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Pork cheeks, green sauce and polenta Pork cheeks, green sauce and polenta

Gastronomy
⋅
Alentejo

A recipe where the secret lies in the green sauce with Esporão olive oil

Ingredients

  • The meat:
    • Esporão Extra Virgin Olive Oil
    • 8 pork cheeks
    • 3 sliced carrots
    • 2 chopped onions
    • 2 celery stalks, chopped
    • 4 sliced garlic cloves
    • 2 tablespoons of flour
    • Thyme, 2 sprigs
    • Peel of 1 orange
    • 3 bay leaves
    • 1 bottle of red wine
    • 2 tablespoons of quince jelly or sugar
  • For the green sauce:
    • 1 bunch of parsley (about 50g)
    • 2 cloves of garlic
    • Zest of 1 lemon
    • Zest and juice of 1 orange
    • 60ml Esporão Extra Virgin Cobrançosa Olive Oil
    • Salt
  • Toppings:
    • Pecans, chopped, to taste

Heat the olive oil in a pan that can then be put in the oven and sear the meat, seasoned with salt and black pepper, until it is browned on both sides, a few cheeks at a time so that they have space between them. Set aside and preheat the oven to 160ºC. If necessary, add more olive oil and sauté the onion, carrot, celery and garlic for about 5 minutes over a medium-high heat, until the first one is translucent, but without letting it take on colour. Then sprinkle in the flour, toss to coat and cook for 1-2 minutes. Then add the wine, orange zest, thyme and bay leaf and add the previously seared meat. Bring to the boil, cover and place in the oven to cook slowly for 2 ½ - 3 hours.

Alternatively, place the contents of the pot on a baking tray covered with two sheets of aluminium foil to cook in the oven.Meanwhile, prepare the green sauce by blending all the ingredients in the blender jug and set aside.When the meat is cooked, it should fall apart easily with a fork and the sauce should be thick and satiny. At this point, prepare the polenta: bring the water and milk to the boil along with the butter and a pinch of salt. As soon as it comes to the boil, add the semolina all at once and stir with a wire whisk so that no lumps form. Then, with a wooden spoon, stir constantly for about 3 minutes until a creamy, homogeneous texture is obtained. Serve the cheeks and vegetables over the polenta, and a spoonful or two of the sauce.