It took a trip to San Sebastian to grasp the true pleasure of pigs’ cheeks. We found them in bar after bar, plump, unctuous porcine cushions that fell apart on our forks. They came with the smoothest olive oil potato mash, as soft as whipped cream. There were beef cheeks, too – dark, quivering, intense. At that point, both were new to me. Cuts of the animal I had shamefully overlooked.
Rare is the butcher who keeps pigs’ or ox cheeks in stock. But this column has never just been about the everyday and you can order them easily enough. Cheeks are as good-natured a cut as you will find, calmly doing their own thing in a low oven, slowly edging their way towards tenderness. An occasional stir, a turn or two, that is all they need. Oh, and a lid, they must have a lid, to stop them drying out and the cooking liquor evaporating.
After the best part of an afternoon in the oven, what emerges often looks frighteningly black, but the deception is short lived. Once your fork slides in, the meat will melt into tender strands.
The not inconsiderable time this cut takes to cook allows the meat and its liquid – stock, cider, wine, whatever – to work its quiet magic. Yes, we introduce a little pepper, some star anise, a clove or two of garlic perhaps, but much of what happens in the oven has precious little to do with the cook. All we can do is stand back in awe.
Pigs’ cheeks are sweet, neat little nuggets of flesh. Ox cheeks are more various in size and, it must be said, quality. Buy from a trusted source, such as a family butcher, and make no attempt to hurry the meat along once it’s in the oven. A 30-minute supper this isn’t.
Pigs’ cheeks with apple and cider
A pile of cream-rich mashed potato is a fine thing on which to lay your pigs’ cheeks, but a mash made from celeriac and kale is my choice at this time of year.
Serves 3
olive oil 3 tbsp
pigs’ cheeks 6 (about 600g)
red onions 3
apples 3, a sharp variety
stock 500
cider 500ml
Warm the oil in a large pan over a moderate heat. Dust the pigs’ cheeks with salt and pepper, then brown them lightly on both sides in the oil. While the cheeks are browning, peel the onions, quarter them, then slice them thickly. Remove the cheeks from the pan to a plate, then add the onions to the pan and let them soften.
Set the oven at 160C/gas mark 3.
Once the onions are tender and translucent, return the cheeks to the pan, cut the apples into quarters, removing the cores as you go, then add them to the pan together with the stock and the cider. Bring the liquid to the boil, then immediately lower the heat, season with salt and pepper, cover with a lid, and transfer to the oven.
Bake the cheeks, occasionally turning them in their cooking liquor, for three hours. Remove from the oven and allow the cheeks to rest in a warm place. Place the baking dish over a moderate heat and let the sauce reduce in volume a little, until it is thick enough to coat the cheeks. Return the cheeks to the sauce, check the seasoning, and serve with the kale colcannon below.
Kale and celeriac mash
celeriac 1 large
butter a thick slice
kale 100g, cooked and chopped
Peel and trim the celeriac then cut into large pieces. Cook in boiling water, or steam, until tender enough to crush with a fork. Trim the kale and remove any tough stalks. Cut or tear the leaves into small pieces, then cook in boiling, lightly salted water for two or three minutes until tender, then drain.
Drain the celeriac thoroughly then crush with a vegetable masher or in a food mixer with a paddle attachment. Add a little butter if you wish. Fold in the drained kale, season and serve.
Beef cheeks with prunes and anise
As the cheeks cook, they may become very dark in colour. Don’t worry, just turn them over in the sauce and leave to cook until tender. I like to serve these with fat, floury boiled potatoes. You will need a spoon for the “gravy”.
Serves 3
olive oil 2 tbsp
beef cheeks 2, large (about 900g total weight)
banana shallots 6 medium
carrots 250g, young and small
sake 400ml
beef stock 500ml
prunes 150g
star anise 4
coriander leaves a large handful
Brown the cheeks in the oil over a moderate heat, letting them colour on both sides. Lift the cheeks out of the pan and set aside. Peel the shallots and cut each in half from root to tip. Add the shallots to the pan and let them colour lightly on both sides.
Heat the oven to 160C/gas mark 3.
Scrub the carrots, add them to the shallots, then pour in the sake and stock. Tuck in the prunes, the cheeks and the star anise. Season with salt and pepper, then cover with a lid and slide into the oven. Bake, turning over from time to time, for three hours until tender.
Add the coriander leaves and serve with lightly steamed greens, such as bok choi or spring cabbage.
Email Nigel at nigel.slater@observer.co.uk. Follow Nigel on Twitter @NigelSlater
