There is an old French saying “Sans porc mieux vaut être mort” which translates as “without pork it is better to be dead” and there is no doubting the revere with which pigs are held in France as a source of delicious dishes. In the south west it is particularly the Cochon Noir or Black Gason Pig which is prized for it’s delicate smoky flavour and it’s versatility. There is still a local tradition of rearing and fattening a familial pig and the fête de la pèle-porc, (pig killing day) is still celebrated throughout the region; no where more so than in Trie-Sur Baise, a small market town in the Haute Pyrenees, where they hold an annual ‘Pourcailhade’ .
La Pourcailhade is a weekend fair of porcine celebration which offers every kind of pork delicacy - saucisse sèche and saucisson sec, boudin noir, red rosettes, hams, rôtis, poitrine, menscate de tête - and culminates in the Black Pudding Eating Championships. (For those of you who fancy your chances the current record is 1m 40cm in four minutes!).
Civet of pork is something of a national dish for Trie-sur-Baisiens and although is more commonly a winter dish, can also be sampled throughout the ‘Pourcailhade’ weekend in August when there is quite a competition for recipe and method.
Civet is a rich and hearty dish, so often out of favour these days, not least because of the traditional use of fresh blood* to enrich the sauce (the actual definition of a civet). In the recipe below the blood has been omitted, but the long cooking time ensures a deliciously succulent stew and the addition of the pigs liver adds the richness and flavour expected.
Civet of Pork
Serves: 4 to 6 Persons
Prep Time: 15mins
Cooking Time: 2 hours
Ingredients:
- 1kg belly pork
- 1 pigs liver Sliced
- Carrots 4
- Onions 2
- Shallots 2
- Thyme (dried 1 teaspoon or 2 fresh sprigs)
- Bay leaf
- A sprinkle of peppercorns
- 2 Cloves
- Flour - 1 tablespoon
- Armagnac – one glass
- Red wine 1litre
Method:
- Dice the carrots, onions and shallots and fry in a tablespoon of fat in a large heavy based casserole with lid.
- Cube the belly pork and add, along with the sliced liver to the pan. Fry quickly to seal the meat.
- Sprinkle with flour and stir.
- Add the armagnac (or brandy) and set alight (remembering to stand well back). Once the armagnac has burnt off the flames will die out and you will be left with deliciously aromatic pork
- Add one litre of strong fullbodied red wine with the thyme, bay leaf, peppercorns and cloves.
- Cover and simmer until the meat is tender – usually about 2 hours.
Served with small baked potatoes or a creamy Gratin Dauphinoise.
*If you would like to use fresh blood then add a small cup 20mins before the end of cooking and stir it in well. Alternatively drain off some of the liquid from the meat and add the blood to that, boiling vigourously to reduce and thicken. The remix with the main stew and stir well. Ready to serve!
Additional Tips
This dish is also good with a handful of stoned plums or prunes added about halfway through cooking.
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