HONEY AND MARMITE GLAZED PORK CHEEKS

This recipe is all about winter comfort food. Comfort food par excellence, and ideal for making the day before. All ready to reheat and impress

Braised pork cheeks in a honey and marmite sauce is a delicate, yet powerful dish. Although the meat is tender and melts on your tongue, the flavour is outstanding.

INGREDIENTS Serves 4

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
8 pig cheeks
1 white onion, roughly chopped
1 large carrot, split in half lengthways
1 medium leek, white part only, split in half lengthways
1 stick celery, split in half lengthways
1 garlic clove, peeled and left whole
2 cloves
1 star anise
5 black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs fresh thyme
About 1½ litres chicken stock,100ml extra to finish
50ml honey
50ml Marmite

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 160°C

Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based frying pan, then sear the pig cheeks all over, until nicely browned.

Put the seared meat in a large casserole dish for which you have a lid, then add the onion, carrot, leek, celery, garlic, cloves, star anise, peppercorns, bay leaf and thyme. Pour over enough stock just to cover the contents of the pot.

Place In the oven and slow-roast the meat for 3 hours. Until Tender

Lift the pig cheeks out of the pot, then put them in a dish, cover and chill in the fridge overnight, you want the glaze to stick to them when you come to finishing off the dish. Pass the rest of the mix through a sieve into a clean pan, then reduce it slowly, until the flavour is deep but before it becomes too salty (so taste and taste some more) Strain again, this time through a fine sieve, leave to cool, then cover and chill alongside the cheeks.

When you’re ready to eat, put the honey, Marmite and the extra 100ml stock in a wide saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring to make sure they’re all well combined. Turn down the heat, add the pig cheeks and gently baste in the Marmite mix until well glazed and warmed through.

Serve at once, we served them with CELERIAC AND POTATO DAUPHINOISE and the reheated reduced sauce.

Original Recipe Josh Eggleton writing in the Guardian