Recipe from El Celler de Can Roca, Spain- Traditional Iberian Suckling Pig
Joan Roca´s Recipe from Spanish Restaurant, El Celler de Can Roca in Spain:
Ingredients for Iberian Suckling Pig with Caramelized Shallots, Orange and Cloves for 6 persons:
Suckling Pig:
- 1 (3.5 k) suckling pig
- Salt
- 6 vacuum bags
- Black peppercorns
- 2 dl olive oil
Sauce:
- 400 g shallots
- 2 oranges
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon cloves
- 1 dl Cabernet Sauvignon Wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
Preparation of Traditional Spanish Iberian Suckling Pig with Caramelized Shallots, Orange and Cloves:
For Traditional Spanish Iberian Suckling Pig:
Preheat oven to 85ºC (185ºF). Cut the pig into six pieces (2 shoulders, 2 legs, 2 ribcages). Salt the meat and and then place them individually in the vacuum bags with peppercorns, more salt and olive oil. Cook for 5 hours, until the meat is 82ºC (180ºF) in the centre. Open the bags, reserving the juices and de-bone the pieces of pork.
For the Sauce:
Roast the shallots in the oven and then peel them. Juice the two oranges.
In a separate saucepan, make a caramel with the sugar, adding the orange juice, cloves, vinegar and pork juice. Reduce it by half and then strain the mixture through a seive.
Using a quarter of this sauce, caramelize the shallots in a pan over a low heat. Add the olive oil and the rest of the sauce. Emulsify it with a hand blender. In a nonstick pan with a little oil, place the pork pieces with the skin facing down. When the skin is crunchy, remove it from the heat.
To Serve:
Place the shallots and sauce in the center of the plate and the pork slices on top of them with the skin facing up.
With grateful thanks to Chef Joan Roca of Cellar de Can Roca in Girona, for this recipe and to Starchefs for the beautiful photograph.
If you fancy experiencing the famous Roca Brothers´ culinary creations first hand as well as learning to cook Roca style our Food and Wine Tours can be customized to include a visit to this 3 * Michelin restaurant as well as gourmet cooking classes in a professional kitchen.
