Pork Confit Food

CHICKEN CONFIT

Steps:

• Lay the leg portions on a platter, skin side down. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of the kosher salt and black pepper. Place the garlic cloves, bay leaves, and sprigs of thyme on each of 2 leg portions. Lay the remaining 2 leg portions, flesh to flesh, on top. Put the reserved fat from the chicken in the bottom of a glass or plastic container. Top with the sandwiched leg portions. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt. Cover and refrigerate for 12 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.
• Remove the chicken from the refrigerator. Remove the garlic, bay leaves, thyme, and chicken fat and reserve. Rinse the chicken with cool water, rubbing off some of the salt and pepper. Pat dry with paper towels.
• Put the reserved garlic, bay leaves, thyme, and chicken fat in the bottom of an enameled cast iron pot. Sprinkle evenly with the peppercorns and salt. Lay the chicken on top, skin side down. Add the olive oil. Cover and bake for 12 to 14 hours, or until the meat pulls away from the bone.
• Remove the chicken from the fat. Strain the fat and reserve. Pick the meat from the bones and place it in a stoneware container. Cover the meat with some of the strained fat so that there is a 1/4-inch layer of fat on top. The chicken confit can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
• The excess oil can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator and used like butter for cooking. The tinge of chicken taste in the oil is wonderful and I use the oil to roast potatoes, cook green beans, and pan-fry veal.

CONFIT PORK BELLY WITH CANNELLINI BEANS & ROSEMARY

Steps:

• Score the skin of the pork with a knife, then put in a shallow dish and rub all over with the sea salt, half the rosemary and all the garlic. Cover the dish with cling film and leave in the fridge for at least 7 hrs, preferably overnight. While the pork is being salted, soak the beans in plenty of cold water overnight.
• Heat oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2. Wash the pork well and pat dry. Heat the duck fat and half the vegetable oil in a deep, flameproof casserole dish or roasting tin until the fat has melted, then carefully lower in the pork. Cover with foil and put in the oven. Cook for about 4 hrs or until the pork is very tender.
• Leave the pork to cool slightly, then remove from the fat and cool completely. Alternatively, the pork can be kept in the fat in the fridge, covered, for up to 3 months. The fat itself can be reused.
• Remove the bones and any sinew or membrane from the pork.
• Press the pork between two roasting trays with heavy weights on top (such as cans). This process will shape and compact the meat so that it's easier to portion. Leave the meat to press in the fridge for at least 2 hrs. You can leave the pork to press overnight (the beans will be fine left soaking in water for up to 48 hrs, but change the water after 24 hrs).
• Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Drain the beans and tip into a large pan. Cover with about 5cm of fresh water. Bring to the boil, then cook over a medium heat for 40 mins until tender. Add the butter and the remaining rosemary to the beans, and cook for 5 mins until the beans and buttery water have emulsified. Season well and keep warm.
• Take the pork out of the fridge and cut into four equal pieces. Put a large, ovenproof non-stick sauté pan in the oven with the remaining oil and heat until almost smoking.
• Place the pork, skin-side down, in the hot vegetable oil (be careful as the oil will spit). Return the pork to the oven for 12 mins until heated through and the skin is crisp and golden.
• Divide the beans between four serving plates and top each with a piece of crispy pork. Serve with a crisp green salad.

PORK CASSOULET WITH PORK CONFIT AND WINTER TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add beans. Boil 3 minutes. Remove pot from heat, cover, and let stand 1 hour. Drain; return beans to pot. Using kitchen string, tie parsley, thyme, and bay leaves in double layer of cheesecloth; add to pot. Add remaining 4 quarts water, pancetta, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper to beans; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer over medium-low heat until beans are just tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• Drain beans, reserving 2 cups cooking liquid. Discard herb bundle, onion, and garlic. Transfer pancetta to work surface (reserve pancetta for wine sauce).
• Heat olive oil in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions to pot and sauté until tender and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add wine; boil until liquid is reduced by half, stirring occasionally, about 6 minutes. Add reserved juices from confit. Bring to boil; reduce heat to medium and simmer 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cut reserved pancetta into 1/2-inch cubes. Heat heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat; add pancetta and sauté until beginning to turn brown and crisp, about 4 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer pancetta to wine sauce. Add Winter Tomato Sauce to pot; season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Heat 2 heavy large skillets over medium heat. Divide sausages among skillets; cover and cook until brown and cooked through, turning occasionally, about 20 minutes. Transfer sausages to work surface. Cool slightly, then cut into 2-inch pieces.
• Spoon 1/3 of beans (about 4 cups) into 8-quart ovenproof pot, spreading in even layer. Arrange half of confit and half of sausages over beans. Pour 1/3 of wine sauce (about 2 1/3 cups) over meat. Spoon half of remaining beans (about 4 cups) over sauce. Arrange remaining confit and sausages over beans. Pour half of remaining sauce over meat (about 2 1/3 cups). Spoon remaining beans over sauce, then pour remaining sauce over beans. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cover cassoulet and reserved cooking liquid separately and chill. Let stand at room temperature 2 hours before continuing.) Drizzle enough reserved bean cooking liquid over beans to barely submerge if needed. Sprinkle breadcrumbs over. Drizzle breadcrumbs with olive oil.
• Bake cassoulet uncovered until bubbling around edges and crumbs are beginning to brown, about 1 hour.
• Emergo beans can be purchased through chefshop.com, and heirloom French horticultural beans can be purchased through beanbag.net. If you can't find them, Great Northern beans or cannellini (white kidney beans) will also work.

PORK CHOPS WITH RED ONION CONFIT

Steps:

• Slice the onion very thinly. Melt the butter in a frying pan, add the onions, season with salt and pepper and cook gently, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 15 minutes. Add the vinegar and reduce until the liquid evaporates, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat.
• Sprinkle the pork chops with salt, pepper and sugar. Fry until golden and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. (If they are lacking in fat, you may need to add a little oil or butter, or both, to the pan to fry them.) Serve with a spoonful of red onion confit on top.

PORK CONFIT

Steps:

• Combine first 8 ingredients in large bowl. Add pork; turn and rub to coat well. Cover and chill overnight.
• Preheat oven to 275°F. Place onions, garlic, thyme sprigs, and rosemary sprig in large ovenproof pot. Pat pork dry with paper towels and place atop vegetables in pot. Pour enough melted lard over pork to cover by 1 inch. Cover and place pork in oven. Roast until pork is tender, turning occasionally (keep pork covered with lard at all times), about 4 hours.
• Using slotted spoon, transfer pork to another large bowl, packing tightly. Strain liquid in pot into 4-cup measuring cup; discard solids in strainer. Allow juices to settle at bottom of cup, about 15 minutes. Carefully pour enough fat from cup over pork in bowl to cover by 1 inch. Pour juices from bottom of cup into resealable plastic freezer bag; seal and freeze to use for making thePork Cassoulet (it's also great as a sauce). Cover and refrigerate pork at least 2 weeks and up to 2 months (keep pork covered with fat).
• Rewarm pork confit to melt lard. Drain pork before using.
• *A dried herb mixture available in the spice section of many supermarkets and at specialty foods stores. A combination of dried thyme, basil, savory, and fennel seeds can be substituted.

TRADITIONAL CASSOULET

Steps:

• Preheat the oven: Set an oven rack to the center and preheat the oven to 300°F.
• Bake the cassoulet: Cover the Dutch oven with a lid and set it in the oven. Bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes without opening the lid.