Best Pork For Peasants Recipes

TRADITIONAL FRENCH CASSOULET RECIPE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cover beans with 3 quarts water and add salt. Stir to combine and let sit at room temperature overnight. Drain and rinse beans and set aside.
• Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 300°F (150°C). Place stock in a large liquid measuring cup and sprinkle gelatin over the top. Set aside. Heat duck fat (if using) in a large Dutch oven over high heat until shimmering. Add salt pork and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned all over, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a large bowl, leaving rendered fat in Dutch oven, and set aside. (If not using duck fat, cook pork with no additional fat.)
• Season chicken pieces with pepper (do not add salt) and place skin side down in now-empty pan. Cook without moving until well-browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Flip chicken pieces and continue cooking until lightly browned on second side, about 3 minutes longer. Transfer to bowl with salt pork.
• Add sausages and cook, turning occasionally, until well-browned on both sides. Transfer to bowl with salt pork and chicken. Drain all but 2 tablespoons fat from pot.
• Add onions to pot and cook, stirring and scraping up browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Cook until onions are translucent but not browned, about 4 minutes. Add drained beans, carrot, celery, garlic, parsley, bay leaves, cloves, and stock/gelatin mixture. Bring to a simmer over high heat. Reduce to low, cover Dutch oven, and cook until beans are almost tender but retain a slight bite, about 45 minutes.
• Using tongs, remove carrots, celery, parsley, bay leaves, and cloves and discard. Add meats to pot and stir to incorporate, making sure that the chicken pieces end up on top of the beans with the skin facing upwards. Beans should be almost completely submerged. Transfer to oven and cook, uncovered, until a thin crust forms on top, about 2 hours, adding more water by pouring it carefully down the side of the pot, as necessary, to keep beans mostly covered.
• Break crust with a spoon and shake pot gently to redistribute. Return to oven and continue cooking, stopping to break and shake the crust every 30 minutes until you reach the 4 1/2 hour mark. Return to oven and continue cooking undisturbed until the crust is deep brown and thick, about 5 to 6 hours total. Serve immediately.

PORK FOR PEASANTS

Steps:

• Heat bacon fat in large saute pan over medium-high heat.
• Season the pork with salt and pepper, and brown for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Place sliced yams in bottom of crockpot.
• Set crockpot on low.
• Layer the pork, including any pan drippings, and apples on top of the yams.
• In a small bowl, combine cider or apple juice, brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice and caraway seeds; mix well and pour over the pork and apples evenly.
• Top with the sauerkraut. It's a tight fit, but my 5-quart crockpot lid does close.
• Cook on low for 7 to 9 hours.
• Remove the lid and serve the pork with the sweet potatoes, apples and sauerkraut, spooning sauce over everything.

PEASANT PASTA STEW

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven or soup kettle, combine the broth, celery, carrots and onion. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5-7 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir in the V8 juice, tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, pepper and garlic powder. Cover and simmer for 40-45 minutes., Meanwhile, in a skillet, cook pork over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Add meat and beans to soup; cover and simmer 30-45 minutes longer or until heated through. Stir in pasta just before serving. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

COUNTRY PEASANT PORK & MUSHROOM PâTé WITH WILD BERRY TOPPING

Steps:

• Dice your onions and allow them to slowly caramelize in lard and/or butter while you continue with the other steps. Whenever they have finished, transfer them into a bowl and store in the refrigerator until further use.
• In a medium pan on medium-high heat melt some lard and/or butter and saute your chopped mushrooms until they have released all of their liquid and are nearly dry. 10-15 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 250 Fahrenheit.
• Toast your spices, allow them to cool, and then grind them to a fine powder using a pestle or other grinder.
• Finely dice the slab bacon into small pieces.
• Cut up your pork shoulder into approximately 2-inch sections and season with 1/2 of the toasted and ground spice mixture and a big pinch of salt.
• Place pork shoulder chunks into an oven-safe French or Dutch oven, cover the pork chunks with the diced slab bacon, put a lid on the pot and cook in the oven for 2-3 hours, or until the flesh is fork-tender and easily falls apart. (You can also do this the night before).
• Cut up your pork liver into 1-inch sections and season with the remaining 1/2 of the toasted and ground spice mixture and a big pinch of salt.
• In a medium pan on medium-high heat, heat up butter or lard and saute the pork liver quickly, until still pink in the center. This should take 2-3 minutes.
• Turn up the heat to medium-high and add your wine or port. Cook it off for about 60 seconds, it should be bubbling and foamy. Set aside with the rest of the ingredients until further use.
• Combine your eggs and milk in a bowl, and using either a whisk or electric mixer, beat until smooth.
• Place the egg and milk mixture in the refrigerator until ready to use.
• Make the wild berry compote: In a medium saucepan on medium heat, combine all of the ingredients and cook until bubbling and sufficiently thickened. About 10-15 minutes.
• Set berry mixture aside to cool.
• Once the pork shoulder has finished cooking, allow it to cool completely in its own juices.
• In a high-powered blender, combine the cooked liver, pork shoulder, egg & milk mixture, dried fruit, caramelized onions, & fresh thyme.
• Blend until it reaches your desired consistency. I prefer a slightly more rustic mixture.
• Add sea salt and black pepper to taste.
• Transfer mixture to jars or bowls, top with fresh wild berry compote and enjoy.
• Freeze any leftovers after a week.