Braised Pork Cheek with Favas, Peas, Green Chickpeas
Recipe courtesy of Christopher Reveron, CEC, WCEC, Director of Food & Beverage/Executive Chef, Bonnie Briar Country Club (Larchmont, N.Y.)
Ingredients
- Ingredients for the Cheek:
- pork cheeks - 4 ea., cleaned
- salt - to taste
- lard - 1/4 cup
- sage leaves - 4-6 ea., fresh
- chicken stock - 2 qts.
- Ingredients for the Saffron Sauce:
- unsalted butter - 2 Tbsps.
- shallots - 2 Tbsps., minced
- white wine - 2 Tbsps.
- salt - to taste
- heavy cream - 1/2 cup
- saffron - 1/2 tsp., crumbled
- Ingredients for the Peas and Guanciale:
- lard - 2 tsps.
- guanciale - 1/4 lb., cut into batons
- peas - 1 cup, shelled
- fava beans - 1 cup, shelled
- fresh green chickpeas - 1 cup, shelled
Instructions
- Salt the cheeks and nestle the cheeks in a heavy-lidded pot with the lard, sage, and enough chicken stock to cover. Put it in the oven at 200°F and cook until tender, about 6-8 hours.
- While the cheeks are cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add plenty of salt; it should taste like the sea. Boil the peas, favas and chickpeas for 90 seconds. Remove them and shock them in a bowl filled with ice water. Once they are cool, set them aside in a bowl.
- Add 2 teaspoons of lard to a small pan and fry the guanciale until crispy over medium to medium-low heat. Set aside and reserve the fat.
- When the cheeks are ready, make the saffron sauce. Sweat the shallots in the butter over medium heat until they are translucent. Add the white wine and boil this until the wine has almost all evaporated. Add the cream and saffron and stir well. Bring to a simmer. Add salt to taste. Let this cook for 10 minutes or so, then strain it through a fine-mesh strainer.
- To finish, toss the peas, favas, and chickpeas with the reserved fat from the guanciale, plus a little of the braising liquid from the cheeks. Plate as desired.
