Salamanca Spain "Home of the Pata Negra"

Embutidos are as important to Spain’s food culture as cream and butter are to France. All over Spain different types of embutidos are produces, but for me the best and most celebrated are in the regions where the Black Iberian pig in grow. The Iberian breed, also know as Pata Nerga, is one of the world’s top breed for size, conformation, and most important is flavor. Iberian pigs are grown in the south and southwestern parts of spain. In the Iberian world the top breeder,  allow their pig to feed in open fields, where the terrane is sloped for exercises. To make the animal move around so food at top of hill and water at bottom. Also, these priced animals can have an “up-grade”, during the seasons, these Iberian hogs feast on acorns. This now changes the market name to Iberico Bellota, normally for two seasons. 

The Art of Pâté and Terrine "104" Country-Style Pork Pâté en Croûte

This is by far my favorite techqunie in the forcemeat world. I was shown this process with lots of pactienes, by my mentor Chef Olivier Anderini CMC. It was under his watchful eye that I had the most growth as a Garde Manger Chef. I have such a love for great Pâtés. This is one of the highest level of Pâté making possible. I would tell you that this one is the ture challenge, many skills are need. Such as a good forcemeat, tasty aspic, properly made dough, properly rolling/laying out doung in mold. 

Country Style Pork Pâté en Croûte 

Yield 1000g

Dough:

2 # Pâté Dough

20 oz bread flour, sifted

1 1/2 oz Dry milk powder

1/4 oz baking powder

1/2 oz salt

3 1/2 oz shortening

2 1/2 oz Butter

2 ea eggs

1/2 oz vinegar

8 to 10 oz milk

Place all the dry ingredients in the food processor  and pulse until dough is a fine meal. 

Next add the vinegar and eggs and pulse for five seconds.

Move to the mixer, add 4 to 5 ounces of milk, and knead for 3 to 4 minutes on medium speed, until  the dough forms a ball. Check consistency and add more milk if necessary. remove form mixer and knead by hand until smooth, allow thirty minutes to rest.

Forcemeat:

700g Pork cube

300g Pork Fat Back

2 small Shallots, minced/sweated

1 clove Garlic, minced/sweated

2 sprig Thyme

2 Tbsp Port

1 tsp Tcm

Garnish For Forcemeat:
30g Green Peppercorns

60g Pork fatback, small dice

60g Pistachios, blanched/peeled

10g Orange Zest

30g Truffle

5g each Thyme/Marjoram

70g Honey Ham, small dice

1 Tbsp Herb de Provence

 In a medium bowl place all items form the forcemeat except the for the garnishes and allow to marinate.  After about 1 day of marination grind thorough a medium plate. Take 1/3 of the mixture and pass through the fine plate on the grinder. Place mixture into the stand mixing bowl and begin to mix with paddle at medium speed. At this point add the reduction and continue mixing to make emulsion. Make a tester and adjust seasoning. Once the proper seasoning is acquired fold in by hand the garnish. Try one more test to taste final product for seasoning.

Reduction: 3 tbsp

1 ea. Shallots, slice thin

1 ea. clove Garlic, slice thin

5 ea. Peppercorns

3 sprig Thyme

1 ea. Bay leaf

1/2 cup White wine

3 Tbsp cup Orange Juice

1/4 cup Port

1 cup Pork Stock (fortified chicken stock with pork bones)

Place all ingredients into sauce pot to reduce except the port and fortified stock. Once the white wine reduces to about a tablespoon, then add the port and fortified stock. Reduce to about 3 Tbsp. Pass and cool.

Pâté Garnish:

Ham, sliced med (10)

To build Pâté:

Pâté Mold 

Crisco shortening

Bench flour

Rolling Pin

Water

Small paint brush

Toothpick

The two most inner circle cutters

Aluminum Foil

Take apart the mold and grease well with shortening. Put back together.

Being rolling out 1 # of the dough to about a 1/8”. Roll out as long as the mold and about four time as wide. Roll out on a cold surface add flour and flip to prevent sticking.

Measure the dough using the mold and trim the side (when measuring leave at least 2 inches lip).

Next using both hand lift the dough form the sides and lay dough in the mold, lining up the middle of the dough with the bottom center of the mold. Wiggling it on both side the dough will side in, then using your finger press dough into place.

Cut the sides out of the left over dough also leaving a 2 inch lip. Using the brush and water, brush the corner sides and place the side dough cut-out just over lapping and press in with finger. Making sure to create a seal, do this on both side.

Line the inside of the dough with the ham and then the leeks inside the ham, make sure to sprinkle gelatin in between and on top.

Pipe in the first layer of forcemeat and press down with a square spoon, making sure not to cut the dough. Continue piping the forcemeat in layers packing down each time to insure no gaps.

With finger tip press the outer side flaps to make thiner, then fold in the sides and then one side flap. brush with water and fold other flap and massage to make a seal.  Place in cooler and chill for 20 minutes. 

Remove for cooler and flip the bottom to the top, so that the seal is bake on bottom.

 Cut out the chemise and glaze with egg wash. Chill for 10 minutes and brush egg wash once more.

Cooking

Per heat oven to 450° f, cover the top of the pâté with aluminum foil and place into the oven straight into oven (north to south) for 15 minutes. Them turn 180°f for 15 more minutes. Rotate 90° and uncover the top and cook 5 minutes to brown the dough. Drop oven to 350°f and cook until internal temperature reaches 140°f about 20 minutes. Once 135°f allow to cook at room temperature keep a thermometer in. Cool until reaches 90°f and begin to add the aspic, until it is totally filled. Refrigerate for three day and then slice.

