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French country pork braise

  • 20 minutes, soaking time overnight
  • in the slow cooker: low 7-9 hours, high 4½-6 hours
  • 6-8
French country pork braise

The ultimate slow-cooked pork dish - perfect for winter nights.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup dried haricot beans
  • 4 stalks celery, trimmed and finely chopped
  • 1 onion, peeled and chopped
  • 3 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 1 tablespoon prepared mustard
  • 1 kilogram piece salted pork belly
  • 1 bouquet garni
  • 2 tablespoons golden syrup
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • 8 chicken wing portions
  • 6 thick pork sausages

Method

  1. Soak the beans in plenty of cold water overnight. Allow 3-4 cups of water.
  2. Turn the slow cooker on to low to pre-warm while gathering and preparing the ingredients.
  3. Drain the beans and place in a saucepan with sufficient clean cold water to cover and bring to the boil. Boil rapidly for 20 minutes. Drain well.
  4. Scatter the beans into the pre-warmed slow cooker. Stir through the celery, onion, garlic and mustard.
  5. Sit the pork on the beans, fat-side uppermost. Add the bouquet garni, golden syrup and stock and cover with the lid.
  6. Cook on low for 5-6 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.
  7. Cut the chicken wings in half, cut off and discard the wing tip portion. Brown the chicken and sausages in a dash of oil in a frying-pan. The sausages can be cut into halves or thirds if wished.
  8. Place the chicken and sausages around the outside of the pork belly and cover with the lid.
  9. Cook for a further 2-3 hours on low for 1½-2 hours on high.
  10. Serve the casserole by slicing the pork and placing in deep plates or shallow bowls with a generous serving of beans and cooking juices, chicken wings and sausages. Scatter with chopped fresh parsley or thyme before serving if wished.

Cooks Tips

- For a gutsier taste to the braise, use French or German mustard. - Salted pork belly is literally belly pork that has been soaked in a salt brine. It has not been smoked.

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