Sherry Braised Pork Cheeks Recipes

CIDER-BRAISED PORK CHEEKS

Steps:

• Season both sides of pork cheeks with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with flour and press it into the meat to coat thoroughly.
• Heat clarified butter in a pan over medium-high heat. Sear meat on both sides until richly browned, adjusting heat lower if necessary. When cheeks are browned, reduce heat to medium. Transfer cheeks to a plate to rest.
• Remove all but 2 tablespoons fat from the skillet. Add onions, carrots, and celery to skillet. Cook and stir until softened and sweet, seasoning with a pinch of salt. Add vinegar and stir to deglaze the pan. Pour in the cider and chicken stock. Bring to a simmer. Add sage and rosemary. Reduce heat to low and transfer cheeks back to pan. Cover. Cook until fork tender but not falling apart, 2 to 3 hours depending on the size of the pork cheeks. Transfer to a plate.
• Bring liquid to a boil over high heat, skimming off fat as it rises to the surface. Reduce volume of liquid by about 60 to 70%. Sauce will start to thicken up. Taste for salt and season as needed. Transfer cheeks back to liquid. Continue to cook over medium-low heat until cheeks are heated through and tender and sauce is thick enough to coat cheeks.

SHERRY-BRAISED PORK CHEEKS

Steps:

• Heat 1 - 2 tbsp olive oil in a large pan then add the onion. Cook gently for 10 - 15 minutes until softened and lighty coloured. Remove and set aside.
• Toss the cheeks in the seasoned flour. Add a little more oil to the pan and turn up the heat. Brown the pork cheeks all over in batches. Turn the heat down to medium.
• Return all the pork and the reserved onions to the pan. Add the garlic, cumin and paprika and cook for a minute, then pour in the sherry. Use your spoon to scrape the bottom of the pan and mix in all the flavours.
• Pour in the beef stock then bring the pan to a simmer. Simmer gently for 2 hours or until the cheeks are tender.
• Scatter with parsley leaves and flaked almonds. Serve with rice or buttery mashed potato.

PORK CHEEK CANNELLONI WITH TRUFFLE CREAM

Steps:

• In a large casserole dish, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil until it starts to smoke. Roll the pork cheeks in the flour and shake the excess flour off. Fry the cheeks in small batches, until golden brown. It takes about 3 minutes on each side. Drain the pork cheeks on kitchen paper and set aside.
• In the same casserole dish, add the extra tablespoon of olive oil if needed and fry on a medium heat the chopped onions, carrots, celery and bay leaf. Make sure you scrape the bottom of the pan to pull off the caramelisation made when frying the cheeks and fry the chopped vegetables until the mix develops a light golden brown colour. About 8 minutes. Return the pork cheeks to the casserole dish, add the sprigs of thyme, season the cheeks with salt and pepper.
• Pour in the sherry and cook on a high heat for 2 minutes until the sherry has reduced slightly. Pour in the beef stock, bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 3 hours. Once the cheeks are cooked, drain the cooking liquid and set aside. Use a fork to break all the cheeks into a shredded pork mix. Add enough cooking liquid to make the cheek filling moist. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
• For the truffle cream, heat the oil and butter in a medium size pan and fry on a gentle heat the chopped garlic and onion until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the white wine, increase the heat and reduce the liquid by half. Add the cream and reduce by one quarter for about 5 minutes, this will thicken the sauce slightly. Season with salt and set aside.
• Before serving, add the truffle paste or freshly grated black truffle.
• Pre-heat your grill oven to the highest setting. In a sauce pan, heat your shredded pork cheek filling and spoon lengthways one quarter of the mix into each pasta sheet, roll each sheet into a cannelloni tube and place on an oven proof dish. Spoon the truffle cream sauce all over, grate some cheese and place under the grill until lightly brown. Serve immediately.

SHERRY BRAISED PORK CHEEKS WITH ROASTED GARLIC MASHED POTATOES

Steps:

• In a large casserole dish, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil until it starts to smoke.
• Roll the pork cheeks in the flour and shake the excess flour off. Fry the cheeks in small batches, until golden brown. It takes about 3 minutes on each side. Drain the pork cheeks on kitchen paper and set aside.
• In the same casserole dish, add an extra tablespoon of olive oil if needed and fry on a medium heat the chopped onions, carrots, celery and bay leaf. Make sure you scrape the bottom of the pan to pull off the caramelisation made when frying the cheeks and fry the chopped vegetables until the mix develops a light golden brown colour. About 8 minutes.
• Return the pork cheeks to the casserole dish, add the sprigs of thyme, season the cheeks with salt and pepper.Pour in the sherry and cook on a high heat for 2 minutes until the sherry has reduced slightly. Pour in the beef stock, bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 3 hours.
• Meanwhile, for the mashed potatoes, put the potatoes in a pan of salted water, bring to the boil, then simmer for 15 minutes, or until tender.
• For the roasted garlic, place the garlic cloves on a baking tray with a small drizzle of olive oil and bake in a pre-heated oven at 190˚C/375˚F/Gas Mark 5 for 15 minutes or until soft. Allow the garlic cloves to cool down. Use the tip of your finger to press the garlic flesh out of its skin, finely chop all the flesh until you have a smooth purée.
• Drain and return the potatoes to the pan over the heat to remove any excess moisture. Mash well, add the butter, olive oil and the chopped roasted garlic and beat to a smooth purée. Season with salt and pepper.
• For the crispy shallots, dip the shallot rings in the milk and roll in the flour until well coated. Heat the oil in a medium size frying pan and fry the shallot rings until golden brown on both sides. About 3 minutes.
• To serve, put a spoonful of the mash potato in a serving bowl, place the pig cheeks on top and spoon over the sauce. Sprinkle with some fried shallot rings.

