bacon and cabbage Terrine

Bacon and Cabbage Terrine with Celery and Onion Puree
Every Irish person has a memory of bacon and cabbage, I have lots of them and to me it is comfort food. There’s nothing nicer than Boiled bacon, Savoy Cabbage and floury potatoes. I remember the cry of the pigs on the local farms and have a memory of lying in bed at night and hearing them squeal like banshees. Like most farm animals they are bred for commercial purposes and it is of the utmost importance that, as they are part of the food chain, they be treated well.
One of my earliest memories of eating bacon and cabbage was at my grandmother's house. She would use the collar of the bacon which she cured herself in a brine. The meat would have been bought from the local butcher, soaked overnight in cold water to remove the excess salt, She would wash the bacon in cold running water, then bring it to the boil in a covered pot, remove and wash again under cold running water, add a whole peeled onion and a carrot and boil under a low heat for a couple of hours. She would add the cabbage about a half hour before the bacon was finished cooking. I remember the way the potatoes skin would split ready to explode as most of the water evaporated from the pot and the steam raising, fogging up the window as she strained the potatoes over the sink. The bacon, cabbage and floury potatoes were served with knobs of fresh butter and washed down with fresh unpasteurized milk.
The bacon and cabbage terrine sometimes on the menu at Thornton’s was devised as a result of my childhood memories.

Bacon and cabbage Terrine (Serves 12)
Ingredients Bacon:
1 Collar of bacon about 2 kg
2 Onions peeled and left whole
1 Whole Carrot Peeled
1 Small head of Celery
1 Small bunch of Thyme
1 Bay Leaf
1 Clove peeled garlic

Method Bacon
Steep the bacon overnight in cold water. Rinse under cold tap, cover with fresh water and bring to the boil in a covered pot. Strain the water off and refresh bacon by running again under cold water. Cover with fresh water, add the onions, carrot, celery, garlic, thyme and bay leaf and bring to the boil again. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours making sure to top up the water every 15 minutes. You can tell when the bacon is cooked for terrine use when it is pierces easily with a fork so that the meat just about holds together. Remove the contents and place in stainless steel bowl and allow to rest in fridge overnight. The carrot is for flavour only; the onion and celery will be pureed and used later for plate garnish.

Ingredients - Cabbage:
2 heads Savoy Cabbage
3 shallots
Small bunch chives (finely chopped)
Freshly milled white pepper
Fine sea salt (to taste)
30g unsalted butter
Bacon stock
Cooking oil (for lining terrine mould)

Method: Cabbage
Remove 8 to 10 good quality outer leaves from cabbages. Remove centre vein and wash. Blanche these leaves for 2 to 3 minutes only. Remove and refresh by running under cold water. Set aside for lining terrine mould in clean kitchen linen cloth.
Cut remaining cabbage head in half, remove stalk and shred cabbage finely. Wash shredded cabbage under cold running tap. Dice shallot. Add butter to heated pot and cook shallot for about one minute without colouring. Add cabbage, season with pepper and reduce heat. Cook for a further 2 to 3 minutes. Add bacon stock to just barely cover cabbage. Cook under a medium heat for further 10 minutes. When the liquid has evaporated the cabbage should be cooked. The bacon stock is the liquid the bacon was cooked in and refrigerated overnight. Taste cabbage, correct seasoning. Allow to cool. Add chives and mix. Taste again.

Assemble Terrine:
Ideally use a terrine mould but if you don’t have one use a bread tin. Brush mould with oil. Line tightly with Clingfilm ensuring the Clingfilm overhangs the mould. Season cabbage leaves. Line moulds with cabbage leaves making sure the leaves overhang the mould. Layer shredded cabbage (about 2cms). Use back of a spoon to press it down. Cut bacon into slices of about 2cms thick. Layer bacon over cabbage. Repeat layering of cabbage and bacon to top of mould. Shredded cabbage should be the last layer and should reach just over the top of the mould. Fold over the cabbage leaves and add remainder of cabbage leaves if necessary to completely cover the top of the mould. Fold over the Clingfilm tightly.
The terrine mould needs to be weighted on top to press the terrine into shape. For this you can use a piece of cardboard cut to the shape of the mould top and covered with tinfoil. This will act as a cover for the mould. Then put a plate on top of the stencil and place a heavy pot on top. You can also use a few kilos of sugar as weights. Allow to rest in fridge overnight.
To Plate Terrine:
Puree celery and onion by removing from stock, roughly chopping and cooking over a low heat to dry out slightly. Puree in a blender. Remove and pass through a fine sieve. Correct seasoning.
Remove terrine from mould leaving Clingfilm on. Slice thinly with a carving knife and remove Clingfilm from individual slices. © Kevin Thornton

Comments

[Deborah]

This sounds just wonderful. What a fantastic way to "glam up" an old favourite.