Matt’s rabbit rillettes

The temperature in our house has plummeted in recent days from long-sleeve-t-shirt-with-thick-cardigan temperature, to proper-jumper-plus-thick-cardigan-and-socks-but-still-really-cold temperature. The windows are permanently hazed with condensation and I find it inconceivable that I ever used to wander around in shorts with nothing on my feet. What madness was that?!

This means that we have arrived firmly in autumn. Actually we might be fast-forwarding through autumn in a rush towards winter, given this weekend’s chill wind. Aside from these nonsense low temperatures, autumn brings with it a great many pleasures, most of them culinary. It’s quince season for one. You can buy the fuzzy aromatic pear-shaped fruits in the halal shop on Bearwood High Street for £1 each, or I found this basket of 50p fruits in Moreton-on-Marsh the other day.

Quinces a bargain 50p each in Moreton-on-Marsh

Pumpkins and squash abound, of course, in the run-up to halloween. My local Aldi is selling ‘decorative’ turks turban and blue prince squash for 39p each – presumably they think people will use them as table decorations but I’d rather cook with these than a butternut squash anyday. In Ludlow on Saturday, the pumpkin prices were higher but the colours just as fun.

Gorgeous colours on Ludlow market

We were in Ludlow for our annual freezer-filling visit. I have come to the conclusion that there is nowhere better in the UK to stock up on game, meat, cheese and proper veg (i.e. field-fresh, knobbly and ideally still crusted in mud). Add to that the independent shops, the cosy pub that serves really good pies AND has an open fire, the Ludlow Brewing Company, the castle and the glorious country drive and you have the perfect escape from the city. It’s also surprisingly good value. We came home with (VEGETARIANS PLEASE LOOK AWAY NOW) 2 pheasants, 2 rabbits, stewing venison, stewing mutton, oxtail, 1kg beef mince, 1kg braising steak, Italian sausages, pork pie, a round of cheese, amazing pain de levain and purple sprouting broccoli for less than £55. We’re not talking rubbish meat here, we’re talking meat that someone has taken care over, but without the pretension that you find in the posh urban butchers.

The Ludlow visit always precedes the start of Proper Cooking Season. Yesterday was a happy day of concocting rabbit rillettes, beef bourguignon and orange & cinnamon creme caramel and this morning I interspersed press release writing with making a massive vat of deeply flavoured bolognese sauce. My Things to Cook list has gone subtly wintry….cranberry breakfast bread, pumpkin pie, smoked mackerel pate with beetroot and horseradish.

The rillettes are a particularly welcome addition to the autumn kitchen. The rabbit is slow-cooked with pork belly, thyme and garlic until shreddable, then packed together with their cooking liquor (which is essentially lard, let’s face it) to make a subtly-flavoured pate. Keep a tub of these in the fridge for topping warm buttery toast: lard and butter, working together to keep out the autumn chill.

Rabbit Rillettes
Adapted from this recipe by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. Makes two shallow 10cm tubs.

First, joint a rabbit (or get the butcher to do it for you). Remove the rind from 500g fatty pork belly and dice into chunky cubes. Place the meat in an oven-proof dish with sprig of fresh thyme, 3 bay leaves, a bulb of garlic sliced in half through the centre and 250ml water. The meat should be in a single layer so that it cooks evenly. Cover tightly with foil and bake at 220c for 30 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 140c and cook for 2-and-a-half hours more, until the rabbit and pork can be shredded with a fork. Give the dish a prod every now and then during the cooking to ensure that it’s not drying out (top with a little water if you need to).

Allow the rabbit and pork to bubble together in a gentle oven for several hours

Remove the meat from the liquor and leave until cool enough to handle. Shred the meat from the bones and place in a large bowl, making sure all the fat from the pork is included.

Strip the meat from the bones and save the liquor

Thoroughly mix the two meats together and season well with salt and pepper (you could also add some nutmeg or mace now). Add a good splash of the cooking liquor and stir until you achieve a loose pate texture, adding more of the liquor as needed. Transfer your rillettes to tubs or jars, and refrigerate until firm.

Pack the meat into your container and chill

Serve on hot toast, preferably with something slightly acidic to counter all the lard. A cornichon or pickled onion is just the ticket. The rillettes will keep for several days in the fridge, or you could make a few jars and freeze what you don’t need for a later day.

Serve on good toast, ideally with something pickled

Also this week:

Cooking & Eating: German bienenstich (bee sting) cake, spiced squash soup, pies at The Crown Inn in Ludlow, hake from the Birmingham fish market with chorizo. Stollen-watch has begun: Aldi has its mini stollens in, which means the proper ones won’t be too far away.

Reading & Watching: The Apple Orchard by Pete Brown, a love story to the English apple tradition with plenty of references to Herefordshire. The Prawn on the Lawn cookbook by Rick and Katie Toogood.

Visiting: Batsford Arboretum to make the most of the autumn colour. Ludlow for freezer-filling. The new BOM cafe, near the Bullring markets – a cosy cafe that has been designed to be friendly to autistic people.

