Roast Suckling Pig Leg with Cavolo Nero, Chesnuts, Prunes and Brandy Sauce https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyM7dVMAwb4 https://www.youtube.com/embed/SyM7dVMAwb4?rel=0 5 1 5 0 https://www.bascofinefoods.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/roast-suckling-pig-leg-with-cavolo-nero-chesnuts-prunes-and-brandy-sauce.jpg

Roast Suckling Pig Leg with Cavolo Nero, Chesnuts, Prunes and Brandy Sauce

2 people
Easy

Prep time
20 mins

Cook time
1hr 15 mins

Total time
1hr 35 mins

Javier De La Hormaza

Recipe provided by

Javier De La Hormaza

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Ingredients

1 whole suckling pig leg, weighing between 0.7-1.2Kg
1 head of garlic, cut in half
150ml water
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
For the garnish:
200g cavolo nero
50g unsalted butter
75g cooked whole chesnuts
50g pitted prunes
Salt and pepper
For the brandy sauce:
2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
½ carrot, peeled and finely diced
½ celery stick, finely diced
2 sprigs of thyme
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp of olive oil
100ml brandy
500ml veal jus
25g chilled unsalted butter, diced
Salt and pepper to taste

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Introduction

This is the perfect suckling pig dish for two people to share and a great Christmas alternative to roast turkey. A whole leg of cochinillo suckling pig roasted in the oven until crisp and succulent and served on a bed of buttery cavolo nero cabbage garnished with chestnuts, prunes and finished with a brandy sauce.

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4 for 30 minutes.
Place the leg of suckling pig in a roasting tin, rub all over with garlic, season with salt and brush with olive oil. Pour about one inch of fresh water in the tin and roast for 30 minutes.
To prepare the cavolo nero, cut the leaves free of the core and slice out any tough central stalks. Rinse, then chop roughly. Place in a pan of boiling salted water and cook for 3 minutes, drain and cool in a bowl of iced water, squeeze and set aside.
To make the brandy sauce, place the chopped shallots, garlic, carrot, celery and herbs in medium frying pan with the oil. Cook on gentle heat for 10 minutes or until really soft. Add the brandy, flambé and reduce the brandy by half. Add the veal jus, reduce by half again before passing through fine sieve making sure you press well on all the cooked vegetables. Bring the sauce to the boil, season with salt and pepper, reduce the heat and add the cold diced butter whisking thoroughly until fully combined and set aside.
Take the suckling pig out of the oven, brush with more olive oil and return to the oven for a further 45 minutes. Make sure there are cooking juices in the roasting tin, if not add some more fresh water. The water provides steam for the suckling pig to keep it moist.
Once cooked, take the suckling pig leg out of the oven and allow to rest covered in foil for 10 minutes.
To finish the dish, melt the butter in a pan and heat the cooked cavolo nero, season with salt and pepper. Heat the brandy sauce gently without boiling it and add the whole chesnuts and prunes. To serve, spoon a bed of cavolo nero on a warm plate, place the suckling pig leg and spoon with the chesnut, prune and brandy sauce.