Pork rillettes with melba toasts

Ready in 3½ hours Makes five 1-cup dishes

800g skinless pork slices or skinless pork belly cut into finger-wide strips

3 cloves garlic

1 tsp salt

2 bay leaves

1 small bunch thyme or tarragon

2 whole star anise

½ tsp ground black pepper

½ cup white wine

¼ cup brandy

PRUNE TOPPING

250g pitted prunes

1 cup red wine

2 Tbsp sugar

¼ tsp ground cloves

TO SERVE

Melba toasts (see right) Toasted bread or crackers

Preheat oven to 150C. Arrange pork in a single layer in a shallow baking dish. Crush garlic to a paste with the salt using the flat side of a heavy knife on a chopping board and rub the paste over the meat. Scatter with the herbs and star anise and season with pepper. Pour the wine and brandy over the pork.

Cut a piece of baking paper to cover the pork snugly, place it over the meat then cover the entire dish with a lid or a tight seal of foil. Bake for 3 hours.

While the pork cooks, prepare the prune topping. Place the prunes in a small pot with the red wine, sugar and ground cloves. Cook for 12 minutes, then mash or puree until smooth, adding 2-3 Tbsp of water as needed to achieve a thick, jam-like consistency.

Remove the cooked pork from the oven and discard the herbs and star anise. Cool the meat then roughly cut it up and place it in a food processor with 3-4 Tbsp of the cooking liquid. Pulse to form a coarse, rough puree (don’t blend to a smooth

paste). Divide pork rillettes into five 1-cup serving dishes, each about ¾ full. Spread the prune topping in a 1cm layer over the top. Cover and chill in the fridge for at least 24 hours or up to 10 days. It can also be frozen. Serve with melba toasts, toasted bread or crackers.

NOTE: You might think that making rillettes would be complicated but it’s an incredibly simple slow bake of pork with some aromatic flavourings. The recipe makes five one cup containers and freezes well, perfect to pull out for an impromptu occasion. The prune topping is optional but very delicious.

MELBA TOASTS

Remove the crusts from a sandwich loaf and then flatten each slice with a rolling pin. Cut in half on the diagonal and spread out on a baking tray. Bake at 150C until very crisp and dry — about 20-25 minutes. Allow to cool and store in an airtight container. These stay fresh for weeks — if they get a little stale refresh in a pre-heated oven at 150C for 5 minutes to re-crisp.

Match this with ... Anchorage Family Estate Nelson Pinot Gris 2023 ($18)

To seekers of long and vibrant finishes, energetic textures and wines heaving with notes of ripe pear, spiced apple, and quince paste, all your Christmasses will come at once. Classically styled, it’s crisp, sweetly fruited, and super-tasty. It’s exactly the sort of pinot gris that’ll wow the crowds and silence your enemies. And we love to silence our enemies, don’t we? Serve with this pork and prune rillettes recipe and also serve it very cold, which is the best temperature for revenge. anchoragefamilyestate.nz