Yesterday I finally got around to making a photo album for our trip to Italy (and one day soon I'll even finish retroactively blogging about it) and it got me reminiscing about the wonderful meals we had while we were there. One of my absolute favorite meals that we had was at a tiny place in Modena (actually pronounced Mode-a-nah), which is famous for balsamic vinegar (duh) and to die for cuisine. I mean, absolutely, to die for... and that is saying a lot considering my taste buds were completely shot from the monster cold that I caught two days into our trip AND I was also in a post-halloween-in-Venice hungover (Lemon Drops have Vitamin C, right?). In fact, my cold-over was so bad that I almost avoided dinner all together! Thank God for my husband and his amazing immune system because, as much as I was ready for a hot bath and a cozy bed, Richard convinced me that I was pathetic and that the phrase "when in Rome" also applied in Modena.
So, I pulled my self together and we found ourselves at Hostaria Carducci in the Centro Historico. This Hostaria is a charming little restaurant on a cobble street, off the beaten path, where the only traffic was locals zipping by on their bicycles and the only sound, other than Rich incessantly practicing his Italian, was the choir singing at the gorgeous church down the street. I know... sickeningly wonderful! Just like this restaurant, where the menu was small, the ambiance was perfect, and there were gallons of balsamico in every corner... And when I say balsamico, I do not mean balsamic vinegar, but "aceto balsamic traditzionale" which is NOT the same thing. Balsamico is to balsamic as truffles are to mushrooms. Balsamcio goes on everything from steak to vanilla gelato and strawberries... If you haven't had it, click the link above right this instant, learn about it, buy it, eat it... and thank me. And please, for the love of God, do not pour it into olive oil and dip your bread in it, or Italy will deport you.
So, after a glass of wine and a liter or so of balsamico, I ordered "guancialino di maiale all'aceto balsamico con composta di cipolle..." I know, quite the mouthful. Let's try that again... I ordered "the pork cheeks in a balsamico and onion compote." Now, when I say that this is one of the best meals that I had in Italy, I am not kidding. The pork was melt in your mouth tender (which is ironic because it pretty much is pork mouth). The balsamico reduction was like caramel. And the onions were caramelized perfectly. I think that it actually took me over an hour to eat my meal that night because I spent 10 minutes savoring every bite. At the end of our meal, I actually asked the chef how it was prepared and he introduced me to a little technique called Sous Vide. Yup, for all of you comic book fans out there, this is the origin story for my sous vide. You know, the one my wonderful husband bought me for Christmas, which I can imagine was only for the sole purpose of recreating this dish. (You can read more about Sous Vide and what on earth it is HERE.)
So, you guessed it, this is my version of the sous vide guancialino di maiale all'aceto balsamico that I had in Modena. While they are very inexpensive, pork cheeks are not easy to find. If you are in Los Angeles, you can find them at Lindy and Grundy in West Hollywood or McCalls Meat & Fish Co. in Los Feliz (where they also have jambon iberico, the balsamico of ham.) If you are not fortunate enough to live near these wonderful butchers, you can cross your fingers and give your local butcher a call... but your grocery store definitely WILL NOT have it. And, since not everyone is fancy and can pull a sous vide out of their cabinet, you can find the braise version of this recipe below. You are very, very welcome.
Sous Vide Method
Ingredients:
6 large pork cheeks, extra fat and cartilage removed
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed
4 whole cloves
1/4 cup olive oil
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 bay leaf
1 cup of pearl onions, peeled
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar (get the good stuff!)
1/2 cup chicken broth
Fresh parsley
Salt and pepper
Method:
Preheat the water bath to 176 degrees.
Place the pork cheeks and other ingredients into a vacuum sealed bag and place in the preheated water bath for 8 hours.
Once cooked, keep the pork cheeks in the bag and place them in an ice bath to cool. Do not remove them from the bag until you are ready to serve.
In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Once melted, brown the onions for about 8 minutes or until caramelized. Add the balsamic vinegar and the wine and deglaze for a few minutes until reduced.
Open the vacuum bag and add the cooked pork cheeks and the liquid from the bag to the skillet. Add the chicken stock. Gently simmer over medium heat for about 20 minutes or until the cheeks are cooked through and the sauce has reduced to a thick, sticky consistency.
Adjust the seasoning, if needed. I served the guanciale with polenta and topped them with freshly chopped parsley.
Braising Method
Ingredients:
6 large pork cheeks, extra fat and cartilage removed
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed
4 whole cloves
1/4 cup olive oil
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 bay leaf
1 cup of pearl onions, peeled
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar (get the good stuff!)
4 cups of chicken chicken broth
Fresh parsley
Salt and pepper
Method:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
In a medium sized dutch oven, heat the oil and brown the pork cheeks. Add the garlic, bay leaf, rosemary, and chicken stock. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook in the oven for 2 hours or until very tender. Set the cheeks aside.
In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Once melted, brown the onions for about 8 minutes or until caramelized. Add the balsamic vinegar and the wine and deglaze for a few minutes until reduced.
Add the cooked pork cheeks and the liquid from the bag to the skillet. Add the chicken stock. Gently simmer over medium heat for about 20 minutes or until the cheeks are cooked through and the sauce has reduced to a thick, sticky consistency.
Adjust the seasoning, if needed. I served the guanciale with polenta and topped them with freshly chopped parsley.
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