This dish was amazing and so tasty. Instead of a roast dinner last night Paulie made this stew. Pig Cheeks are so cheap, we bought them for £2 and this fed 3 adult’s and I have a portion in the fridge for when Paulie is away (can’t wait to eat this again). The cheeks melt in your mouth I ate the whole dish with just a spoon! You get sweetness from the cider, depth of flavour from the vegetables in the stock, creaminess from the butter bean’s and delicious mouthful’s of spiced black pudding. With autumn on its way why not treat family and friends to this special dish. Recipe adapted from Marcus Verberne at Roast.

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 1 tin of butter beans
• 8 pork cheeks, trimmed of outer fat
• 50g of flour
• olive oil
• 40g butter
• 3 carrots, roughly chopped
• 2 leeks, roughly chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• small handful thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 500ml dry cider
• 1200ml chicken stock
• 500ml beef stock
• 1/2 whole black pudding
• seasoning to taste (we didnt need any)

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 150ºC (fan). Season the pork cheeks with salt and pepper and place them into a large plastic bag (without holes). Add the flour to the bag and holding the bag closed at the top, give them a good shake, coating them with the flour. Remove the cheeks from the bag and save the flour for later.
2. Heat a large saucepan over a high heat. Add a drizzle of olive oil and fry the floured pork cheeks until evenly browned, transfer the sealed cheeks to a braising or casserole dish.
3. Turn the frying pan heat down to medium and add the butter, carrot, leek, garlic, thyme and bay leaf. Allow to cook for about 4–5 minutes, stirring regularly to release any tasty morsels left behind by the pork cheeks. Cook until the vegetables are soft and slightly caramelised.
4. Stir in a heaped dessert spoon of reserved flour and tomato purée and cook for another minute, stirring continuously so they don’t catch on the bottom of the pan. Stir in the cider, a little at a time so that lumps don’t form. Once all of the cider has been added, pour in the stocks and bring to the boil.
5. Pour the liquid and all the vegetables over the pork cheeks, then cover the dish with a lid or foil. Place in the oven, and cook for 2 hours, until the cheeks are tender.
6. Once the pork cheeks are tender, remove them from the oven and lift out of the braising dish with a slotted spoon. Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve into a large saucepan or casserole. Bring the sauce up to the boil over a medium heat, before reducing to a simmer. Give the sauce a good skim with a ladle, removing any fat that may be collecting on the surface. If the sauce appears a little thin, reduce it slightly until it has reached the desired consistency, then add the butter beans.
7. Break the black pudding into large nuggets and add them to the pan. Allow the black pudding to cook for 2–3 minutes only return the cheeks to warm through and serve.