Tom Kerridge's Proper Pub Food (12 page)

Pass the stock through a sieve lined with muslin or a tea towel and keep 300ml warm to use in this recipe; the remainder can be used in other recipes.

When the ham is cool enough to handle, flake the meat away from the bone and remove and discard as much fat as possible. Try to keep some big chunks of meat! Put the meat in a
large mixing bowl and leave to one side.

Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water for about 5 minutes until softened. Squeeze out the water, then add them to the warm stock and stir until the gelatine has dissolved.

Add the toasted mustard seeds and tarragon to the ham. Pour over the jellied stock and gently mix through. Place the mix into four 150ml ramekins and leave to cool completely.
Cover and place in the fridge for at least 1–2 hours until set.

Serve with hot sourdough toast and homemade pickles.

Tom’s Tip

You will end up with more poaching stock than you need for this recipe, but don’t throw out the extra. It’s packed with flavours and is ideal for using in other recipes,
such as the pork pie
here
.

This is proper party food. Pig’s ears are so easily disregarded, but they really are lush! The use of truffle oil gives a wonderful taste of the expensive to this
cheap-and-cheerful cut of meat.

Serves 4

For the truffle oil mayonnaise

Make room in your fridge for 2 baking sheets with a large carton of milk or other 1kg weight lying on them. Firstly, trim the pig’s ears and use a blowtorch to remove any
hairs. Place them in a large saucepan and add the white wine vinegar, star anise, celery, carrot, onion and white peppercorns. Cover with water and bring to the boil, skimming the surface as
necessary. Reduce the heat to low and leave to gently braise for 2 hours. Turn the heat off and leave the ears to cool in the stock.

Remove the pig’s ears from the stock and place on a baking sheet lined with clingfilm. Put another layer of clingfilm on top and then place another baking sheet on top. Put
a weight of about 1kg, such as a large carton of milk, on top of the tray, then put the ears and trays in the fridge for 12 hours.

Meanwhile, make the truffle oil mayonnaise. Place the eggs, Dijon mustard and white wine vinegar into a food processor and blend until smooth. With the motor running, slowly add
the vegetable oil until it emulsifies and thickens. Blend in the truffle oil, then add a good squeeze of lemon juice and season with salt and cayenne. Transfer to a bowl, cover and chill until
needed.

Remove the ears from the fridge and cut into strips. Place the flour, egg wash and breadcrumbs in separate bowls in a row on the work surface and ‘pane’ the ear
strips. In non-cheffy English, that means simply to dip the strips into the flour, tapping off any excess, then dipping them into the eggs, letting the excess drip back into the bowl, and then
finally into the panko breadcrumbs. Leave on one side.

Heat enough oil for deep-frying in a deep-fat fryer or heavy-based saucepan to 180°C. Add the pig’s ears, in batches if necessary, and fry for 4–5 minutes until
crispy. Drain well on kitchen paper and season. Reheat the oil between batches, if necessary.

Serve the fried pig’s ears with the truffle-oil mayonnaise to dip them in. Grate fresh truffle over the top, if you have any. It’s decadent, but amazing!

Please don’t turn your nose up at the thought of these – just try them! You’ll find the trotters are so tasty and full of flavour. This is the best-ever version
of ‘meat paste’, something I remember from when I was a kid. This mix is also a great stuffing for roast pork

Serves 4–6

Singe the pig’s trotters with a blowtorch to remove any hairs. Place them into a large saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil, then drain. Repeat this process two
more times to remove any impurities.

Return the trotters to the pan, add the brown chicken stock, celery, carrot, onion, star anise and white peppercorns and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to very low and leave
to simmer, uncovered, for 2½–3 hours until the trotters are tender. Turn off the heat and leave the trotters to cool in the stock.

Meanwhile, put the water and sugar in saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. As soon as it boils, remove the pan from the heat and add the lemon juice.
Leave to cool completely, then place in the fridge until needed.

When the trotters are cool, remove them from the stock and flake the meat and skin into a mixing bowl. Pass the stock through a fine sieve into the washed pan, place over a high
heat and boil until the stock has reduced by half.

