Recipe of the Month November

Slow cooked belly of Trumpers Farm pork, celeriac purée, cider fondant potato and thyme jus by Steve Bennet of Llansantffraed Court Hotel.

Llansantffraed Court Hotel and Restaurant is situated in the serenity of Monmouthshire’s Usk and Wye Valleys, where Steve Bennett is the classically trained Head Chef of the Court Restaurant. Steve spent his formative years with John Burton-Race at the double Michelin starred L'Ortolan, and at the famous 21, Queen Street in Newcastle. Steve uses only the finest local ingredients and has built up trusting working relationships with Monmouthshire’s small producers. For more information about the hotel and restaurant visit website link.

Cider potato fondant
2 medium sized jacket potatoes
200 g soft unsalted butter
220 ml Gwynt-y-Ddraig cider
1 spring thyme 2 garlic cloves
Salt and pepper

Method:
Slice the ends of the potatoes, and than slice into 1 ½ inch thick pieces, leaving the skin on. Soften butter on the inside of the pan large enough to sir all the potato slices. Season the butter (slightly more than you think it needs), than place the potatoes, cut side down, onto the butter. Pour the cider over next, it should reach half way up the sliced potato, put the thyme and garlic in the gaps between potatoes. Put onto a medium heat, until the cider comes to the boil, than turn down to low. Cook until all the cider has evaporated/ absorbed by the potato (approx 15 – 20 min), than turn the potatoes add a drop more cider and repeat until both sides are golden brown.

Celeriac puree
1 whole celeriac
400 ml milk
2 garlic cloves- peeled
1 bay leaf
50 g butter
Salt and pepper

Method:
Peel and slice the celeriac, and dice into 1 inch cubes, put into a pan with the rest if the ingredients and cover with cling film. Cook on medium to low heat, without allowing the milk to boil, for about 25 minutes, or until the celeriac is soft. Remove cling film, and strain, reserving the milk. Discard the bay leaf, and place the celeriac into food processor, adding a little of the milk. Purée for 30 seconds, than using a spatula scrape the puree back down the processor, adding more milk if required. Purée again for 30 seconds and check for lumps and texture. For a very fine purée, sieve twice through a fine mesh sieve.

Thyme jus
4 large shallots
2 cloves garlic
Handful of thyme
175 ml red wine
400 ml reduced pork stock

Method:
Peel and slice garlic and shallots. Sweat gently in a little oil, until soft, add the thyme, after crushing the stalks in your hand to help release the essential oils, which carry flavour. Stir in the thyme, than add wine and boil to reduce by 2/3. Once reduced, add stock and gently bring to simmer. Cook out for 10 minutes to allow the flavour to develop. Pass through a sieve to leave the thyme scented jus.

Pork belly
600- 800 g piece of belly pork- bones removed skin on
100 ml vegetable oil
Thyme
1 bulb garlic
Salt and pepper

Method:
In a deep sided tray, large enough to fit your piece of pork, place a large piece of siliconised baking parchment so that it covers the bottom and side of the tray. Rub a little vegetable oil over the paper. Season the pork, and place, skin side down, into the tray. Crush the thyme in your hand, than place on top of the pork. Pour water into the tray, so it comes halfway up the pork, than cover with another piece of parchment, than foil. Place into a pre-heated oven for 3- 3 1/2 hours at £ 120˚C (110˚C if fan assisted). Once cooked, remove from oven and allow to cool for 20 minutes, to enable you to remove the pork from the tray. Place the belly skin side down, again onto a cling film lined tray and place another tray, also cling filmed, on top. Place into the fridge with approximately 2 kg weight on top to press flat. Cool for 2 hours minimum.
Once cold, cut into portions trimming edges if required. To reheat, place onto a parchment lined tray skin side down and into a hot (120˚C) oven for 15 – 20 minutes. The skin should ‘crackle’ and the pork should be hot all the way through.

To assemble
Pork belly potion
Celeriac purée
Cider potato fondant
Thyme jus
Diced pancetta- fried until crisp
Button onions- blanched than roasted
Curly kale- blanched than buttered

Reheat the belly as per recipe, warm purée in a small pan over a gentle heat, warm the fondant potato in a gentle oven. Present the dish by smearing a spoonful of celeriac purée on the plate, with the kale one end, pork on the kale. Place the potato next to the port, and scatter thee button onion and pancetta around. Drizzle the thyme jus around and over the belly as you see best.

Tip from Sally Trumper of Trumpers Turkeys
Saddle-back Pork:
Put into a really hot oven (about 220 C) for 40 mins and then turn down and cook at a lower heat to finish. This should give you a crispy crackling.

For more information on Trumpers Turkeys visit their website: website link.

For other meat producers in the county visit website link.

For award winning meat producers in Wales visit
website link

For cider producers in Monmouthshire visit
website link

For award winning cider producers in Wales visit
website link