Pork Cheeks With Celeriac PurÉe Food

CELERIAC PUREE

Steps:

• Brush excess dirt off of the celeriac. Cut off the bottoms and tops, cut into quarters and peel. Rinse in cool water if there is any remaining dirt or debris. Cut into 1/2-inch thick dice.
• Heat the olive oil in a 4-quart saucepan over low heat just until it shimmers. Add the celeriac, garlic, salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, just until it begins to soften, approximately 5 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high and add the water. Bring to a boil and cook until the celeriac is tender and easily pierced with a fork, approximately 20 minutes. Drain the celeriac through a colander and return to the pot. Using a stick blender, puree until no lumps are present, approximately 1 minute. Place the butter and heavy cream into a microwave proof bowl and heat just until the butter is melted, approximately 45 seconds. Add the cream and butter and continue to puree with the stick blender for another minute. Serve warm.

PORK CHEEKS WITH CELERIAC PURÉE

Steps:

• Marinate the pork cheeks in the onions, carrots, garlic cloves, thyme, bay leaf, pepper corns, red wine and red wine vinegar. Leave it for 24 hours in the fridge. Then pull them out and let them drain. In a casserole, melt 100g of butter with a teaspoon of the olive oil. Fry the pork cheeks till they get a bit of colour on all sides, for about 3 minutes. Add the onions, carrots and herbs from the marinade - and fry these till they also get a bit of colour. Pour in the marinade. Bring it to the boil, and let it simmer gently for 50 minutes, until the meat is tender. While this is cooking, peel the celeriac, chop it into big cubes, and cook it in the milk, adding a little water to ensure it's covered, for about 20-3 minutes. Drain the liquid. Put it in a blender, until it is puréed. Just before serving it, mix in the cream and 250g of butter. Season. Add the veal stock to the marinade sauce and reduce it till it gets about as thick as cream. pass it through a fine seive. Serve the pork cheeks on the celeriac purée, and pour over the sauce. Serve with some steamed broccoli or mange-tout.

SLOW-ROAST PORK BELLY WITH CELERIAC & PEAR MASH

Steps:

• Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Take the pork out of the fridge and pat the skin dry. Put the rosemary leaves, salt and pepper in a mini chopper and grind together (or do this with a mortar and pestle). Rub the rosemary salt all over the pork, making sure it gets into the cuts in the skin. Sit the pork in a large roasting tin, ideally on a rack, and roast for 30 mins.
• Reduce heat to 170C/150 fan/gas 3 and roast for 1½ hrs more. Turn oven back up to 220C/200C fan/gas 7 and roast for 20-30 mins to crisp. Leave to rest on a board for 10 mins before carving.
• When the pork is nearly ready to come out, put the celeriac and potato in a large pan of water, bring to the boil and cook for 10 mins until just tender. Add the pears and cook for 2 mins more. Drain well, then mash until smooth - a mouli or potato ricer does this job best. Beat in a splash of cream and some butter, and serve with the pork and broccoli.

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.

POT-ROAST LOIN OF PORK WITH CELERIAC, SHALLOTS & PANCETTA

Steps:

• Using a small, sharp kitchen knife, stab through the fatty side of the pork loin to make about 30 fairly deep, randomly spaced incisions. Insert a sliver of garlic into each stab mark, pushing the garlic well into the meat and smoothing over the fat to close up the entry points. Reserve a few slivers to push in cuts made on the flesh-side of the joint.
• Put 5 tablespoons of the olive oil, the juice of the lemon, tbsp of fennel seeds and the leaves stripped from 4 oregano sprigs in a large non-reactive dish (a non-porous dish, such as glass or stainless steel, which won't react with acidic foods and alter the flavour). Grind in plenty of black pepper, then swish everything into a sludge with one clean hand. Put the joint into the dish and massage the marinade into every nook and cranny. Leave the pork to marinade for 6-24 hours in a cool place or the fridge.
• When you are ready to start cooking, preheat the oven to 170C/Gas 4/fan oven 150C. Put the 300g of shallots in a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave for 2 minutes to loosen the skins, then tip the shallots into a large sieve or colander and rinse under cold water. Trim off the root end, then peel the shallots, breaking any large ones into their natural segments. Halve the 4 celeriac wedges, then cut into large, bite-sized chunks.
• Heat the remaining oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Toss in the 130g pack of pancetta and fry for 2-3 minutes until slightly frazzled. Transfer the cubes to a large casserole big enough to take the pork, using a slotted spoon so the fat drains back into the pan. Throw the shallots and celeriac into the frying pan and sauté them for 3-4 minutes until coloured, turning frequently. Transfer them to the casserole, again draining off the oil.
• Pull the frying pan to one side. Quickly scrape off any excess marinade from the pork loin, then season the meat with fine sea salt. Replace the frying pan over a medium-high heat and brown the pork on all sides, including the ends. Place the loin on the vegetables in the casserole. Stuff the remaining 4 sprigs of oregano around it.
• Pour off and discard all the fat in the frying pan, raise the heat and pour in the 600ml of wine. Bring to the boil, scraping up all the tasty bits from the bottom of the pan. Let the wine bubble and reduce for 3 minutes, then pour into the casserole.
• Place the casserole over a high heat and bring the juices up to a bubble. Immediately put the lid on the casserole and transfer it to the oven. Cook the loin for 1 hour 45 minutes, turning it halfway through. Remove the casserole from the oven and leave the pork to rest in a warm place for 15-30 minutes, still covered, before carving.