Chef's Recipes

Pressed pork hock with parsley and young garlic sauce

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for pressed pork hock with parsley and young garlic sauce.

By Martin Boetz
  • 40 mins preparation
  • 2 hrs 45 mins cooking plus pressing
  • Serves 8
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Pressed pork hock with parsley and young garlic sauce

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 raw pork hock
  • To serve: chervil sprigs, coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley, dill pickles, thinly peeled strips of lemon rind and lemon wedges
Braising liquor
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • ½ onion, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 2 thyme sprigs
  • 1 fresh bay leaf
  • 300 ml dry white wine
  • 1.2 litres chicken stock
Parsley and young garlic sauce
  • 1 egg, at room temperature
  • 2 cups flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped (firmly packed)
  • 1 cup chervil, finely chopped (firmly packed)
  • 3 young garlic cloves (or 1 regular garlic clove), finely chopped
  • 2 dill pickles, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp finely grated lemon rind
  • 150 ml olive oil
  • 30 ml white wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp caster sugar

Method

Main
  • 1
    Preheat oven to 180C. For braising liquor, heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add onion and garlic and stir occasionally until caramelised (8-10 minutes). Add herbs, deglaze pan with wine, bring to the boil, add stock, bring back to the boil, season to taste and set aside.
  • 2
    Heat half the oil in a large casserole over medium heat, add hock and cook, turning occasionally, until browned (2-3 minutes). Pour braising liquor over, bring to the boil, skim off excess fat, cover tightly with foil, then a lid, and braise in oven until meat is falling from the bone (2 hours). Remove hock from braising liquor (discard liquid), remove bone from hock with tongs (discard bone) and press meat into a 10cm square cake tin lined with baking paper. Cover closely with baking paper, then place a slightly smaller cake tin or foil-wrapped piece of stiff cardboard on top and weight with food cans. Refrigerate overnight to press.
  • 3
    For parsley and young garlic sauce, cook egg in a saucepan of boiling water until hard-boiled (8 minutes). Drain, refresh under cold running water, then peel and set aside. Stir herbs, garlic, dill pickle and lemon rind in a bowl to combine, add oil, vinegar and sugar, season to taste and stir to combine well. Finely grate in egg, gently fold to combine and set aside.
  • 4
    Unmould hock meat from tin and slice into 2cm-thick strips (about 5cm long). Heat remaining oil in a non-stick frying pan, add meat slices and cook, turning once, until crisp (4-5 minutes). Drain on absorbent paper, top with a little parsley and young garlic sauce and lemon rind and serve hot with lemon wedges.

Notes

Drink Suggestion: Sparkling dry chenin blanc. Drink suggestion by Max Allen