into a small terrine or bowl, picking the terrine
or bowl up and tapping to ensure the mixture settles. Spread the
top smooth.
Pour a little pure cooking
fat over the surface, cover and refrigerate. It will keep up to
10 days if it is well sealed with fat. To serve, bring to room
temperature.
The salad:
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon or stone-ground mustard
- 1 teaspoon minced shallots
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
- 4-5 cups mixed bitter greens, such as arugula,
dandelion, radicchio, escarole or friseé (or substitute mixed
field greens), torn into bite-sized pieces
In a large salad bowl, combine the olive oil,
vinegar, mustard and mix well with a fork. Add the shallots, salt
and pepper and stir. Add the salad greens. Just before serving,
toss well and divide among 8 plates. To each plate add _ slice
country-style paté, a heaping spoonful of rillettes, and 2 slices
of trotter terrine. Garnish with cornichons.
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