Wild boar croquette with pickled vegetables

  • medium
  • 4
  • 1 hour 30 minutes plus 12 hours brining time, 4 hours to cook the meat and 2 hours setting time
Not yet rated

A rich parcel of brined, slow-cooked and deep-fried boar shoulder is enough to get anyone salivating; once it's paired with a variety of briefly pickled vegetables and an incredible caper and raisin purée, however, this dish goes from good to great. If you're struggling to find wild boar then pork shoulder can be used in its place. 

First published in 2021

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Brine

Chive oil

  • 50g of chives
  • 200g of sunflower oil

Caper and raisin purée

Pickling liquor

Croquettes

To garnish

Equipment

  • Blender
  • Thermometer
  • Muslin cloth

Method

1

Begin by making a brine. Add all the ingredients to a pan and bring to the boil. Stir until the sugar and salt has dissolved then leave to cool. Place in the fridge to chill completely, then add the wild boar (or pork), ensuring it is fully submerged. Leave in the fridge to brine for 12 hours

2

While the meat brines, you can prepare the pickling liquor, purée and oil in advance. To make the chive oil, finely chop the chives and bring a pan of oil up to 50°C. Add the chives to the warm oil and transfer to a blender. Blitz until smooth and bright green, then leave to infuse for 15 minutes before passing through a muslin cloth or very fine sieve. Keep in the fridge to reserve the bright green colour

  • 50g of chives
  • 200g of sunflower oil
3

To make the caper and raisin purée, place the capers and raisins in a pan and cover with water. Gently boil for 10 minutes or until the raisins are very soft, then drain and blitz in a blender until very smooth. Pass through a sieve and transfer to a piping bag or squeezy bottle. Keep in the fridge

4

For the pickle liquor, bring the water, vinegar and sugar to the boil, add all other ingredients and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and leave to cool completely

5

After the meat has been brining for 12 hours, preheat an oven to 140°C/gas mark 1. Remove the meat from the brine and rinse under cold water. Wrap the meat in baking paper, then again in a sheet of foil. Place the parcel on a tray and into the oven for 3-4 hours, or until the meat is very soft and falling apart easily. Reserve the roasting juices in a separate bowl and place the meat aside to rest until cool enough to handle

6

Shred the meat using two forks and place in a bowl with the mustard, chopped peppercorns, reserved roasting juices and duck fat. Mix to combine and season to taste. Line a shallow tray with cling film or baking paper and press the mixture into the tray in a flat layer. Cover with another sheet of baking paper, top with something heavy and place in the fridge to set for at least 2 hours

7

Once the wild boar mixture has set, preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4 and bring a deep pan of oil to 180°C. Carefully tip the meat out of the tray onto a board and cut into 4 even rectangular pieces. Carefully dust each piece in flour, then dip in beaten egg, followed by the breadcrumbs. Deep-fry until golden (around 3-5 minutes), then finish in the oven for 4 minutes

  • vegetable oil, for deep-frying
  • 150g of plain flour
  • 2 medium eggs, beaten with a pinch of salt
  • 150g of Panko breadcrumbs
8

Meanwhile, submerge the carrot ribbons, shallot rings and sliced radish in the cooled pickle liquor. Halve the pearl onions and fry cut-side down until blackened, then separate into individual pearls and place them in the liquor too

9

To serve, add one croquette to each plate with a sprinkle of salt. Pipe some of the puree beside it and arrange curls of pickled carrot on top. Finish with slices of radish, shallot rings, charred onion petals and some more dots of caper raisin puree. Drizzle over the chive oil to dress the vegetables and finish with nasturtium leaves and a radish leaf (if using)

First published in 2021

After spending stints in renowned kitchens such as Cliveden House and The Waterside Inn, Jozef Rogulski helped launch The Game Bird at London’s Stafford hotel where, as executive chef, he cooks a menu of refined, beautifully presented contemporary British comfort food.

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