Its that time again when French pork is on promotion, every supermarket at the moment has really cheap pork chops & pork roast joints. The French housewives eagerly awaits this season, they fill their freezers with bargain pork meat. Why I hear you say is pork suddenly so cheap, & the answer is simple, like Spain, France loves their dried cured hams such as Jambon Sec. The pigs are reared almost exclusively for the curing of their back legs, the rest of the animal is then sold at a really discounted price. A little factoid is that the left back leg is almost always more expensive, pigs tend to lie on their left side & this helps to tenderize this leg! Strolling around the supermarket I came across pork cheeks, a part of the animal I have never tried before, but having heard the celebratory chefs on TV raving about this cut I thought I would try them out. I wasn't to be disappointed. The secret as with any muscle meat that is well exercised & of course the cheeks are the main chewing area, you must cook it slowly.Recipe is as follows:-

PORK CHEEKS IN RED WINE

Heat a medium to large frying pan with olive oil, season cheeks with salt & pepper, I allowed 3 per person. Sauté till brown, remove from the pan & keep warm. Add a mix of julienne carrots, onion, & celery, dash more oil & cook for 5 minutes. Meanwhile bring a 1/2 bottle of red wine & 250ml of chicken stock bubble away till reduced by 2/3rd In a casserole pot spoon in the vegetables place the cheeks on top, pour over the reduced liquid & season, place lid on top, bring to boil on the top of the cooker, then pop into a low oven 100-125c.or a slow cooker. Cook for 2-3 hours checking every hour, ensure there is plenty of liquid. Remove the cheeks & rest on a warm plate, return to the warm oven. Strain the juices & press the vegetables with the back of a ladle try to get as much juice out from the vegetables. Pour into a pan & reheat, add a tablespoon of redcurrant jelly if you like. I decided to fry some bacon rashers & add as a final piece of crunchy decoration. Serve with garlic mash & a selection of steamed root vegetables, cut each cheek on a diagonal (looks nice) then pour over the rich gravy. Et Viola!
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