On the allotment: Still harvesting cosmos, chrysanthemums, chard and cavolo nero. It’s time to clear: Matt has started to remove the thicket of brambles at the back of the greenhouse, I’ve pulled up most of the annuals and veg, and have put black plastic on the one plot to protect the soil and keep weeds down. It’s nearly time for a bonfire.

Ham hock terrine

With work much quieter and the allotment looking after itself, I’ve had time to indulge in some proper cooking again – you know, the kind that takes several hours to create, with a few interventions from the cook along the way. One can’t live on 15 Minute Meals forever and expect their soul to be nourished.

2015-11-04 12.39.25

Autumn leaves in Edgbaston

It’s still too warm for the proper rib-stickers – though I will be steaming a proper pudding any time now. Last week Matt and I bunked off to have a pub lunch and shared a delicious little pot of duck rillettes. Proper autumn food that, and it made me think of an easy terrine to make at home, made of shredded ham hock and not much else. And then – who’d have thunk it – on Sunday I was gifted a ham hock by my Dad. Apron on.

Ham hocks are super cheap, usually about £3 or £4, but are a little tricky to get hold of: I’ve yet to see one in any of our local supermarkets. I pick mine up at farm shops and stick them in the freezer for later use. Make sure your ham hock is fresh, with a good amount of meat on it. Hocks are from the trotter-end of the leg and take ALOT of cooking to come to tenderness. They don’t look at all promising, but with a bit of faith you can create something delicious.

This terrine is adapted from a Raymond Blanc recipe and is super easy. First, you simmer the hock with a carrot, onion and celery (though I was out of celery, so it’s not pictured here) for several hours, at least four, until it’s tender. It may take much longer. Raymond cooks his hock in water, but I used a mixture of water and dry apple juice for extra flavour. Once the hock is done, remove from the broth and leave to cool.

2015-11-03 10.21.45

Boiled hamhock, carrot and onion. Unpromising, but have faith!

Then you shred or chop the meat and veggies to bite-sized portions.

2015-11-03 10.29.28

Meat and veggies chopped or shredded

Siphon off about 500ml of the stock and check it for seasoning – it may need reducing a little. It probably won’t need any salt as the ham hock is salty. This stock is the basis of the jelly that binds the terrine together, so it needs to taste really good.

2015-11-03 10.32.57

Reduce the stock and check the seasoning

The ham hock will give off some of its own gelatine into the stock, but it will need a bit of a boost. You could simmer a pig’s trotter with the ham hock to be sure of achieving a good set – or you could just use gelatine. Soften it in cold water for five minutes then dissolve into the stock, and add a few spoons of white wine vinegar.

2015-11-03 10.24.04

Soften gelatine and dissolve into the stock

On the home straight now! Chop some parsley, which adds freshness and colour, then mix all the meat, veggies and stock in a big bowl.

2015-11-03 10.30.36

Chop a fistful of parsley

2015-11-03 10.34.45

Stir meat, veggies and stock together

And that’s it! I set mine in little pots, but you could make a large terrine in a loaf tin or terrine mould. Set in the fridge for a few hours, then serve with toast and cornichons for a light lunch or starter.

2015-11-03 10.41.09

Set in ramekins for a few hours, then serve

This is an impressive dish that costs pence. It’s nourishing yet light, tasty but really simple to make. The carrot and parsley give nice shots of colour amidst the glistening jelly. I’ve been scoffing it for lunch all week and dreaming of autumn in France. Bon appetit!

Ham hock terrine

Adapted from Raymond Blanc’s recipe in Jamie Magazine (2011?), but also found here: https://www.redonline.co.uk/food/recipes/raymond-blanc-ham-hock-terrine

1 ham or gammon hock, about 1.5kg

1 litre dry apple juice (optional)

Cold water

Bay leaf

Black peppercorns, about 8

1 onion, peeled but left whole

1 carrot, peeled and topped/tailed

1 celery stick, whole

1.5 sheets of gelatine

2 tbl sp white wine vinegar

Handful of parsley

Put the hock in a big pot, cover in cold water, bring to a boil. After 5 minutes, tip out all the water – this helps get rid of any excess salt and nasties from the hock. Put the hock back in the pot, add the apple juice and cover with cold water. Add the bay leaf and pepper. Simmer on a low heat until the ham is tender, about 4 hours or longer. Add the veggies for the last hour. When done, remove the meat and veggies from the stock and set aside to cool. Keep the stock.

Shred the meat and finely chop the vegetables. Place about 500ml of stock in a small pan, removing any fat that has risen to the top. Taste – if it’s too strong, add water. If too weak, slosh in a bit more stock then reduce until it tastes nice. Soak the gelatine in cold water until soft, then add to the stock and heat gently until dissolved. Add two tablespoons of white wine vinegar to the stock. Chop the parsley and place everything in a big bowl, stirring to combine.

Spoon the mixture into small pots or a terrine mould. (If using a mould, you’ll need to line it with clingfilm in order to get the finished terrine out in one piece). Refrigerate for a few hours, until set. Serve in the pots or, if using a terrine mould, unmould onto a board.

Serve with really good bread and a few cornichons.