Pourcelet farci
(Stuffed Suckling Pig)

Origin: French      Period: Medieval

Original Recipe

Pourcelet farci (from Le Viandier de Taillevent)

POURCELET OU COCHON FARSY. Soit eschaudé, et bien lavé, et mis en la broche, la farce faicte des yssues du cochon et de chair de porc cuite, et des moyeulx d'oeufz, de fromage de gain, de chastaignes cuites, pelées, et de bonne pouldre d'espices; et mettez tout ou ventre du pourcelet et cousez la fente, et mettez en rost, et bacinez à la cuillier, en tournant le rost, de vinaigre et de bon sain boullant; et le mengiez au poivre jaunet tout chault; et aucuns pareceulx le menguent à la cameline.

Translation:

Pourcelet farci: Roast Stuffed suckling Pig or Piglet. It should be scalded, washed well and put on the spit. The stuffing is made from the viscara of the piglet, from cooked pork, cooked egg yolks, a rich cheese, cooked, peeled chestnuts, and good spice powder (var.: and salt); all of this is ground together and put into the belly of the piglet, and the cut is sewn up; then put it to roast basting it with vinegar and good boiling grease and salt; eat it with hot yellow Pepper Sauce - some lazy persons eat it with Cameline Sauce.

Modern Redaction

Ingredients:

1 9–11.5kg Pig
3.6kg Roasting Pork, chopped into small pieces
910g Goats cheese
680g Pig's liver
455g Chestnuts, roasted and peeled
450ml Olive oil
450ml Red wine vinegar
24 Egg yolks, hard-boiled and chopped
2 tbsp Salt (or to taste)
2 tbsp Pepper (or to taste)
1 tbsp Ginger (or to taste)
1 tbsp Cloves (or to taste)
1 tbsp Sugar (or to taste)
1/2 tsp Salt
Butcher's twine and needle

Method:

Cut the liver into small pieces, fry or boil until cooked then drain and allow to cool, then finely chop or mince the liver into very small pieces and set aside.

Grind the chestnuts to a paste and dice the Brie as small as possible.

Combine the roast pork, cooked liver, egg yolks, cheese, chestnuts, and spices and mix thoroughly. Stuff the pig with this mixture, then using the butcher's twine and needle to sew up the opening. Place the pig on parchment paper on a large baking sheet then cover the ears, the snout, and the tail of the pig with cooking foil, to prevent burning.

Combine the oil, vinegar, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Baste the pig thoroughly with this before placing in an oven pre-heated to 200°C. Roast the stuffed pig for 3½–4 hours, basting thoroughly every 15 minutes, until completely cooked through.

When completely roasted, remove the pig from from oven. Remove the foil from the ears, snout, and tail, then carefully transfer the pig to a large cutting board or garnished serving platter. Serve with Yellow Pepper Sauce or Cameline Sauce.

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