Easy Peasy Headcheese
I have two ways of making headcheese: the easy way for home and the ridiculously hard way for the restaurant (which also happens to be ridiculously delicious and worth all of the effort). This may look like quite a list of ingredients and instructions but trust me — it is easier than it initially looks, especially when you take into consideration the fact that there is really no skill in the cooking, just in the butchering.
When working with unusual cuts of meat or with wild game I know that I am behind the 8 ball with squeamish guests and I always have this challenge in the back of my mind. My goal is to give them something so delicious that they wonder why they ever had such negative connotations about this cut of meat. Being just a wee bit competitive I also want to make sure that when they taste another version they are always using my dish as the standard with which they judge it.
This headcheese is a very easy introduction to a much maligned dish — it has 5-spice for an interesting depth of flavor, crunchy pickled mustard seeds are added and the ears are left out to eliminate the challenging texture, and cooked carrots and fresh herbs spruce up what could be a monochromatic display of earth-tones.
I like to serve this with a quick and easy Gribiche sauce which is essentially tartare sauce with grated egg and a classic accompaniment to headcheese. Offer some crunchy toasted sourdough to accompany the terrine and you have yourself the start of something special.
FOR COOKIN' PIGS HEAD
Place the pig head in a bucket (or place in a clean sink) and submerge in cold running water for 20 minutes to remove any funk.
Place a large pot (big enough to hold the head) of heavily salted water on to a boil, and separately prepare a bucket of ice water
When the water comes up to a boil place the head in the pot and cook for 10 minutes. Remove the head from the water and plunge into the bucket of ice water which will stop the cooking. This light “scalding” will also help to remove any unwanted bits and pieces from the head before you cook it.
Place the head in a deep pot with all other ingredients. Cover with a lid or foil.
There are two ways to proceed from here- either cook the head in the oven or cook it on the stove top. If you decide to cook it in the oven bake at 325-350ºF (160-175°C) for about 3-4 hours, or until you can push through the skin on the pigs forehead with your index finger. If cooking on the stovetop takes your fancy, place the pot on medium heat until it reaches a simmer and then lower the heat and cook on low until you can push through the skin on the pig’s forehead.
When the head is cooked remove the pot from the heat (or remove from the oven) and allow the head to cool in the cooking liquid.
When it has cooled, remove the head and allow it to drain in a bowl. Take from the bowl and place on a cutting board.
Strain the cooking liquid into a container and place the cooking liquid in the refrigerator. After it has cooled you can take a ladle or spoon and remove the fat that has risen to the top of the container. Reserve 1 ½ cups to finish the headcheese and freeze the rest for future fun.
Keep the carrots from the cooking liquid and throw the rest of the vegetables and spices away.
FOR HEADCHEESE
Line the terrine molds (or bread loaf pans) with a double thickness of cling film.
In a large mixing bowl combine warm head meat and fat with chopped carrots, mustard seeds, chives, tarragon and 5 spice.
Stir together and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Remove the gelatin from the water and squeeze out any excess water. Add this gelatin to the warm cooking liquid and stir until it is dissolved. Season the broth with salt as needed and poor through a fine sieve
Pour the liquid over the meat mixture and stir to combine.
Place the mix into the lined terrine mold, press lightly, and refrigerate overnight.
TO SERVE
Watercress
Slices radish
Grilled sourdough bread
Turn the headcheese out of the terrine mold and onto a cutting board
Slice a portion of the headcheese about ¼ inch thick and place onto a plate
Garnish with a dollop of gribiche, a few slices of radish, and some picked watercress.
Yum, yum!
Brad Farmerie
Brad Farmerie grew up in Pittsburgh in a food-loving family, where his mother exposed him to a variety of cuisines from a young age, always insisting on home baked bread and vegetables straight from the family garden. After a brief college hiatus spent exploring the cuisines and wines of Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and the Antipodes, Farmerie followed his love for food to the UK and earned his "Grande Diplome" at Le Cordon Bleu in 1996. He further rounded out his education and technique at acclaimed restaurants Coast, Chez Nico and Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons. Most influential to his own style was his experience working with Peter Gordon at the Sugar Club, and he went on to assist Gordon and Anna Hansen in opening the critically-acclaimed The Providores and Tapa Room in 1996. In 2003 Farmerie moved back to the States to help conceive PUBLIC, AvroKO’s first self-propelled restaurant. In the fall of 2008, Farmerie extended his culinary reach as executive chef of AvroKO Restaurant Group’s Double Crown and Madam Geneva, which takes as its inspiration the unique cuisine that emerged when the British colonized the countries of South Asia and the Far East.