The Art of Pâté and Terrine "103" -Fromage de tête--"cheese of head."

The Art of Pâté and Terrine -Fromage de tête-"cheese of head." This technique is a great way to use the head of any animal. For the classical dish a pig's head is used. I am using a local Berkshire head. There are a few ways to make formage de tête. This is one method that I like to use as an appetizer or first course. As with all recipes, they are guidelines and stories of trial/error. With charcurtier you must be careful to do your homework and follow the directions carefully. Happy cooking.

HEAD CHEESE  

Yield: 4 terrine molds

Ingredients                                                                             

4.8 kg  Heads Pigs, split                                                         

3 kg Pork Butt, cut smaller chunks                                       

2 kg  Pigs Feet, split

960g Pork Ears

520g Pork Tongue

156g Pork Tail

3 gal Pork Brine                                                                   

5 gal Chicken stock (additions below)

380g   Gherkins, pickles, diced                                             

500g   Pimento, Diced                                                          

60g  Parsley chopped

60g Chives

20g Green peppercorn                                                          

t.t  Pepper Coarse Grind                                                       

1 cup Vinegar, red wine (make sure to add to gelatin mix and test strength)

12 dashes Tabasco hot sauce                                                

as needed Gelatin                                                                  

Stock additions:

3# Chicken feet

peppercorn

thyme

bay leaf

parsley stems

Shallots

Cook for 2 1/2 hour

Brine:

3 gal Water

2# Salt

1# Sugar

1 Tbs Pickling Spice

1 Tbs Coriander

1/2 bunch Thyme

4 ea Bay leaf

4 oz TCM

Method:

 Everything needs to be very clean and all or any hairs need to be shaven. Remove the brain from the split head. Brine pigs feet, pigs heads and pork Butt covered for 3 days.

In a large pot cook pigs heads, pigs feet, pork butt in chicken stock with aromatics. Bring to a boil, place a cartouche and cover with lid. Place into a 325°F for 15 minutes and check to see still simmering, is so lower oven to 300°F and cook until tender about 2 1/2 hours. Meat falls of bones.

Take meat out and let cool just slightly – so you are able to handle meat.

Strain stock, check seasoning and Saltines, Let cool and check gel-strength. If stock need to be firmer then warm rain gelatin and heat – it will need to be sliceable strength.

When meat is picked, divide evenly between three hotel pan lined with parchment paper packing it in. Cover with parchment paper and another hotel pack and press with two bricks over night.

Next day un-mold and cube meat to ½” dice.

Place meat, chopped gherkins, chopped parsley, and pimento in a bowl and mix well, add little vinegar if needed, check seasonings.

Place mixture in molds loosely and lightly tap mold on the cutting board.

Fill mold with strained, and well seasoning cooking liquid sliceable strength (aspic gelee).

Capocollo- How to make Coppa

Capocollo, in Italian mean "top of the neck", is the major muscle found in the should of pork. In it's simple form the Coppa is rubbed with salt and spices, allowed to cure, and hung to dry. Curing meat is another passion of mine. It takes much practices and attention to details. Always make sure to use gloves and make sure all equipment is sterilized. The next very important step is finding the best quality and freshest pork. I am using a local Berkshire that has aged a week. As with all recipes they are guidelines and stories of trial/error. With charcurtier you must be careful to do your homework and follow the directions carefully. Happy cooking.

Dry-Cured Coppa (Capocollo)

 Ingredient                                       Metric      Percent %

2ea Pork Coppa                           2270 g         91.97%

5 Tbs.  Salt*                                110 g            4.46%

5 Tbs.  Sugar, cane                      65 g              2.63%

1½ Tbs.  Pepper, black               10 g               0.41%

1 tsp.  Cure #2                             6 g                0.24 %

2 tsp.  Garlic powder                   5 g                0.20%

10 Juniper Berries                       1.5 g             0.06%

   

Item Weight Start            Finished Weight

1360 g (3 #) Coppa           907 g (2#)         Coppa (30% lost)           

METHOD:

1. Trim out the pork shoulder to obtain the muscle bundle to the side of the shoulder blade. Trim excess fat of the surface of the coppa and round off the muscle bundle…save the trimmings for other sausages.

2. Premix all the above dry ingredients and pulverize them in a spice mill. Note: The mixture must contain a minimum of 4.5% salt (based on weight of the meat before curing) to destroy Trichinella.

3. Rub the meat on all sides with half of the spice-cure mixture. Lay them down in a single layer in a plastic (or non-reactive) container and cure the meat in the cooler or refrigerator for 9 days at 36-38oF (2-3oC)

Keeping the meat covered with plastic wrap to exclude air and prevent drying

4. After the 9 days, rub them down with the remaining cure mixture and turn them in the cure and keep them in the cooler or refrigerator for an additional 9 days.

5. Remove from cooler, rinse off any remaining cure and air-dry them on a rack for 3 hours.

6. Before stuffing, flavor the coppa to your liking by mixing the following ingredients 3 parts Dextrose and1 part of spice mix (30g per coppa). The spice mix can contain any one of these spices: Black pepper, crushed; or, half cayenne and half paprika; or half black pepper (fine ground) and half ground fennel seeds. Stuff into beef bungs and hold at 70F-80F (21- 26C) for 12 hrs to dry out the bung. Hold at least 17 more days at 60oF (15C) @ 70-80% relative humidity. The drying process may take 2-3 weeks.