“The pork we use is kurobuta – its high fat content makes it perfect for slow cooking because the fat keeps the meat from drying out, giving a very tender result. The radishes provide a contrast to the richness of the meat.”
Ingredients
Chicken jus
Pickled radishes
Potato purée
Method
Main
1.Preheat oven to 110C. Place pork cheeks snugly in an ovenproof dish, cover with duck fat, cover with foil and roast until tender and cooked through (3-4 hours). Remove from fat (strain and reserve fat), place cheeks on a tray and refrigerate until required.
2.For chicken jus, increase oven to 180C. Combine chicken wings and 10gm reserved duck fat in a baking tray and roast, turning occasionally, until golden (25-30 minutes). Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat, add shallot, garlic, thyme, bay leaf and peppercorns, sauté until tender (3-4 minutes). Add chicken wings and stock, simmer over low heat to infuse (1 hour). Strain through a fine sieve into a saucepan (discard solids), simmer over medium heat until slightly reduced (12-15 minutes), set aside and keep warm.
3.Meanwhile, for pickled radishes, bring vinegar, sugar and 125ml water to the simmer in a saucepan over medium heat, stir to dissolve sugar then remove from heat, add radishes and set aside to cool. Before serving, drain radishes and cut into quarters.
4.Meanwhile, for potato purée, place potatoes in a saucepan of cold salted water, simmer until very tender (35-40 minutes), drain, set aside in saucepan to steam (1-2 minutes), then press through a ricer or mouli back into saucepan. Beat in butter with a spatula, one cube at a time, stirring continuously over low heat (if mixture begins to split, add a little milk), season to taste and keep warm.
5.Place pork cheeks (skin-side down) and 1 tbsp reserved duck fat (remainder will keep refrigerated for 1 month) in a large non-stick frying pan over low-medium heat and cook until fat renders and skin is crisp (10-12 minutes), moving cheeks around in the pan to ensure skin is browned evenly and shaking the pan to prevent sticking. Turn and cook until just warmed through (8-10 minutes).
6.Divide potato purée between plates, slice pork cheeks thickly and divide cheeks and pickled radishes between plates, scatter with thinly sliced radishes and leaves, drizzle with chicken jus and serve hot.
Canned duck fat is available from The Essential Ingredient and select delicatessens.
This recipe is from the April 2011 issue of
.
Drink Suggestion: Red wine from Spain such as a tempranillo or an old-school Rioja Drink suggestion by Elizabeth Fairweather
Notes
