Braised Pig’s Cheek Recipe
Discover the Food of Extremadura
When it comes to the food of Extremadura, there’s one ingredient that’s very hard to ignore: pork.
Across the region, vast areas of countryside are covered by dehesa [de-EH-sah], open pasture dotted with holm and cork oak trees. It’s here that Extremadura’s famous black Ibérico pigs roam, and where each autumn and winter la montanera begins.
La montanera is the final fattening period for pigs destined to become Jamón Ibérico de Bellota. Rather than being kept indoors, the pigs roam freely through the dehesa, feasting on the acorns that fall from the oak trees alongside the natural grasses and plants they find along the way. This acorn-rich diet helps create the distinctive flavour and beautifully marbled fat for which Ibérico pork is so highly prized.
While the hams may get most of the attention, there’s much more to the pig than Jamón. One of our favourite cuts is Carrillera: pig cheek. It’s a hardworking cut with plenty of connective tissue, which means it needs time and patience, but cook it low and slow and it becomes incredibly tender, rich and full of flavour.
And, of course, where there’s great food in Spain, there’s usually great wine not too far away. Extremadura may not have the fame of Rioja or Ribera del Duero, but its hot, wild landscape is home to some brilliant wines, including those from Bodega Coloma, the family-run producer that first sparked our own love affair with Extremaduran wine (Read Zoe’s full guide to Extremaduran wines here).
For our Extremadura recipe, we’re braising the pig cheeks slowly in Oloroso sherry and serving them with confit garlic mash and fig. It’s rich, comforting and just right for the start of autumn.
If you can get hold of Ibérico pig cheeks, even better. If not, have a chat with your local butcher, good-quality pork cheeks will still make a fantastic dish.
I can’t wait for you to try it,
Johnny
Here’s how to make our Carrillera de Cerdo at home.
Carrillera de Cerdo Recipe
Oloroso Braised Pig Cheeks with Confit Garlic Mash & Figs
Serves 4
Prep: 30 mins
Cook: 20 mins, + 3 hours in the oven
See our Chef’s Notes below for recipe tips
Ingredients
For the Oloroso Braised Pig Cheeks
8 Pig Cheeks
20g Flour
4g Salt
2g Pepper
40ml Rapeseed Oil
40g Celery, Finely Diced
40g Carrot, Finely Diced
60g Onion, Finely Diced
4g Garlic, Finely Diced
1 x star Anise
50ml Oloroso Sherry
2g Fresh Thyme Leaves
700ml Chicken Stock
For the Confit Garlic Mashed Potato
8g Garlic
60ml Olive Oil
1kg Potatoes (about 4-5)
3g Salt
2g Pepper
30ml Milk
To Garnish
2 Fresh Figs, cut into quarters
5g Parsley
Method
For the Oloroso Braised Pigs Cheeks
Pre-heat the oven to 180°/160° fan/Gas Mark 4.
Mix the flour, salt and pepper together, then dust the pigs cheeks in the flour mixture. Heat the oil in a large pan, then ‘seal’ the cheeks in the hot oil. Once nicely coloured, remove from the pan and place into an oven dish.
Add a little more oil to the same pan and add the diced celery, carrot, onion and garlic. Sweat these off over a low heat until soft and the onion is translucent.
Once the vegetables are cooked, deglaze the pan with the Oloroso Sherry. Then add in the fresh thyme and chicken stock. Bring it to the boil, then pour it over the beef cheeks.
Place a sheet of baking parchment between the oven dish and then lid, then wrap the oven dish in foil. Place it in your pre-heated oven for 3 hours.
Once cooked, remove from pan from the oven and take out the pig cheeks. Place them on a plate to one side. Remove and discard the Star Anise, then blitz the sauce until smooth. Return the cheeks to the sauce.
For the Confit Mashed Potato
While the pigs cheeks are cooking, make your confit garlic. Place the garlic and olive oil in a small sauce pan. Bring it up to a very gentle simmer, don’t let it come to the boil or fry it as this will cause the garlic to burn. Remove it from the heat and leave to cool.
When your pig cheeks are close to being done, start making your mashed potatoes. Peel and dice the potatoes and place into a pan of salted water. Bring the plan up to a rolling boil for 10 minutes until cooked, then remove and strain.
Put the potatoes into a food processor and blend. Add the garlic, oil, salt pepper and milk, then blitz until smooth.
To Serve
When you’re ready to serve, add the fig quarters to the pig cheeks.
Divide the mashed potato between four plates. Place theh mashed potato into the center or each plate, leaving a small well in the middle. Place two pig cheeks into the center of the mash and top with the sauce and figs. Garnish with parsley and your choice of seasonal vegetables, if you like.
Chef’s Notes
Making Ahead
Once cooked, leave the individual components of the dish to cool, then place in the fridge until ready to eat. This dish will keep for 48 hours in the fridge.
This is a great dish to make a head and warm through. To heat the cheeks, place them in a pan with a little more stock and bring to a gentle simmer. Once warmed through, add in the fig quarters, remove from the heat and leave to rest while you warm the mashed potato.
To warm the mash either heat it in the microwave for a few minutes (time will vary depending on your individual microwave) or place it the hob on a low-medium heat with a little more milk, if needed, until warm. Make sure you stir it through occasionally so it doesn’t catch. Then plate as above.
Join in on our socials & win £30 Ambiente Vouchers!
Cook along with us and tag us in your Discover Spain recipes and we’ll enter you in a competition to win £30 of Ambiente Vouchers.
Tag us in your socials and use #DiscoverSpainWithAmbiente to enter!
Want to leave the cooking to us?
Our October Special: Carrillero de Cerdo & Jamon Ibérico de Bellota, with Extremaduran Wines
Throughout the month, our restaurants will be serving our Carrillero de Cerdo and Jamon Ibérico de Bellota, alongside our Extremadura Wine Menu.
It features a selection of wines that you wouldn't normally find available by the glass, plus two Extremadura wine flights so you can taste your way through the region.
Book your table to experience Extremadura today!