SERVES 4
In markets, pig’s feet are not found at the stalls selling organ meats, tripe, and other extremities, but rather with loins, ribs, and other choice parts of the pig. They are beloved by many cooks. Case in point: Josep Lladonosa i Giró’s comprehensive cookbook El gran llibre de la cuina catalana (The Big Book of Catalan Cooking) lists sixteen different main dishes with pig’s feet (yet just ten for chicken).
I’ve adapted this favorite recipe from another grand book of Catalan cooking, Jaume Fàbrega’s El gran llibre de la cuina de les àvies (The Big Book of Grandmothers’ Cooking). Substitute pine nuts for the hazelnuts in the recipe, if desired, and add a pinch of ground cinnamon to the picada. The final texture of the dish should be a touch crunchy. It is a winter dish and I usually serve it with a green salad with fresh cheese and pomegranates (see page 49).
1. If the feet have not been precooked, clean and boil them. Scorch any remaining hairs on the feet with a flame or shave off with a disposable razor. Wash well with plenty of water.
2. In a stockpot or another large pot, put the feet, carrots, onions, leek, garlic, peppercorns, bay leaf, 1 parsley sprig, and 1 teaspoon salt and cover with the wine and about 3 quarts/3 L water. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pot, and gently boil for 2 hours, or until very tender. Carefully remove the feet from the pot and drain. Discard the vegetables, herbs, and liquid. After boiling, handle carefully so that the feet keep their shape as much as possible.
3. Trim the crusts and tear the bread into three or four pieces. In a small skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and fry the bread until golden, about 1 minute, turning as needed. Remove and reserve. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and the tomatoes to the skillet and prepare a simple sofrito by cooking them over medium heat until dark and pasty, 10 to 15 minutes. Add a touch of water to loosen it. There should be at least 2/3 cup/165 ml of sofrito. Set aside.
4. Meanwhile, prepare a picada with the reserved bread, the hazelnuts, and 1 to 2 tablespoons water, following the directions on page 39. Stir in the wine to make the paste spreadable.
5. Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C/gas mark 4.
6. Line a rimmed baking sheet or llauna (see page 187) with parchment paper and arrange the pig’s feet facing cut-side up. Season with salt and pepper and spread with the picada. Bake for 30 minutes. Watch that the picada doesn’t burn.
7. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and spoon the sofrito over the pig’s feet. Lightly drizzle olive oil over the top.
8. Turn the oven to broil, and place the baking sheet on a higher rack. Broil until the edges of the feet are brown and slightly crunchy, about 5 minutes. Watch that the tomato sauce doesn’t scorch. Transfer the feet to a serving dish and serve immediately.
