This past month has taken me to Birmingham a couple of times
and of course I stop in at Frank Stitt’s restaurants whenever possible, usually
Highlands. We were there on a Monday night and our favorite Highlands Bar and
Grill was not open, so we ate at Stitt’s Bottega. They were completely booked
even on a Monday night! We ate at the bar, but we like it there, and had a
Negroni which is a good summer drink. Much to my delight, Mr. Stitt was in the
restaurant and even brought us our food. I was just delighted and he actually
remembered us from past visits.
The next week took us to Highlands on a Wednesday night and
again we ate at the bar there also and had our Highlands’ martini. Is does not
get any better than that! The food was outstanding as usual. At Highlands we
always start with the cold raw oysters, which go down like sweet morsels from
the sea. My appetizer was a piece of pork belly served over creamed corn, with
green tomato relish and pepper jelly served to spice up the taste. This was
really a great combination, so I came home and tried to recreate. I am a big
fan of pork belly; in fact I like all things pig. Pork belly is being served in
so many upscale restaurants these days and it is easy to prepare. Perhaps it
should not be on your plate every day, but saved as tasty treat for a special
occasion. So here is my re-creation of this wonderful appetizer at Highlands.
Roast Belly of Pork (from The River Cottage Cookbook by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall)
2 pounds of pork belly (can buy at Whole Foods)
Fresh thyme leaves
Salt
Score the belly, in slashes about 3/8 inch apart, with a
sharp knife (a box cutter is handy for this) and rub vigorously with salt and
thyme leaves, getting them in the cracks.
Roast in the oven at 425ᴼF for the first 30 minutes,
then turn the temperature down to 350ᴼF and cook for a further 45 minutes,
until the juices run clear when the meat is pierced with a skewer and the
crackling has crackled to an irresistible golden brown.
Remove the crackling before carving, then cut the joint into
thick slices. Serve each person one or two slices of meat with a good
crackling.
Creamed corn is easy to do. I used 2 ears of fresh corn and
added 1 tablespoon of butter and ½ cup cream and cooked until soft, about 10 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper.
The pepper jelly I bought since I did not have time to make
it.
As for the green tomato relish, I was not able to get to a
farmer’s market to purchase so I found a recipe from John Edgerton’s Southern Food Cookbook. This is a little
time consuming but makes a lot so one can have some on hand for your next pork
belly!
Green Tomato Relish or Chowchow
Begin with a peck (1/4
bushel) of hard green tomatoes (about 4 dozen of medium size), 6
medium-sized onions, 12 bell peppers (6 red, 6 green), a medium-sized bunch of
crisp celery, and about half of a medium-sized head of cabbage. Chop them
coarse. (This is slow work by hand, a little faster with a food chopper, and a
quick job with a food processor, but the last way tends to extract too much
liquid from the vegetables, making the mixture runny. Hand chopping may make
for the best texture, consistency, and taste.) Mix everything in a large heavy
pot and add 4 cups of cider vinegar (5% acidity) 4 cups of sugar, and salt to
suit your taste (about 1 tablespoon to start). Mix well, bring to a boil, and
then lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 1 ½ hours, stirring occasionally
to prevent sticking. Midway through the cooking process, tie 4 tablespoons of
pickling spices (a commercial product) in a cloth and add to the pot. When the
relish is tender and well-seasoned, remove and discard the spice bag. Ladle the
piping hot mixture into sterilized pint jars and seal them with new two-piece
lids. The recipe makes 12 pints.
Recipes may vary for this relish, but most will contain
green tomatoes, onions, hot peppers, sweet peppers, and cabbage (cucumbers,
celery, and cauliflower are used optionally). But the vegetables are always
chopped fine, mixed with vinegar and sugar, seasoned with various spices,
cooked and then put up in jars.
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