Pardon my absence. I have been laboring in the kitchen. Tomorrow is the feast of the 7 trotters.
Oh no...Bob's back!
I will post some before pics later, of Piggies with feet still attached.
I bet Xmas lunch is a belter in Bob's house.
Trotter terrine tarter
2 pig's trotters, each chopped into 3 or 4 pieces
A 1kg unsmoked ham hock
300g fatty pork belly
2 small onions, roughly chopped
2 sticks celery, chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled
4-5 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bayleaves
1 large glass white wine
1 tsp redcurrant or crab apple jelly
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Wash the trotter pieces under cold running water, then place in a medium-sized, heavy pan, along with the hock, belly, vegetables and herbs. Pack everything in as well as possible, then pour in the wine and enough cold water to cover. Place over a medium heat and bring to a simmer. Skim off any scum that rises to the surface, turn down the heat to its lowest setting, then simmer as gently as possible for an hour and a half.
Remove the hock and set aside to cool. Continue to cook the trotters and belly for a further hour and a half, or until the trotters are tender and the skin falls away from the bone. Remove the meat and set aside.
Strain the cooking liquid through a sieve lined with muslin or a clean tea towel into a clean pan. Bring to the boil, reduce by three-quarters, then stir in the fruit jelly. Taste and adjust the seasoning as required.
For main course, Braised pig's trotter croutons
1
Soak the hind trotters for 12 hours in cold water, and remove any hairs with a blowtorch
2 hind pig's trotters, soak
2
Preheat the oven to 190°C/gas mark 5
3
Chop the peeled carrot, onion and celery into 1cm dice, then cook in butter in a casserole pot until golden brown
1 large onion, diced
1 large carrot, diced
3 stalks of celery, diced
1 knob of butter
4
Add the white wine and reduce to a glaze, then do the same with the Madeira
200ml of white wine
200ml of Madeira
For dessert, how about Trotter cheesecake ?