Crunchy pig's ear and morcilla with quail eggs and jamón

“For me, this dish truly encapsulates all the flavours of Andalucía, especially the morcilla, a Spanish version of blood pudding flavoured with onions and spices. The jamón you use really just depends on how much you want to spend- I’ve used Spanish jamón which can be pretty costly, but locally made product will do just fine.” Shane Delia, Shane Delia’s Moorish Spice Journey

• serves

  4

• prep

  25 minutes

• cook

  2:40 hours

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• vegetable oil, for deep-frying
• plain flour, for dusting
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 morcilla sausage, sliced (see note)
• 1 large slice day-old sourdough bread, torn into pieces
• large pinch of smoked sweet paprika
• 1 tbsp sherry vinegar
• handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves, coarsely torn
• 40 g butter
• 4 quail eggs
• 8 thin slices jamón
• 100 g mixed salad greens and cress
• extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Braised pig’s ears

• 2 pig’s ears (see note)
• 1 onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 carrot, coarsely chopped
• a few sprigs each of thyme and oregano
• 1 bay leaf

Caramelised onion dressing

• 2 onions, finely sliced
• 250 ml (1 cup) olive oil
• 60 ml (¼ cup) sherry vinegar
• 1 tsp wholegrain mustard

Almond puree

• 80 g (½ cup) blanched almonds
• 400 ml milk
• 60 ml (¼ cup) olive oil
• 1 tbsp sherry vinegar

This dish serves 4 as a starter or as part of a tapas

Instructions

To braise the pig’s ears, drop the ears into a saucepan of boiling water and simmer for 2-3 minutes to remove any scum and impurities. Drain the ears, then return to a clean pan. Add the onion, carrot, herbs and enough cold water to cover. Bring to the boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2½ hours or until the ears are very soft. Drain and set aside to cool, then cut into 5 mm-thick strips.

Meanwhile, to make the caramelised onion dressing, place the onion and oil in a wide, heavy-based frying pan over low heat and cook, stirring regularly, for 30 minutes or until caramelised. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Once cool, strain the onion through a sieve placed over a bowl. Finely chop the onions, then add to the bowl with the oil and add the vinegar and mustard. Stir to combine well and season to taste

To make the almond puree, place the almonds and milk in a saucepan and cook over low heat for 20 minutes or until soft. Remove from the heat, then process in a food processor until silky smooth. With the motor running, add the olive oil and sherry vinegar.

Heat the vegetable oil in a deep fryer or large saucepan to 180°C. Dust the pig’s ears in flour and deep-fry for a few minutes until golden and crisp. Drain on paper towel and season to taste with salt.

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat and cook the morcilla and bread, shaking the pan regularly, until golden and crisp. Add the fried pig’s ears, 2 tablespoons of the caramelised onion dressing, a pinch of paprika, the sherry vinegar and the parsley. Toss to combine well, then remove from the heat and set aside.

Wipe the pan clean, then return to low heat. Add the butter and, when melted, carefully crack the quail eggs into the pan and fry for 1-2 minutes or until the whites are set but the yolks are still runny. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

To serve, spread 1 tablespoon of almond puree along the base of each serving plate. Lay 2 slices of jamon on top, then scatter with the crunchy pig’s ear, morcilla and croutons. Top with the salad greens and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Notes

• Morcilla is a Spanish sausage made from pig’s blood. Since it is already cooked, it only needs browning in the pan. Available from Spanish delicatessens.

• You will probably need to order the pig’s ears ahead from the butcher. It’s a good idea to cook double the quantity you need for this recipe and freeze the rest to cook up for a quick salty snack. You can also cook them in a pressure cooker to halve the cooking.

• The caramelised onion dressing will make more than you need for this recipe but can be kept in the fridge for up to 1 week. The olive oil will become solid from refrigerating, so allow it to come to room temperature before using. 

Shane Delia's Moorish Spice Journey starts Thursday 15 October 2015 at 8pm on SBS and finishes 17 December 2015. Visit the Shane Delia's Moorish Spice Journey program page to catch-up on episodes online, scroll through recipes and read our interview with Shane.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.