Magerbäckle – pork cheeks – in almond butter and cranberries with spring onions and horseradish shavings

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 12 pieces of pork cheek(s)
• 100 g celeriac, diced
• 100 g carrot(s), diced
• 200 g onion(s), diced
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 200 ml red wine, strong
• ½ liter veal stock
• 150 g butter (sour cream butter)
• 2 spring onions
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 2 tbsp almond flakes, freshly roasted
• 1 piece(s) horseradish
• 2 tbsp cranberries
• 1 bay leaf
• 5 juniper berries
• 1 carnation(s)
• 20 peppercorns, black
• salt and pepper
• Oil (safflower oil or rapeseed oil) for frying

Instructions

Working time approx. 45 minutes; Total time approx. 45 minutes

nice to prepare when guests come

Trim the cheeks and fry them in a roasting pan in hot oil, seasoning with pepper and salt. Add the diced vegetables and fry them, while adding the tomato puree and continuing to roast everything, stirring constantly. Then deglaze with 100 ml of water and glaze the mixture, i.e. allow the liquid to reduce slightly. When everything starts to sizzle again, deglaze with the wine and stock, add the ground spices and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat and let the cheeks simmer gently for around 1.5 – 2 hours, ensuring that the cheeks are almost covered in the braising liquid and stirring occasionally so that the uncovered meat does not dry out. At the end of the braising time, cover the cheeks and keep them warm in the oven and pass the braising liquid through a fine sieve. Then reduce the sauce until creamy, season with salt and pepper, and keep warm. Cut the butter into pieces and melt in a pan. Toast the flaked almonds, add the spring onions (cut into 2 cm pieces) and rosemary, and toss to coat. Lightly season the butter mixture with salt and pepper and marinate the cheeks for a few minutes. Remove the cheeks from the pan and arrange them on a plate, drizzle with the sauce, add a few dollops of cranberries, and spread the almond butter mixture over the cheeks, then grate some fresh horseradish over the top. The cheeks are so tender you could cut them with a spoon, and the sauce will have you licking your fingers!