Using Pork Feet and Cheeks

The skilled home cook knows how not to put any part of the pig to waste, even the most often ignored ones like the pig's feet and cheeks. They are considered carcasses that end up in the waste bin or are used only to make stock. Very few know that pork feet and cheeks are used in delicious cooking recipes. When deep fried the pork feet and cheek becomes tasty and crunchy parts worth the effort in preparing them. In this recipe, learn how to make a gourmet meal out of the unwanted parts of pork meat.

Pork feet and cheeks take on a flavor that is distinct from the white parts of the meat. When deboned and ground, you will discover that they have so much texture and packed with intense and distinct flavor that is too good to be ignored. In this recipe, the pork is stuffed with veal cooked with egg and cream. The pork is then rolled with the stuffing inside then poached in a bouillon. Aromatic sauce made of cepes mushrooms, veal drippings, and some herbs and spices are used for seasoning to further enhance the distinct taste pork feet and cheeks meat. Lightly buttered cepes mushroom caps are served together with this special dish. The result is a beautiful, elegant and unique dish that will titillate your taste buds. This special dish is best paired with a bottle of Mordon wine.

Don’t throw the bones of the pork or leave the bones at your butcher’s. You will need pork bones in this recipe. It will be used to make a rich and flavorful sauce. With the addition of veal drippings, the sauce takes on a whole new dimension of complexity. The thyme and bay leaf balances out the flavors of the meat while the mushrooms give it an earthy and heartwarming element. Around a hundred and fifty grams of veal, fifty grams of fresh cream, and one egg are needed for the stuffing.

Ingredients

2.21 lbs. pork cheek

2.21 lbs. cooked pork feet

2.21 lbs. cepe mushrooms (select only large mushrooms with a head-diameter of at least 2 inches)

2 tablespoons butter

1.4 oz carrots

1.4 oz. turnip

1 oz. celery

0.35 oz. leek, pepper

For the marinade:

2.8 oz. garlic

thyme

1 rosemary branch

5/8 teaspoon Guérande sea salt

6 tablespoons raisin core oil

3 soup spoons olive oil from Nyons

1. In a saucepan, melt some butter. Sauté the veal. Add lightly sweated chopped onions. In a blender, crack the eggs and add fresh cream. Add chopped onions and veal. Mix the ingredients very well to get a very fine stuffing.

2. Debone the pork. Spread and open it wide. Place the stuffing inside the pork. Wrap the pork with a thin film, and roll it extremely tight. Poach in a bouillon. Slice it into four pieces.

3. Separate the caps from the stems of the cepes. Set aside. Fry the mushroom stems in some shallots and oil and then add the pork bones. Add thyme and bay leaf. Pour red wine to deglaze. Add veal juice. Cook until reduced. Pass through a sieve to get sauce.

4. Lightly fry the caps of the mushrooms in some butter and cook with some of the sauce.

5. Place the poached pork pieces on a serving plate. Top with the mushroom caps. Pour some sauce on top. Drizzle some parsley oil on the sides to finish.