Although this recipe is not for the squeamish, it is absolutely delicious and you can prepare it well in advance to avoid the Christmas/new year rush. Rolled pig’s head is a Roux family favourite and excellent value for money. Do ask your butcher in advance to put a pig’s head aside for you as they tend to discard. This is a truly wholesome French classic dish that will surprise your guests for sure.

Rolled pig’s head

Ingredients

  • 1 pig’s head
  • 1 butternut squash
  • 1 bunch of kale
  • ½ Tbsp. of Dijon mustard
  • ½ a sliced white onion
  • 4 Tbsp. of olive oil
  • 1 sprig of thyme
  • 1 Tbsp. of butter

Bouillon to cook the head:

  • 1 carrot roughly chopped
  • 1 white onion roughly chopped
  • 1 branch of celery roughly chopped
  • 1 star anise
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 4 black peppercorns
  • Salt, pepper and four spices (clove, nutmeg, cinnamon and Jamaican pepper)
  • Preheat your oven at 180 degrees

Method

  1. Usually your butcher would have removed all excess hair on the pig’s head; however if any is left use a blow torch to remove. Using a sharp knife, cut all the way down the middle of the head to the snout and follow the bone structure with your knife. You should end up with a rectangular shape piece of meat with no holes in.
  2. Season the meat with a pinch of salt, pepper and four spices before rolling the pig’s head tightly, making sure the ears and snout are folded inside. Tie strings all around the rolled head to keep in place (as you would with a roast).
  3. Place the head in a large casserole dish with all the other ingredients and cover with water. Cook in simmering water for about 4 hours; if necessary top up with water during the cooking process as the head must always be covered.
  4. Once tender and cooked throughout (easily pierced with a skewer) remove the head and leave in the fridge overnight.
  5. Wash and peel the butternut squash before cutting into bitesize chunks. Roast one half of the chunks in the oven with a drizzle of olive oil and sprig of thyme for approximately 25 minutes.
  6. Pan sear the rest of the butternut chunks with a tbsp. of butter and the sliced onion. Add a cup of water to the pan and cook until completely softened.
  7. Whilst still hot, blend all the ingredients together to obtain a puree, adding the Dijon mustard, 3 tbsp. of olive oil and seasoning to taste.
  8. Blanch the kale for 3 minutes in salted water. Strain and leave to dry before cutting them and roasting them in a heated pan with a tbsp. of olive oil for a couple of minutes until crispy.
  9. At the last minute, cut thick slices of the pig’s head and pan sear with a drizzle of olive oil until caramelized and beautifully crispy.

A good quality Beaujolais will do wonders with this French classic. Marcel Lapierre’s Morgon 2014 is made ‘naturally’ with no added sulphur; delivering lovely purity with delicate floral notes. A young red wine which is extremely good value for money.

For a lighter option, post-Christmas celebration; a Tavel La Dame Rousse, Domaine de la Mordorée 2013 is a wonderfully fruity rosé that will certainly suit this dish. A vibrant young wine from the southern Rhône region, precise and rounded enough to accompany the bold tasting pig’s head.

If you really want to impress your guest with this recipe, why not pair it with a robust Côte-Rôtie 2010 Les Bécasses from Michel Chapoutier. A powerful red wine with intense olive and peppercorn aromas; perfect for this full flavoured dish. A personal favourite of mine from the Rhône region.

Wines to drink with Rolled Pig’s Head by Michel Roux Jr.

Marcel Lapierre, Morgon, 2014 – An amazing quality Beaujolais, this red is fresh and fruity with notes of stone fruits like cherry. There is a slight savouriness to the wine which complements the sweetness of the butternut squash.

RRP: £19 Roberson Wine

Tavel Rosé, La Dame Rousse, Domaine de la Mordorée, 2013 – Brimming with tangy red fruit flavours, there are sweet notes of aniseed that works beautifully on the palate together with the savouriness of the pig’s head.

RRP: £16.65 Berry Bros and Rudd

Côte-Rôtie, Les Bécasses, Maison Chapoutier, 2010 – This deep red has even deeper flavours. On the nose it is spicy and herbaceous with hints of rosemary and violet, brought together by hints of oak on the palate which works so nicely with the earthy flavours of the squash and meatiness of the pig’s head.

RRP: £39.95 Berry Bros and Rudd

Michel Roux Jr
Michel Roux Jr
Columnist
Michel Roux Jr was born in 1960 in Pembury, Kent, where his father Albert Roux worked as a private chef for the Cazalet family. His earliest food memories are the smells of the Fairlawne kitchen – pastry, sugar caramelizing and stews – where he played under the table while his father and mother Monique prepared the meals. After deciding to follow in his father’s footsteps, he left school at 16 for the first of several challenging apprenticeships at Maître Patissier, Hellegouarche in Paris from 1976 to 1979. He was then Commis de Cuisine at Alain Chapel’s signature restaurant at Mionay near Lyon, Michel’s biggest influence. His military service was spent in the kitchens at the Elysée Palace at the time of Presidents Giscard d’Estaing and François Mitterrand. He also spent time at Boucherie Lamartine and Charcuterie Mothu in Paris, and the Gavers Restaurant in London. After a stint at the Mandarin Hotel in Hong Kong he returned to London and worked at La Tante Claire before joining the family business. He took over running Le Gavroche in 1991, gradually changing the style of cooking to his own – classic French with a lighter, modern twist. Michel opened Roux at Parliament Square in May 2010 with Restaurant Associates, part of the Compass Group UK and Ireland. And in November 2010, he opened Roux at The Landau at London’s prestigious luxury hotel, The Langham. Michel was a judge and presenter on the BBC’s popular prime time show, MasterChef: The Professionals, and presented all series of ‘Great British Food Revival.’  Michel fronted BBC2’s ‘Food and Drink,’ in 2014 and presented a documentary on Escoffier, whose revolutionary approach to fine cuisine has inspired Michel and many others. In the same year, Michel went on a journey to create the perfect chocolate for the Le Gavroche Kitchen.  Filmed by the BBC, in Paris he discovered chocolatiers, Cacao Barry and their Or Noir Lab. In 2013, Michel launched his most recent cookbook, ‘The French Kitchen’.  Focusing on traditional French home cooking, this is the fifth solo cookery book from Michel. He is involved with the Roux Experience courses at the ‘Cactus Kitchens’ cookery school, with the Executive producer of Saturday Kitchen, Amanda Ross. Cactus Kitchens offers people the opportunity to learn to cook within small intimate groups from some of the UK’s finest chefs, on site above the Saturday Kitchen studios. Michel has fronted a brand new four-part Channel 4 series, ‘The Diner’, exploring the hurdles faced by people with disabilities and mental health issues when finding employment. Michel also recently presented a new program on his first ever project with the Disney Channel.  ‘First Class Chefs’ which launched in June 2015, is a show where kids aged 9-11 compete to showcase their restaurant skills.