Spicy Blood Orange Shrub - Mangalica Pork Cheeks - Mole
Recipe, Food-Styling, Photo: Oliver Schwarzwald
Orange and chocolate, spicy and tangy
The blood orange season is drawing to a close. It ends at the end of March. It is time to make the most of it. Their great red colour makes them a special ingredient. And so the shrub made with thyme, nutmeg, pink, pepper, etc. is a perfect match for this meat dish, and not just in terms of colour. Pork cheeks braised and served in a spicy sauce with lots of dark chocolate.
I had actually opted for pieces of Iberico pork, but unfortunately they were out of supply. So the first time I went for meat from the region (Haseldorfer Schwein), which was quite good. The second time I used cheeks from Mangalica pigs, they were perfect for the dish. They are wonderfully marmorated, stay juicy and have a rather wild-like flavour. Even pork doubters will be convinced.A familiar combination is orange and chocolate. But in this form, it may be new to some. As a side dish, there is a kind of mihlo frito from the oven. It is made of corn flour, so it has a finer consistency than polenta semolina and therefore goes more in the direction of "fries" and then cheese fries when topped with cheese. Perfect with spicy sauce and tender cheeks. A simple, finely pureed guacamole with lime and salt brings the necessary fresh green note to the plate.
All these flavours are wonderfully supported by the blood orange shrub with acidity and bitter notes (tonic) as well as cinnamon, vanilla and thyme, a well-rounded dish!
Recipe, Food-Styling, Photo: Oliver Schwarzwald
All quantities are for approx. 6 - 8 starters or 4 main courses.
Mihlo Frito
Ingredients:
125 g corn flour
500 ml water
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
a little oil to coat the sticks
grated Parmesan, Manchego cheese to taste and availability
Method:
Put the cornflour, cold water and salt in a coated pan ( important, it will set in a normal pan) and bring to the boil once, stirring constantly.
Then reduce to a simmer until the mixture is firm - this can take up to 90 minutes. Be patient.
Spread the solid mixture on a baking tray lined with baking paper and leave to cool, preferably overnight, until the mixture is completely solid.
Before serving
Preheat the oven to 220° C.
Cut into lozenges or cubes of any size.
Place on a baking tray lined with baking paper, brush with oil and sprinkle with cheese.
Bake on the middle shelf for about 20-25 minutes until the cheese is golden brown.
Braised pork cheeks in mole.
Ingredients:
1 kg pork cheeks Magnalica or Iberico.
2 carrot
2 stalks of celery
2 onion bulbs
3 cloves of garlic
1 fresh chilli
Salt
Pepper
tbsp oil
1 tbsp tomato purée
700 ml beef stock
3 bay leaves
2 tbsp flour
50 gr. chocolate 85
1 tbsp Mole spice
½ lime juice
Oil for frying
Oregano for frying
Method:
Peel the carrots and cut into 1/2 cm cubes. Clean the celery and also cut into 1/2 cm cubes. Finely dice the onions and finely chop the garlic.
Season the pork cheeks well with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large, shallow pan and fry the pork cheek in it until it is crispy.
Remove the meat, add the vegetables and bay leaf to the pot and sauté for 10 minutes, seasoning with salt and pepper.
Stir in the tomato paste and sauté for 30 seconds. Sprinkle with flour, fry and deglaze with a little beef stock. Repeat the process at least twice.
Then pour in all the beef stock and add the meat. If it is not yet covered, add water and simmer for about 1.5 - 2 hours.
Remove the meat at the end of the cooking time.
Pour the sauce through a fine sieve into a pot and drain the vegetables.
Reduce the sauce again for 30 minutes.
Add the cholocade and season to taste with 1 tbsp. mole spice and lime juice.
Briefly crisp the pieces of meat again in a pan with fresh oregano. Add fresh oregano when frying.
Avocado:
Ingredients:
1 avocado
1 tsp salt
½ lime juice
3 sprigs coriander plucked
Method:
Halve the avocado, remove the pit.
Mash the flesh with a fork, season with salt and lime juice.
Strain again through a fine sieve.
Chop the coriander and add to the avocado.
Recipe, Food-Styling, Photo: Oliver Schwarzwald
Shrub
Ingredients for approx. 500 ml shrub:
500 g blood oranges (or juice oranges)
200 g coconut blossom sugar
2 tsp honey
100 ml water
100 ml apple cider vinegar (add to taste)
Walnut-sized piece of ginger, grated
Vanilla pod, scraped out
1 cinnamon stick
3 star anise
1 tsp pink peppercorns
½ tsp ground nutmeg
3 sprigs fresh thyme
Method:
Wash the oranges very thoroughly under hot water, dry them.
Then peel the oranges.
Mix the peels with the sugar, crush vigorously to release the oils. Set the mixture aside.
Then juice the oranges.
Put the juice in a saucepan with the sugar and peels, as well as the thyme, ginger, spices, honey and the water. Heat very gently over a low heat so that the sugar dissolves.
Remove from the heat and leave the shrub to infuse for at least 2 hours and cool to room temperature.
Now add about 70ml of the vinegar and taste. If it is not yet sour, add the remaining 30ml.
Now strain through a fine sieve into a clean (sterilised) jar and store in the fridge. The shrub can be kept refrigerated for at least 2 weeks.
Drink
For the drink, depending on taste, pour 1 - 2 CL into a highball glass filled with ice and top up with tonic or soda. Garnish with thyme and orange zest. The shrub is also suitable as a base for 0.0 % sparkling wine or 0.0 % gin cocktails.
Recipe, Food-Styling, Photo: Oliver Schwarzwald