Sous Vide Suckling Pig | Recipe by sousvidetools.com
Suckling Pig with Chou Farci, Hummus and Chickpea Fricassee
- COOK TIME: 8 Hours
- PREP TIME: 2 Hours
- DIFFICULTY: Difficult
- SERVES: 6
Ingredients
- 250g of suckling pig loin
Suckling pig belly
- 250g of suckling pig belly, boned
- 1 sprig of thyme, chopped
- 1 sprig of rosemary, chopped
- salt
Suckling pig sauce
- 1kg suckling pig bones
- 1l chicken stock
- 100g of onion
- 100g of carrots
- 100g of celery
- 100g of leek
- 1 garlic
- 2 sprigs of thyme
- 30g of tomato purée
- 100ml of red wine
- 50g of butter, cubed
Chou farci
- 250g of suckling pig leg, deboned
- 25g of smoked bacon
- 6 savoy cabbage leaves
Pickled onions
- 125ml of white wine vinegar
- 125g of sugar
- 125g of silver skin onion
- 2 black peppercorns
- 1 star anise
- 2 cloves
- 1 bay leaf
Hummus
- 400g of chickpeas
- 3 garlic cloves
- 75ml of olive oil
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 3 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp sugar
- 125g of tahini
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- salt
Charred leeks
- 2 leeks
Chickpea fricassee
- 100g of chickpeas
- 1 shallot, finely diced
- 1 garlic clove, finely diced
- 1 tsp chopped chives
- 20ml of lemon juice
- 10g of butter
- salt
Method
Recipe courtesy of Colin McGurran from www.greatbritishchefs.com
METHOD
- To prepare the suckling pig belly, preheat the water bath to a temperature of 85⁰C.
- Mix together the salt, chopped thyme and chopped rosemary and massage into the belly. Seal the seasoned meat inside a large vacuum bag using a bar sealer. Place the bag in the water bath and leave to cook sous vide for 7 hours.
- Unseal the vacuum bag and remove the belly. Pat the meat dry on kitchen paper, then place in a shallow tray lined with baking parchment. Cover the meat with another layer of baking parchment and balance a second tray on top. Weigh down the top tray with something heavy, then leave to press in the fridge until chilled through.
- Preheat the oven to a temperature of 180⁰C/gas mark 4.
- For the suckling pig sauce, place the bones in a roasting dish and cook in the oven until caramelised. This should take approximately 1 hour.
- Heat a splash of oil in a large saucepan, then add the onion, carrot, celery and leek and brown over a high heat.
- When the vegetables are well-coloured, stir in the tomato purée, thyme and roasted bones and add enough chicken stock to cover all of the ingredients completely. Simmer for 3 hours, pouring in extra stock when necessary to keep the bones covered.
- After this time, strain the sauce through 3 layers of muslin cloth, then place a clean pan and mix in the red wine. Cook over a medium heat until reduced to 1/3 of the original volume. When it is ready, the mixture will be sauce-like in consistency.
- Next, make the chou farci. Grind the suckling pig leg and the smoked bacon together in a mincer, then add a splash of the suckling pig sauce and mix well. Keep adding sauce until the mince binds together, then add a pinch of salt and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- After this time, take the meat out of the fridge and divide into 40g pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and arrange on a tray. Place the tray in the fridge and leave to set.
- Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil and add the cabbage leaves. Simmer for 2 minutes, then remove the leaves and plunge into iced water to halt the cooking process. Leave to drain on kitchen paper.
- Place one of the blanched cabbage leaves on a sheet of cling film and top with a chilled ball of farci. Fold the cabbage over the meat until it is completely encased, then stretch the cling film around the ball to secure the leaf in place.
- Repeat step 12 with rest of the cabbage leaves and meat balls, then place the chou farci in the fridge and leave to set for a minimum of 30 minutes.
- Preheat the water bath to a temperature of 55⁰C.
- To prepare the sucking pig loin, remove the sinew and chop the meat into 40g slices. Seasons the slices with salt, then use a bar sealer to seal each one in a separate vacuum bag with a little oil. Place the bags in the water bath and leave to sous vide for 30 minutes.
- Next, pickle the onions. In a large saucepan, combine the water, vinegar, sugar, peppercorns, star anise, cloves and bay leaf. Heat until the liquid boils and the sugar dissolves completely, then tip the hot mixture over the onions. Set aside until cool.
- When the onions are cool, remove their skins and return them to the pickling liquid. Leave to pickle until needed.
- Preheat the oven to a temperature of 120⁰C/gas mark 1/4.
- Take the chou farci out of the fridge, remove the cling film and place on a baking sheet in the oven. Cook for 10 minutes, then dip the balls in the suckling pig sauce and leave in a warm place until required.
- For the hummus, combine the chickpeas, garlic cloves, olive oil, paprika, lemon juice, sugar, tahini, cumin and salt in a blender. Add 175ml of hot water and pulse the blender until the mixture becomes smooth.
- To make the charred leeks, fill a saucepan with salted water and bring to the boil. Add the leeks and simmer until they are just cooked. This should take approximately 5 minutes. Once cooked, plunge the leeks into iced water, then leave on kitchen paper to drain.
- Slice the leeks into 6 equal lengths and place in hot frying pan. Do not add any oil or cooking fat. Fry the leeks until they are caramelised, then leave in warm place until ready to serve.
- Next, make the fricassee. Heat the butter in a small saucepan. When it has completely melted, add the shallot and garlic and sauté over a gentle heat until softened but not coloured. Mix in the chickpeas and 2 tbsp of the pickled onions. Continue to cook for another 2 minutes, then add the lemon juice, salt and chives to finish.
- Take the suckling pig belly out of the fridge and remove the weighted tray. Slice the meat into individual portions and place to one side.
- Unseal the vacuum bags containing the suckling pig loin. Remove the meat and pat dry with kitchen paper. At the same time, heat a dash of oil in a frying pan. When the oil is hot, add the loin and caramelise over a medium heat, then set aside to rest, leaving the pan on the heat.
- Arrange the belly slices cut-side down in the hot pan and quickly sear the meat. Turn the slices over and sear the other cut surfaces, then remove from the pan.
- To serve, generously smear the base of each plate with hummus and top with a few spoonfuls of chickpea fricassee. Arrange 1 portion of pork belly, 1 slice of pork loin and 1 ball of chou farci in a line across the centre of the plate, then add 2 pieces of charred leek. Drizzle the warm suckling pig sauce over the meat and finish the dish with a garnish of puffed pork rind and celery cress.