Melt the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the shallots and fry, stirring, for 3–5 minutes until softened. Tip them into the bowl with the trotter meat.

Heat the oil in the pan over a medium heat. Add the lardons and fry, stirring, for about 2–3 minutes until browned and crispy. Use a slotted spoon to transfer these to the
bowl with the trotter meat. Add the dried apples, mustard, sherry vinegar, mace and salt and pepper. Shred together with a fork and season, adding a little of the cooking stock to make the mix
moist. The trotter mixture can stay in the fridge until needed or be used straight away.

Just before you are ready to serve, slice the Granny Smith apples on a Japanese mandoline. Put them into the stock syrup mix you made earlier and leave for just a couple of
seconds to prevent oxidising and to give them a sweet glaze.

Place the trotter mixture in a pan over medium heat and stir until warmed through. Divide it between the slices of toast. Place the Granny Smith slices on top and serve.

Pig’s trotters and bacon on toast

This recipe looks complicated, but I promise you the results are amazing. Cutting a terrine in half for the first time is one of the joys of being a chef!
This makes a great dish for the Christmas period when you have plenty of people around to help you polish it off.

Serves 12

For the cranberry compôte

For the port jelly

Preheat the oven to 130°C /Gas Mark ½ and bring a kettle of water to the boil. Line 25 x 10cm terrine or a 1.2 litre ovenproof dish with clingfilm, then leave to one
side. Mince the pork belly, game mix and pork liver together and put into a large bowl, then leave to one side.

Melt the butter in a frying pan over a low heat. Add the onion and garlic and fry, stirring, for at least 5 minutes until softened, but not coloured. Remove the pan from the heat
and leave the onions and butter to cool, then add them to the bowl with the minced meats.

Grind the juniper berries, bay leaves, cloves, thyme and black pepper together in a spice grinder. Add this spice and herb mix to the minced meats. Add the brandy, red wine, salt
and saltpetre, if using. Get your hands in and combine thoroughly. The salt will begin to break down the meat and you will find the mixture becomes a little tighter in your hands.

Push the meat mix into the lined terrine, trying not to have any air bubbles. Bring the clingfilm over the top to seal, then place the terrine’s lid on top (if it has one).
Place the terrine in a roasting tray and pour in enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides. Place the tray in the oven and cook the terrine for 1½–2 hours until the centre of
the terrine has reached 70°C on an instant-read thermometer. Remove the terrine from the tray, take the lid off and put a heavy weight on the top to press the meat down. Leave to cool
completely, then place in the fridge for 12 hours, still with the weight on top.

Meanwhile, make the cranberry compôte. Place the demerara sugar, orange juice and ginger in a saucepan over a high heat and bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the
sugar. Stir in the cranberries and grate in the nutmeg. Simmer the cranberries, stirring frequently, for about 15 minutes until they soften and form a chutney-like appearance. Grate in the orange
zest, then transfer the compôte to a bowl and leave to cool.

To make the port jelly, place the port and caster sugar in a saucepan over a high heat and bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. When the sugar has dissolved, remove
the pan from the heat and leave to one side.

Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water for about 5 minutes until softened. Squeeze out the water, then add them to the warm port mix and stir until the gelatine has dissolved.
Pass through a fine sieve into a bowl.

Remove the terrine from its mould and scrape off any excess fat or jelly. Use a ladle to pour the port jelly over the top of the terrine. Place the terrine back into the fridge
for about 10 minutes until the jelly sets. You will need to do this 3 or 4 times to get a good layer of jelly.

After the jelly has set, use a long, thin knife to trim the sides of terrine so it looks smart, then slice and serve with the cranberry compôte and toast.

Tom’s Tip

If you want to get ahead over the holiday period, the cranberry compôte will keep in a covered container in the fridge for up to a week.

Game terrine glazed in port jelly with cranberry compôte

I love traditional pork pies – they are one of the great British classics. And when you add a dollop of hot, sweet piccalilli everything feels right in the world. I try to
recreate familiar British foods at my pub, but take them to a higher level. Just try and stop yourself from smiling when you try this lush pork pie.

Serves 16