Crock Pot Pork Cheeks with Celeriac Purée

Pork cheeks has to be one of our favourite cuts of meat and they lend themselves perfectly to a slow cooker. You will have to ask a butcher for them and probably order in advance but I totally recommend you do, you wont regret it. I usually serve one cheek as a starter but today we had 2 each as a main with a bigger portion of purée and a side of vegetable sauteed in garlic butter.

Ingredients:

10x Pig cheeks
2x Onions, diced
2x Carrots, peeled and diced
2x Leeks, sliced
1x Parsnip, peeled and sliced
3tbsp Caraway seeds
1tbsp Black peppercorns
1tsp Dried thyme
2x Garlic cloves, crushed
280g Tomato purée
1x Bottle of red wine
2x Bay leaves
1x Pint of beef stock

For the Purée:
1x Celeriac
2x Large potatoes
Double cream
Butter


Method:

1. Dust the cheeks in flour, season then brown in a frying pan before placing in the slow cooker.
2. Cook all the veg, herbs and seeds in the frying pan for about 20 minutes until beginning to caramelise.
3. Add the tomato purée, stir through and cook for a further 5 minutes then pour in the bottle of wine and bring to a simmer for 5 minutes, followed by the beef stock for another 5 minutes.
4.  Pour the whole lot into the slow cooker and leave on low all day.
5. Peel and chop into chunks the celeriac and potatoes. Bring to a boil in a pan then simmer until soft. Drain the water, return to the heat and pour in a substantial amount of cream then mash with a fork until smooth. Add a big blob of butter and season to taste.
6. Remove the cheeks and set aside. Sieve the cooking liquor to make a rich sauce then plate up! Serve with some nice veg, I sauteed some runner beans, broad beans and courgettes in garlic and butter.