These glazed pork cheeks make a great alternative Sunday lunch and are beautifully paired here with mushroom ketchup and pickled mushrooms
Ingredients
For the glazed pork cheeks
4 pork cheeks, trimmed
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 celery stick, chopped
1 tbsp honey
500ml/18fl oz chicken or veal stock
1 bay leaf
2 garlic cloves
thyme sprig
1 star anise
2 cloves
1 pear, julienned, to serve
1 slice of celeriac, julienned, to serve
splash of olive oil, to serve
1 lemon, juice only, to serve
salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the mushroom ketchup
2 tbsp dried porcini mushrooms
1 tbsp olive oil
1 shallot, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
3 field mushrooms, chopped
6 chestnut mushrooms, chopped
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp white wine vinegar
dash of Worcestershire sauce
salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the pickled mushrooms
100ml/3½fl oz white wine vinegar
100ml/3½fl oz boiling water
6 chestnut mushrooms, cut into quarters
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp chopped fresh tarragon
Method
Place the cheeks in a large casserole dish and season well with salt and pepper. Place the casserole on the hob over a medium heat and cook until the cheeks are browned. Remove from the heat, add the onion, carrot, celery and honey and stir to cover the cheeks and vegetables in the honey glaze. Pour the stock into the dish and stir in the bay leaf, garlic, thyme, star anise and cloves. Simmer for 2 hours, or until the cheeks are just tender. Remove the cheeks, strain the liquor and return this liquid to the dish. Simmer and reduce the liquor down until it is a thick consistency. Set aside the cheeks and liquor.
For the mushroom ketchup, put the ceps in a small bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave to soften then remove the ceps, reserving the water. Heat the oil in a small frying pan and sweat the shallot and garlic until soft. Add the mushrooms, ceps and its liquor and cook until soft. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the sugar, vinegar and Worcestershire sauce. Place in a blender and blitz, then set aside.
For the pickled mushrooms, mix the vinegar and boiling water in a small bowl. Add the mushrooms to the vinegar water and leave for 2 hours to soften and pickle. Remove the mushrooms and mix with the mustard, a few spoons of the pickling liquor and tarragon. Set aside.
To serve, divide the glazed cheeks and ketchup between two warmed plates and spoon over some of the cheek liquor. Scatter over the pickled mushrooms. Place the pear, celeriac, oil and lemon juice in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Spoon the pear mixture evenly over the plates and serve immediately
Source: Spar
