Rillettes de porco é muito delicioso!

Rustic, unctuous and seriously scrummy

Slap me with bread and call me a sandwich.Imagine sinking your teeth into the most exquisitely flavoured fork-tender pork that has been simmered for hours in aromatic herbs and then spread on crispy baguettes…é muito delicioso!
I’m always amused by dishes that were in the  past ridiculed and written off as peasant food.Foods like lobster, oysters,foie gras, and famous dishes like cassoulet, panzanella and gazpacho used to be the food of the poor – now they’re only served in the smartest restaurants and come with high price tags.
This process like many others was originally used before refrigeration was invented to keep meat from spoiling. The fat, while providing an incredible flavour, sealed the meat in the pot keeping it fresh and delicious for weeks longer than would have been possible otherwise.Because of the richness of rillettes, a little goes a long way making it a very budget-friendly option.
Be sure to select quality, pasture-raised pork for the best and most flavoursome result.  
Coarse-textured and deliciously old-fashioned, rillettes make a great alternative to paté for that sumptuous summer picnic and something that is a blessing to find in the fridge on a hot summer’s day.
Often made with pork, duck or goose, the savoury quality of rillettes comes from using traditionally fatty meats and a generous quantity of salt. It keeps for weeks if covered with a layer of fat.
 Coupled with the seasonings and quality lard, once you try these rillettes and let the flavours permeate your mouth, I swear you will be hooked and its so easy. Long, slow cooking is the key. Removing the meat from the bone with a fork will help keep the fibres separate. Don't be tempted to use a food processor, as the texture will end up too smooth.The best and most moorish part is shredding the belly pork with a couple of forks, tearing the meat rather than pulling it off with your fingers to keep it light and open.
The success of any pâté or terrine is as much about texture as flavour. My personal preference is a soft, open texture, more like traditional pork rillettes than a dense pâté you can slice oh so neatly with a knife. My heart seeks the sort of soft terrine that falls loosely on the plate, something to scoop up with soft wodgy bread.

So gorgeously french, I love it

1 kg entremeada sem ossos e pele   1 kg belly pork in strips trimmed of bones and skin
300g banha de porco                       300g good quality pork fat or lard

250ml vinho branco seco                 250ml dry white wine

3 folhas de louro                              3 bay leaves

3 raminhos grande de tomilho         3 large sprigs of thyme

3 dentes de alho grandes                3 cloves garlic

Put the pork fat,white wine,thyme and bay leaves in a casserole with a lid.
heat gently until the fat has melted.Add the meat and cook over a very low heat covered for about 3 hours or until the meat is completely tender. Remove the lid.lift the meat from its juices and on a chopping board very finely shred the meat and fat with two forks.Pack tightly into ceramic or eathenware pate dishes or a china terrine;alternatively you could use individual ramekins.Strain the cooking liquid and residue from the casserole,through a sieve over the rillettes and mix lightly.Leave to cool,then refrigerate till the fat on top has set to form a coating.

To serve: simply tear up some baguettes, slather them with rillettes, and place them on a serving platter with things like olives, pickles, pepperoncini, pickled asparagus, pickled onions, pickled peppers, etc. and you’ve got a wonderfully elegant and perfectly delicious option for hors d’oeuvres,picnic, or even a light lunch.