Pig's Head Soup

Ingredients

• pig's head
• pig's feet
• 1 gallon water
• salt
• pepper
• powdered marjoram
• powdered thyme
• 1 tsp cloves
• 1 tsp mace
• 0.5 tsp allspice
• 1 whole, grated nutmeg
• 5 eggs
• butter
• 2 eggs
• 3 tbsp flour
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1.5 glass Sherry or Madeira wine
• 1 lemon juice

Method

Start with clean bones. Blanch the pig's head and feet in boiling water for two minutes, then drain and rinse under cold water to remove blood and scum — this step prevents the finished stock from turning grey and bitter. Return them to a clean pot with 1 gallon of fresh water and bring to a rolling boil. Maintain that vigorous boil for three hours. The agitation is not incidental; it forces collagen and fat into gelatine suspension, building the richness that defines the dish. After three hours, lift out the head and set it aside to cool. Leave the feet in the pot and continue cooking until their flesh falls from the bone — another hour or so.

Once the head has cooled enough to handle, pick the meat carefully. Separate the brains into a saucer; reserve the fatty portions from around the cheeks and forehead (about 115ml) and set them aside. Chop the remaining meat and tongue very finely. Season aggressively with salt, pepper, powdered marjoram, thyme, the cloves, mace, allspice, and freshly grated nutmeg — these warm spices anchor the offal's iron notes. Return this chopped meat to the pot with the still-simmering feet. When the feet's flesh slides from the bone, leave everything as it is and slow-cooking|simmer gently, lid on, for two hours more. The continuous heat pulls more gelatin into the liquid without breaking down the meat's structure. Stop here and leave overnight — the gelatin will set slightly as it cools, and this resting period allows flavours to settle.

One hour before serving, reheat the stock gently. Strain it carefully through muslin to remove all solids, then return the liquid to the pot. Cut the reserved fatty meat into small cubes and add it now.

Prepare the forcemeat balls: pound the yolks of five hard-boiled eggs to a paste, then work in the reserved brains and butter until smooth. Fold in two beaten raw eggs. Flour your hands and roll the mixture into balls the size of a pigeon's egg — roughly 30ml each. Drop them into the gently simmering soup five minutes before service.

Finish with a beurre manié: mash 45g softened butter with 45g flour until smooth, then whisk this into the soup off the heat to thicken it slightly. Stir in 180ml Sherry or Madeira and the juice of one lemon. Return to the simmer for no more than 30 minutes. The wine mellows the iron-heavy flavour of the offal; the lemon cuts the fat. Serve with sliced lemon passed separately.