Trio of suckling pig
2kg of suckling pig neck
2 carrots
3 sticks of celery
1 onion
½ bulb of garlic
¼ bunch of thyme
1tsp of fennel seeds
1tsp of white peppercorns
300ml of white wine
2 tbsp of tomato puree
1litre of reduced pork stock
Cut the carrots, celery and onion into 2 inch pieces,
Brown the suckling pig neck to a dark golden brown colour. Then remove from the pan.
Sweet the vegetables in the same pan taking a little colour. Once coloured add the fennel seeds, white peppercorns, garlic, bay leafs and thyme.
Now add the tomato puree and cook on a slightly lower heat for 6-8 minutes.
Deglaze the pan with the white wine and reduce to a paste.
Put the suckling pig neck back into the pan and cover with the reduced pork stock.
Bring up to a simmer and cover with baking parchment.
Place in the oven at 160 degrees for 3-3 ½ hours or until the meat is falling apart.
Allow the meat to cool in the cooking liquid.
When cool enough, remove the meat form the cooking liquid and gently break it down in a bowl.
Strain the vegetables and aromatics form the stock into a clean sauce pan and reduce on a medium heat to a thick glaze.
Once the cooking liquid has been reduced, add it to the broken down meat so that it coats it and is thick and sticky. Check the seasoning and add a few splashes of cabernet sauvignon vinegar to freshen that taste.
Divide the mix into two and put into medium sized Vac-Pac bags and seal on full.
With a rolling pin flatten out the mixture in the bag right into all the corners so that the same thickens all over.
Chill in the fridge until cooled and set.
Once chilled cut the suckling pork neck into 5x5cm squares.
To reheat place the square in a tray and gently warm under the salamander and glaze with some of the pork sauce.
For the pork belly marinade
500g fleur de sel
2 g coriander
2g pink pepper
2 g fennel seed
3 g secheun pepper
1 g long pepper
1 g star anise
Quarter freshly ground nutmeg
Grind in a spice blender all the spices and using a micro plain, grate the nutmeg and all together with the salt.
Curing and cooking the suckling pork
Using a sharp knife remove the rib cage from the belly (if not do already) and using the salt mixture cover the bottom of a gastro tray. Place the pork belly skin side down and then cover the top with the rest of the mixture, so that the belly is completely covered. Cling film and leave to cure for 2 ½ -3hours.
Brush off the excess salt mixture and gently rinse under a cold tap. The belly should be firm to touch all over.
Place the belly now into a vac-pac bag and add 2 tbsp of duck fat. Seal the bag on full and cook at 85 degrees for 6 hours. When cooked leave in the bag and press between two trays in the fridge until cold. Once cooled remove from the bag and any excess duck fat from them belly too. Cut into the same size as the pork neck 5x5 cm .
In a frying pan add a small splash of oil and place the belly skin side down. Roast gently until crispy and golden in colour.
For the Suckling pig rack
First you need to remove the chine bone. (if not done already) and proceed to French trim the bones. Once cleaned tie with butchers twine. Cover the bones with tin foil to protect them during the cooking.
Season the pork rack lightly with fine sea salt then In a large hot frying pan add a splash of oil and place the pork rack in, skin side down.
Roast the skin to a crispy crackling then seal the flesh side gently. Now add a few knobs of butter and continue cooking till a core temperature of 54-56 degrees. Allow to rest for 12-15 minutes.
Remove the butchers twine and cut of the cutlets.
Onion squash puree and balls
1 large onion squash
Few knobs of butter
2 sprigs of thyme
Using a sharp knife cut of the top and the bottom of the squash then peel it with the knife, only removing the outside skin. Cut the onion squash into quarters, remove the seeds. Take a medium sized Parisian scoop and cut out of the flesh the balls of squash and set aside, making sure they are as round as you can get them.
With the left over squash, chop in up into 2-3inch pieces. Start to sweat it down in a medium sized pot gently with no colour adding a little salt to season. Then cover with a piece of parchment paper and cook until very soft. Once cooked and no liquid left blend in a food processor until smooth and silky and pass through a strainer.
Cooking the squash balls you need too gently butter roast them in some foaming butter with some sprigs of thyme. Gently allow the squash to colour a light golden brown. But still firm to the bite.
Spiced apricots
2 ripe apricot
12 spice syrup
8 cardamom pods
2 sticks cinnamon
3 cloves
1 big pinch
Szechwan
Black pepper
Coriander seeds
1 small pinch
Ground ginger
Cayenne
Mustard seeds
Cumin
Star anise
200ml water
100g sugar
200g sugar
200ml sherry vinegar
2g saffron
Grind all spices in spice mixer
Toast all in a pan very gently to release the flavours, went the pan is still hot , Add water and 100g sugar and simmer for 10 minutes then pass through muslin cloth so only the spiced liquid remains.
In a separate pan dry Caramelise the 200g sugar when it reaches a deep caramel colour(not burnt) deglaze with the sherry vinegar and reduce by 1/3 add spice water and saffron and continue to reduce to a light syrup consistency. Pass through a strainer to remove the saffron strands and allow to cool.
Cut the apricots in half and remove the stone. Cut the halves in to three and marinade in the spiced syrup (best putting the apricots into the syrup when it’s still warn (but not hot as this will over cook the apricot).
Spiced granola clusters
100g of oatmeal
25g of wheat germ
10g Diced Apricots
10g of sliced almonds
100g of honey
½ tsp of ground cumin
½ tsp of stab 2000 (sugar stabilizer)
½ tsp of Maldon sea salt
½ tsp of cracked black peppercorns
Fennel Pollen
Make a caramel from the honey in a medium size sauce pots to a golden colour. Now add in the oatmeal, wheat germ, diced apricots and sliced almonds. Stir to coat the granola and season with the spices, salt, pepper and fennel pollen, lastly add the stab 2000. Make sure everything is well mixed together.
Keep on a low heat and form in to small balls (do not press together).
Crispy nettle leafs
2 branches of nettles
Wearing gloves remove the leafs of the nettles. Set a deep fat fryer to 160 degrees and carefully fry the leafs till crispy and translucent. Place on to a tray and lightly season.
Suckling pig sauce
Use all the trimmings from the three cuts of pork chopped up to 2-3inch pieces.
3 banana shallots
½ head garlic
¼ bunch thyme
1 bayleaf
10 white peppercorns
50ml sherry vinegar
325ml white wine
2litres veal stock
2 litres chicken stock
Start by having the banana shallots sliced long ways, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, and peppercorns all together in a container.
In a large pot start to roast the chopped pork bones in oil until you achieve an all-round nice caramelisation on the bones. Don’t forget to season.
Add the container of shallots to the pot and allow to cook for a few minutes until they are softened.
Remove the bone and shallots from the pan and keep on the side. Meanwhile deglaze the pot with the sherry vinegar and scrape the bottom until it’s clean and the vinegar has all evaporated.
Add the bones and shallots back into the pan and cover with the white wine. Reduce the white wine by ½, then add the veal and chicken stocks to the pot.
Bring to the boil then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for about 20-30 minutes. Pass off the bones from the stock and continue to reduce until you are happy with the flavour and the consistency of the sauce