Pork Crepinette

Confit Pork Rib and Belly Crépinette

Black Ale Sauce, Pink Peppercorn Spatzle and Poached Leek “Cannelloni”

Serves 6

Ingredients:

Crépinette

2 racks pork back ribs

1 lbs pork belly

2 lbs of rendered fat (pork, duck,..)

1 carrot diced

5 cloves of garlic

1 parsnip diced

1 onion diced

¾ lbs caul fat (crepine)

Salt, pepper

Sauce

2 bottles Black Ale (New Belgium 1554 for example)

1/2 cup heavy cream

Salt and Pepper

Pink Peppercorn Spätzle :

2 cups all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1 oz pink berry (pink peppercorn)
1 cup cold water

1 Tb butter

Salt and pepper

Leek cannelloni

2 leeks

Olive oil (for poaching)

3 oz grated gruyere cheese

Salt and pepper

Preparation:

Crépinette

Marinate the pork ribs and belly overnight with the vegetables, salt and pepper. Place in a large ovenware and cover with the rendered fat, cover with a lid. Confit (poach) in a 300F oven for 4-6 hours or until the meat falls of the bones.

Pick the back rib meat of the bones (be careful to remove all the bones). Cut up the belly and sauté it crispy.

Strain the vegetables and reserve. In a bowl, mix the picked rib meat, the crispy pork belly and the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper. Form 6oz balls with the mixture and wrap tightly in caul fat. At service time, heat up a non-stick pan and color the crépinettes on all sides, finish heating up 5 min in a medium oven. Drench the excess fat on a paper towel and plate.

Sauce

Reduce the beer until it has lost its bitterness and obtained a syrupy consistency. Add the cream and a bay leaf; cook down one more time to desired consistency; season.

Spätzle

Combine the flour, eggs, salt the bowl. Mix until combined and slowly pour in the water, mixing until the batter is smooth. Mix for about 5 minutes more, until the batter is elastic; finish by stirring carefully in the pink peppercorns.

Bring 2 quarts of lightly salted water to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat. Scrape the dough through a colander with large holes into the boiling water (with a large spoon or spatula. Cook until the spätzle are tender but still firm, stirring occasionally, about 3 to 4 minutes. They will rise to the surface when done.

Lift the cooked spätzle out of the water with a large slotted spoon, and cool off in iced water. Strain and sauté with a little fresh butter just before serving.

Leek Cannelloni

Wash the leeks and cut them into two 3 inches sections, cut the rest into a chiffonnade. Place them in a pot and cover with extra virgin olive oil. Add a clove of garlic, a sprig of thyme and ½ a bay leaf. Poach at very low temperature until fork tender. Strain the leek from the oil. Disassemble the 3 inch sections into tubes. Season the leek julienne and fill up the tubes with it using a small coffee spoon. Arrange in a baking dish and sprinkle the grated gruyere cheese on the top. Heat up in the oven for 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and golden brown.

Plating

Arrange the spätzle in the center of the plate, one leek cannelloni on the right side and the crépinette on the top, sauce all around. Some of the raw leek julienne fried can be used as a garnish on the top.

Enjoy on a cold winter's night with a dark microbrew!