Cooking time: 6 hours or more
ingredients
serves 5
1 pig's trotter (foot)
2 pound 4 ounce braising beef in 2- 4 pieces
bouquet garni
2 fat garlic cloves, chopped
1 medium-sized onion, roughly chopped
10 peppercorns
1/2 cup black olives, stoned (pitted) (optional)
1 1/2 cups warm beef stock
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3/4 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon salt
4 tablespoons flour made into a paste with
2 tablespoons water
method
1. Heat the oven to 120°C (250°F). Fit the pig's foot into a casserole dish and press the meat around it in a single layer.
2. Push the bouquet garni in beside the meat. Cover with a thick layer of garlic, onion, and peppercorns.
3. Add the tomato paste, lemon juice, vinegar, sugar and salt to the warm stock.
4. Pour this over the meat. Sprinkle over the olives if using.
5. Cover the dish with the lid and plaster flour paste round the gap between the lid and the pan to make it airtight.
6. Cook for 6 - 8 hours. The dish can be eaten hot.
7. The meat can be left to cool completely in the sealed pan. For a better appearance, remove the trotter while the dish is still warm, picking any meat on it off the bone and returning the meat to the dish.
8. Adjust the meat in the bottom of the dish and leave overnight in the refrigerator. The liquid should set around the meat, which will be soft enough to serve with a spoon and will portion without a knife.
