Rillettes de Porc

An English Facebook friend posted something funny about the rather unique English staple, Marmite.

 My daughter became fond of it when we lived in England. She ate it often when she worked for a New Zelander, when she lived in Switzerland. She likes it on toast with butter for Breakfast. Shudder! I mean, just look at the list of strange ingredients:

During our conversation, I made a face and had some rather derogatory things to say about it. She asked me if I liked potted meat. Well, my first thought was of some of those tasteless smooth tinned meat paste popular for tea sandwiches. Not much more palatable than Marmite.



Then I thought of Rillettes! Oh, the French do that so much better. Last time I came home from France, after visiting my dear friend Mimi, with a couple of pots of her neighbor's Rillettes. Oh they were so good. Well, anyway I got to thinking about it and decided to make some. Today was the day! I had enough for 4 little ramekins and a small terrine. I'll put them in the freezer so I can pull one out anytime I need to provide a tasty "aperitif" with some crusty bread, cornichons (little gherkins) and a glass of red/white wine"

Ingredients

• 800 g pork belly ( Poitrine de porc)
• 1 leaf bay leaves ( Feuille de laurier)
• 10 g salt ( Sel)
• 20 g ground pepper ( Poivre)
• 50 centiliters water ( Eau)
• 2 garlic cloves ( Ail)
• 5 g dried sage ( Sauge)
• 5 g dried thyme ( Thym)

 

 

 Ingredients:

Servings: 12

• 800 g pork belly (Poitrine de porc)
• 1 leaf bay leaf (Feuille de laurier)
• 10 g salt (Sel)
• 20 g ground pepper (Poivre)
• 50 centiliters water (Eau)
• 5 g dried sage (Sauge)
• 5 g dried thyme (Thym)

Directions:

1. Prepare all your ingredient. (Préparer tous les ingrédients).
2. Remove the skin from a fresh pork belly. (Retirer la couanne de la poitrine de porc).
3. Cut the meat into 2 cm squares. (Coupé la poitrine de porc en carré d'environ 2cm).
4. Add the pork belly into a heavy pot (i.e. enameled cast iron works well). (Mettre les morceau de poitrine de porc dans une cocotte en fonte).
5. Add two good glassful of water. (Ajouter environ 2 verres plein d'eau).
6. Add a tea spoon of pepper. (Ajouter une cuillère à café de poivre).
7. Add a table spoon of salt. (Ajouter une cuillere à soupe de sel).
8. Add one bay leaf. (Ajouter la feuille de laurier).
9. Add the dried thyme. (Ajouter du thym).
10. Add the dried sage. (Ajouter de la sauge).
11. Check that you have all the ingredient inches. (Vérifier que vous n'avez oublier aucun ingredient).
12. Cover, bring to the boil, and simmer the mixture for 3h00 / 2h30, checking occasionally to make sure the mixture does not become too dry (add more boiling water if this happens). (Couvrir et portez a l'ébullition, puis laisser cuire à feu doux pour 3h00 / 3h30, Verifier durant la cuisson que lapoirine ne se desséche pas, si c'est le cas rajouter un peu d'eau).
13.  Remove from the heat and remove the bay leaf et move the piece of pork to a dish. (Retirer la feuille de laurier et transferer les morceaux de porc dans un plat).
14. Strain off the remaining juices from the casserol, much of which will be pork fat, and set aside. (Tranferer tous le jus de cuisson).
15. Use your fingersto shred the meat finely. (Utiliser vos doigt pour émincer les morceaux tres finement - triturer).
16. place the meat in a terrine. (Transferre la pâte émincée dans des terrines).
17. Push down and compact. (Presser et compacter).
18. Strain the reserved juice over the meat. (Verser le jus reccuperé précèdement au dessus).
19. The juice should stand above the meet. (Le jus devrait se maintenir au dessus).
20. Chill the rillettes in the refrigerator for at least 180 minutes until set. (Mettre au frigidaire toute la nuit).
21. In the morning get the rillettes from the fridge. (Dans la matinée sortir les rillettes du frigidaire).
22. Ready to serve with crusty bread and gurkins. Enjoy also with some wine before to start the Lunch or the dinner). (Deguster avec du pain et des cornichons. A midi ou dans la soirée avec un petit coup de rouge ou de blanc comme Graioun).