BRAISED IBERIAN PORK CHEEK WITH PORT WINE AND HONEY

Steps:

• Smash the garlic in a mortar and pestle and add in the thyme, honey, parsley and a tablespoon of water. Continue to smash some more until you achieve a nice paste.
• Pat the pork cheeks completely dry with paper towels and then cover the pork cheeks with the paste and season with kosher salt and pepper. Let them marinate for at least an hour before cooking.
• After allowing them to absorb the flavors for about an hour, quickly dredge the pork cheeks in flour (they shouldn't be coated in flour, just a hint should remain).
• Heat the olive oil in a heavy pan on a medium high heat.
• Sear the pork cheeks (about 30 seconds per each of its 3-4 sides) until all sides are browned.
• After each cheek is seared, remove from the pan and reserve.
• Dice the onion and red pepper to a small dice.
• Peel the shallots and cut each one in half.
• Cut the carrots into thin round slices.
• Transfer the oil used to sear the meat into a large, heavy pot. Add a little more oil if necessary to completely cover the bottom about 1 cm.
• On a low heat, sauté the onions, peppers, shallots and carrots for 15 minutes.
• When the vegetables are golden, add the pork cheek and the 2 cups of port wine (any port will do, although there are various varieties of port wine and each will leave you with a slightly different dish)
• Add the bay leaf and, over a medium heat, allow everything to reduce 50%, about 15 minutes. Make sure to stir while it is reducing or it will stick.
• Peel the potatoes (if using large potatoes cut them into bite size chunks).
• Peel the apple and dice it to a medium dice.
• Add the beef stock to the pot and cook over a low heat for about 1.5 hours, until the carrilladas are completely tender. Twenty minutes before taking it off the heat add the potatoes and apple to the pot.
• When everything is fork tender, take off the heat and serve.

BRAISED PIGS' CHEEKS WITH GARLIC-CUMIN POTATOES

Steps:

• For the pigs' cheeks, preheat the oven to 150C/130C Fan/Gas 2.
• Heat the oil in an ovenproof casserole over a medium heat. Add the pigs' cheeks and fry for 1-2 minutes on all sides, or until browned all over. Remove from the casserole and set aside.
• Add the onion, carrots and garlic to the casserole and fry for 4-5 minutes, or until light golden-brown.
• Add the cumin, smoked paprika and raisins, stir well and continue to cook for a further 1-2 minutes.
• Pour in the sherry and bring to the boil, scraping up any burned bits from the bottom of the pan using a wooden spoon. Continue to boil until the volume of sherry has reduced by two-thirds.
• Return the pigs' cheeks to the casserole, the pour over the stock and return the mixture to the boil. Transfer the casserole to the oven and cook for 2-2½ hours, or until the pigs' cheeks are tender and the cooking liquid has reduced and thickened to a sauce.
• Meanwhile, for the garlic-cumin potatoes, boil the potato cubes in a pan of salted water for 8-10 minutes, or until tender. Drain well, mash using a potato ricer or masher, then set aside to cool.
• Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the garlic and cumin and fry until the garlic is pale golden-brown.
• Mix together the mashed potatoes, garlic, cumin and the cooking oil in a bowl until well combined. Stir in the butter, then season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Keep warm.
• For the picada, blend all of the picada ingredients to a thick paste in a food processor. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• When the pigs' cheeks are cooked, remove the casserole from the oven and place it on the hob over a medium heat. Stir in the chocolate and the three-quarters of the picada and simmer for 2-3 minutes, or until the chocolate has melted and the sauce has thickened a little more. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• To serve, divide the pigs' cheeks equally among 4 serving bowls. Spoon the potatoes alongside. Garnish each dish with some of the remaining picada.

A KNOCKOUT RECIPE FOR IBéRICO PORK CHEEKS FROM PIZARRO

Steps:

• Add the oil to a pan and fry the onions until softened. Put to one side.Lightly coat the pork cheeks in the seasoned flour and fry until browned on all sides, do in batches if required. Now add all pork and onions together adding garlic, cumin and paprika. Then add the sherry vinegar to deglaze the pan, ensure to scrape all the brown bits from the base to combine and optimise the flavours.Add the stock, bring to the boil and then simmer and cover for 2 hours until the pork is tender. If the sauce is too liquid, take off the lid and bring back to the boil to reduce the sauce.Pour the beans into a saucepan with the garlic and 100ml water and bring to the boil for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and whizz in a blender with the olive oil until smooth. Season to taste.Meanwhile, in another pan, add the broccoli spears to boiling water and cook for 2-3 minutes. Serve with a sprinkling of toasted flaked almonds.