Recipes: Relish Scotland Second Helping cookbook
Roast pork belly with crispy pigs’ cheeks and black pudding fritters
Ingredients
Roast pork belly
400g-600g pork belly (boned, skin on, finely scored)
2 cloves garlic, 1 sprig thyme
1 tbsp groundnut oil
1 clove garlic
1/4 tbsp black peppercorns
1/4 tbsp coriander seeds,
1/2 tbsp rock salt
Crispy pigs’ cheeks
4 small pigs’ cheeks
500ml (approx) chicken stock
Bouquet garni
Panko breadcrumbs
3 free-range eggs (lightly beaten)
Plain flour (for coating the cheeks)
Salt and pepper
Vegetable oil (for deep frying)
Black pudding fritters
250g Stornoway black pudding (rolled into 12 balls)
150g plain flour
100ml good dark ale
50ml sparkling mineral water (ice cold)
White wine vinegar (dash of)
Salt and pepper
Method
For roast pork belly (prepare the day before): With a pestle and mortar, grind up all herbs and spices with the groundnut oil and rub all over the pork. Leave to marinade in the fridge for at least four hours. Place on a baking tray and roast in a preheated oven 220°C for 20 minutes then reduce heat to 190°C and roast for a further 35 to 45 minutes until the skin is crispy.
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Hide AdTo braise and fry the pigs’ cheeks: Place in an ovenproof dish and cover with the chicken stock, add the bouquet garni and season well. Wrap tightly in foil and allow to cook in a low oven (approximately 140°C) for four hours or until very tender and then allow to cool in the liquid. Once cool, pat dry and remove any excess fat. Dip the cheeks in to the flour, then beaten egg, then breadcrumbs and deep fry at 180°C until crisp.
For the black pudding fritters: Pour the ale, water and vinegar into a bowl and sift in flour. Whisk and season well. Lightly roll the pudding in a little plain flour and dip into the batter mix. Deep fry at 180°C until golden and crisp. Season well and dry on kitchen paper before serving.
For the garlic mash: Before boiling the potatoes, peel the garlic. Add these to the water and boil with the potatoes until tender. After draining, mash together. Finish with the cream and butter and season well.
Chocolate Torte
Ingredients
60g ground almonds
150g unsalted butter
6 free range eggs
75g caster sugar
25ml Amaretto
350g good quality dark chocolate
Method
Lightly toast almonds in a hot oven or grill. Butter a 23cm spring form tin and lightly dust with a tablespoon of ground almonds and shake off any excess. Beat the eggs and sugar until light and creamy and until the volume of mixture is doubled. Melt the butter in a small saucepan with the Amaretto. Over a bain-marie, melt the chocolate, butter and Amaretto mix and allow to cool to room temperature. Fold half the egg mixture into the chocolate then pour this mix back into the remaining egg mixture. Add the toasted almonds and fold gently - do not over mix. Pour the batter into the baking tin. Sit the tin in a deep baking tray and place in a preheated oven (180°C). Carefully pour in enough hot water to come up about one third the height of the tin and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Lift the cake out of the waterbath and allow to cool in the tin on a wire rack.