Bringing
Home the Bacon
(continued)
Pig’s
Feet with French Green Lentils
Note:
Try to buy pig's
feet, or trotters, that are long, with half or all of
the shank attached. The shank will provide more meat and
skin, for a nicer wrapper.
Procedure
To Cook the Pig's Feet:
1. Split the trotters lengthwise. Place
a bed of mirepoix and aromatics (carrots, onions, leeks,
bay leaves, thyme sprigs, and parsley stems) in the bottom
of a rondeau, or deep straight-sided braising pan. Place
the trotters skin side down over the mirepoix.
2.
Sprinkle
the top with more mirepoix and aromatics. Add chicken
stock to cover by 2 inches. Cover the pot with a lid and
bring to a simmer over medium heat.
3.
Transfer
the pot to a 300ûF. oven and cook for about 6 hours,
or until the meat is falling away from the bones. Remove
from the oven and cool for an hour to make them easier
to handle.
4.
Remove
the trotters from the liquid, debone them, and discard
the bones. Remove the meat, shred it, and reserve. Remove
any sinew still attached to the pig's skin. The skins
will become the wrappers, so scrape them with a knife
to make it a uniform thickness. Refrigerate both the skin
and the meat to chill. Strain the cooking liquid and reserve.
For
the Farce:
1.
Dice
some sweetbreads and season them. Dredge them in flour
and cook in 1/8 inch of hot oil in a rondeau until they
are crispy and golden brown. Drain the sweetbreads and
wipe out the pot. Add some chicken stock (twice the volume
of sweetbreads). Bring the liquid to a boil and add the
sweetbreads, some minced shallots, a few drops of white
wine vinegar, and some butter.
2.
Simmer
to reduce the liquid until it thickens and coats the sweetbreads.
Add a vegetable brunoise, some chopped chives, and the
reserved meat. (If the sauce begins to break, add more
stock.) If desired, finish with white truffle oil. Transfer
the stuffing to a bowl and let it cool to room temperature.
To
Stuff the Trotters:
1.
Remove
the skin from the refrigerator. If it is too stiff to
work with, place it in the microwave briefly to make it
pliable, or let stand at room temperature until softened.
For each trotter, place a piece of caul fat (soaked and
drained) on a work surface; it should be large enough
to wrap around the stuffed trotter three times. Place
the skin (outside down) on the caul fat and season the
inside of the skin. Place the farce down the middle of
the skin and roll it up in the skin. Roll up the stuffed
trotter in the caul fat.
2.
Heat
1/8 inch of oil in an oven proof saute pan over medium
heat until hot but not smoking. Add the trotters and brown
on the first side. Turn the trotters over and place in
a 300 F. oven for about 10 minutes, turning occasionally.
(They need to heat evenly, or they may burst.)
3.
Serve
the trotters on a ragout of green lentils garnished with
lardons of smoked bacon.
Makes
four servings, with shank, or two without shank.
Links
to more Thomas Keller Recipes:
Braised
Stuffed Pig’s Head with Sauce Gribiche
Bittersweet
Valrhona Chocolate Fondant with Sable Cookie
Broccolini
Salad with Burrata Cheese - (new)
Buttermilk
Biscuits - (new)
Buttermilk
Fried Chicken - (new)
Creamy
Maine Lobster Broth, Russet Potato and Lobster Coral Gnocchi
Foie
Gras Infused Custard with White Wine Poached Anjou Pears
Iceberg
Lettuce Slices with Blue Cheese Dressing, Oven-Roasted
Tomatoes, Bacon, and Brioche Croutons - (new)
Leek
Bread Pudding - (new)
Milk
Poached Wild Turbot with "Foie Gras" and Sweet
Onion "Cracklings" and Foie Gras Emulsion
Nantes
Carrot Stew - (new)
Pig’s
Feet with French Green Lentils
Pork
and Beans
Sautéed
Gulf White Shrimp* with Jasmine Rice, Raisins and Spicy
Shrimp Broth
Scallion
Potato Cakes - (new)
“Surf
and Turf" Pan Roasted “Filet Mignon" of
Veal with a Maine Lobster “Pancake", Clam Shell
Mushrooms and Sauce “Homardine"
Sweet
Butter Braised Maine Lobster with Baby Arrow-leaf Spinach
and a Saffron-Vanilla Sauce
Other
Related Links:
Thomas
Keller: Ad Hoc at Home
Bringing
Home the Bacon
The
Great Chefs Series
Chef
Thomas Keller
Thomas
Keller Joins The Culinary Institute of America Board of
Trustees
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