If you've never had pigs trotters before, this trotters recipe from Bryan Webb is exceptional to try. The delectable richness of these pork and ham morsels, fried until crisp on the outside with a juicy interior, belie the fact they are traditional fare of Irish farmers. Known as crubbeens, this recipe lifts humble ingredients to culinary heights, but it takes some work: the trotters and ham need to cook for 3 1/2 hours in the first instance and, once shaped, must set overnight. Soda bread, too, derives from lean times when eggs and butter were expensive luxuries – yet the recipe below, handed down through generations, is good enough to grace any table, served with beetroot chutney
Method
1.
To cook the pigs trotters, preheat the oven to 160°C/Gas mark 2 1/2. Make sure the trotters are well cleaned and any hairs are removed. Put them in a casserole with the ham hock. Roughly chop the carrot, celery, leek and onion and add them to the pan with the bouquet garni
fresh bouquet garni
To make a fresh bouquet garni, bundle together some thyme, parsley stalks and bay leaves, wrap them in a strip of leek and tie together with string
2.
Cover with cold water, bring to the boil and skim off the froth that forms on the surface. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and transfer to the oven for about 3 1/2 hours; alternatively you can braise them over a very low heat on the stove
3.
Leave the meat to cool in the pan. Once it is cool enough to handle, remove the ham hock from the liquid and shred it, discarding the bones and gristle but keeping the fat. Put the ham and its fat in a large bowl. Cut the trotters in half lengthways. Carefully remove the bones but reserve the skins, and mix the remaining meat and fat with the ham
4.
Melt the butter in a small pan. Finely chop the extra onion and cook it gently until soft. Add this to the ham mixture along with the chopped parsley and mix well
5.
Lay two very large sheets of cling film on top of each other on a clean work surface. Open out the reserved trotter skins and lay them flat side-by-side on the cling film in three slightly overlapping rows, so that you have one large rectangle of skin
6.
Divide the ham mixture into three to make it easier to work with. Place it along the trotter skins and shape into one long sausage. Roll this up in the skins, using the cling film to help you keep it as tight as possible. Twist the ends, tie them with kitchen string to secure and chill overnight
7.
To make the soda bread, preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas mark 6. Combine all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir in the buttermilk until you have dough that is dry enough to knead. Knead for about 5 minutes, using a machine with a bread hook if you can
8.
Halve the dough and shape it into two flat, round loaves. Place them on floured baking trays and score a cross in the top of each loaf. Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 180°C/Gas mark 4 and keep cooking for about 10 minutes or until the soda bread sounds hollow when you tap the underside
soda bread
This soda bread is also good served with smoked salmon or toasted for breakfast
9.
To make the crumb coating, mix the breadcrumbs and mustard powder together in a bowl. Put the flour in a separate bowl and beat the eggs together in a third
10.
Remove the cling film from the trotters and cut into discs. Cut each disc into quarters. Dust the meat all over in the flour, dip into the eggs then toss in the breadcrumb mixture until completely coated
11.
You can shallow or deep-fry the trotters as preferred. Working in batches so as not to crowd the pan. Cook them in the hot oil until they are crisp and golden. Drain on kitchen paper and serve with some tartare sauce, beetroot relish, salad and soda bread
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