Pork cheeks is something not many people would think to cook but it's one of the tastiest parts when it comes to pork. Slow braised in a red wine sauce is the best way to go.
Ingredients: Serves 6
Celeriac noodles
1 x celeriac - peeled & thinly sliced
25g of butter
1 x onion – peeled – thinly sliced
1 x garlic clove – crushed
80ml of double cream
1 tbsp. of wholegrain mustard
Pork cheeks
500g Pork cheeks – trimmed
2 carrots – roughly chopped
2 onions – roughly chopped
2 celery sticks
1 x Sprigs Rosemary
2 x Cloves Garlic – sliced
350ml Red wine
Pork Stock (to cover)
Plain Flour 1 x tbsp
Tomato paste
Vegetable oil
Salt
Apple compote
80g unsalted butter
750g Granny Smith apples, peeled and chopped
80g caster sugar
Method
Pre-heat oven 180c/160c fan/gas mark 4 for pork cheeks.
For the pork cheeks, heat a small amount of oil in a medium sized saucepan.
Season the cheeks well with salt and sear off the meat.
Once coloured, drain off pork cheeks and set aside. In the same pan add the knob of butter and start to cook the vegetables, garlic and rosemary. Cook these for around 5-10 minutes on a medium heat.
Now add the cheeks back to the pan along with a small amount of flour until all the ingredients pull together.
Cook this for a further 2 minutes whilst stirring to cook out the flour. Add the red wine to the pan and cook on a medium heat until half of the liquid has reduced. Follow this by adding the tomato paste and cover with the stock.
Place this in an ovenproof dish, if the one you’re using to start with isn’t, and cook in the oven for around 2 hours – check after this time to ensure they are tender.
When it comes to making the celeriac noodles it is best to slice it on a mandolin then finish it thinly with a knife. In a medium sized pan heat the butter on a medium heat and slowly cook the onion and garlic until soft.
Next add the celeriac and cook for a further 5 minutes adding a pinch of salt. Add in the mustard followed by the cream. Bring to the boil and turn down the heat, keep cooking until the cream thickens.
For the apple compote, warm the butter in a small pan and add the apples and sugar. Cook on a medium to low heat until soft. You may need to add a small amount of water to break down the apples slightly. Once semi soft set aside until needed.
Bring everything together on the plate using the sauce the pork cheeks were cooked in as your sauce.
Gary Townsend is head chef at One Devonshire Gardens Glasgow.
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