Sunday 13 February 2011

Brawn

Half a pig’s head (yes, really), ear and brain removed
Bouquet garni (some parsley stalks, thyme, bay leaf, tied to a celery stick with string)
6 peppercorns
1 large onion
1 large carrot
1 stick celery
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon grated nutmeg
Extra salt and pepper
2 hard boiled eggs

Wash the head thoroughly, and soak it in a bucket of salted water (20g per litre) for 1 hour.
Place the head in a large pan with the bouquet garni, peppercorns, chopped vegetables and salt. Cover with water. Bring to the boil, skim off the foam, cover the pan and simmer very slowly for 3 hours.
Remove the head and put it on a plate. Strain the liquid, and throw away the bits. Rinse the pan, and return the liquid to it. Skim off the fat, then boil the stock hard to reduce it by half.
While the stock is boiling, pick the meat off the head and cut it into 1cm cubes. Peel the tongue and cut it into 1cm cubes. Season the meat with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Slice the eggs, and place slices in an overlapping line along the bottom of a loaf tin. Pack the meat in firmly. Add some reduced stock, almost up to the rim of the loaf tin. Place a brick wrapped in tinfoil on top of the brawn, to press it, and refrigerate overnight.
To remove the brawn from the tin, take the brick off (!) and dip the tin into hot water for a few seconds (without getting water in the brawn, of course) and tip it out onto a plate or board. Serve in slices, with a side salad and bread and butter.

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