For the pork faggots: ·250g fresh pigs liver ·250g fresh fatty pork ‘scraps’ ·1 fresh pigs heart (split in half and rinsed) ·100g ham or bacon ‘scraps’ ·2 onions (finely chopped) ·1 clove garlic (crushed) ·50g unsalted butter ·100g fresh breadcrumbs or oatmeal ·A few sage leaves (finely chopped) ·A few thyme leaves (finely chopped) ·A good pinch of ground mace ·A good pinch of allspice ·Caul fat ·Rock salt ·Coarsely ground black pepper For the onion gravy: ·4 large onions (thinly sliced) ·2 tablespoons water ·300ml veal or beef jus
Start by making the faggot mixture: 1.Cook the chopped onions, garlic and herbs in the butter until soft. 2.Add the veal or beef jus and boil to reduce by half. Leave to cool, then allow to set in the fridge. 3.Roughly chop then coarsely mince all of the meats and combine in a bowl. 4.Add the reduced, cool onion mix, the breadcrumbs or oatmeal, plus the herbs, spices and some salt and pepper and mix together thoroughly. 5.Shape the mixture into 6 balls and wrap each in a square of caul fat, cut large enough to overlap so that it will bind to itself. To cook the faggots: 1.Flatten the balls slightly and place in an ovenproof dish in which they fit together fairly snugly. 2.Bake in a moderate oven (180ºC/ Gas Mark 4 ) for 50- 60 minutes, basting once or twice with the fat and juices that run from them. To make the onion gravy: 1.Place the onions in a pan with the water and cook on a very low heat. This will slowly draw the natural sugar content from the onions and, together with the juices, the two will caramelise. This is a slow process, possibly taking up to two hours. It is very important that the onion does not burn as this will create a bitter taste. 2.Once a golden caramel flavour has been achieved, add the jus. Add the faggots and simmer for 20 minutes before serving.