Pork rillettes

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Originating from the Loire valley of France, this is a classic way to turn an inexpensive cut of meat into a delicious dish. Serve with crusty French bread as a first course or light meal.

This recipe is taken from The Art of Preserving by Emma Macdonald (£14.99, Nourish).

First published in 2021
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Ingredients

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Imperial

Method

1

Rub the salt into the pork belly, then put in a dish, cover and leave in the fridge for 24 hours

2

Rinse the meat under cold running water and dry with paper towels. Cut the meat into strips about 2.5cm thick, and then in half. Put the pork belly and back fat in an ovenproof casserole dish and mix well

3

Preheat an oven to 150°C/gas mark 2. Tuck the garlic and bouquet garni under the meat. Add the crushed peppercorns and juniper berries and pour in the wine

4

Cover the dish and bake for 3-4 hours until the meat is very tender

5

Discard the bouquet garni. Put the meat in a large sieve set over a large bowl and pour over the fat from the casserole. Press the meat lightly with the back of a wooden spoon. Leave to drain and cool for 20 minutes

6

When the meat is cool enough to handle, remove it from the sieve and, using two forks, pull the meat into shreds. Put the meat in a terrine or ceramic dish

7

Spoon off most of the fat from the bowl and reserve. Pour the juices in the bottom of the bowl over the meat and mix lightly together. Pack the meat into the dish. Pour over the reserved fat to cover the meat; add extra duck or goose fat if necessary. Cover and chill the rillettes for 2-3 hours until the fat has set, then store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks

  • 100ml of duck fat, or goose fat, if necessary
8

To serve, leave at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Serve straight from the terrine or dish. Once the seal of fat is broken, eat within 3 days

First published in 2021
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Emma Macdonald, a trained chef, founded The Bay Tree from her mother’s kitchen table.

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