On very rare occasions, British cooking makes a big splash in the culinary world. The Bubble and Squeak is one such invention, and one which the acclaimed food writer Howard Hillman once described as one of the “great peasant dishes of the world”. The humble Bubble and Squeak has been around since at least the 1700s and is basically a mixture of fried up leftover cabbage and potato. Almost 300 years ago, the dish also contained beef, but since then there have been incarnations featuring bacon, pork bangers, chorizo and more! In this version, pulled pork was just… tickety-boo.
PULLED PORK AND CABBAGE ROULADE
TIME: 4 hours | SERVES: 4
for the pulled pork
olive oil
1 kg Eskort pork shoulder
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 stick celery, roughly chopped
1 carrot, roughly chopped
1 leek, cut into 3 pieces
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 bay leaves
about 5 fresh sage leaves
salt and freshly ground black pepper
200 ml white wine
375 ml chicken stock
for the cabbage
1 medium size cabbage
200 ml chicken stock
15 ml olive oil
45 ml butter
salt and freshly ground black pepper
for the duck fat fried potatoes
4 baby potatoes
330 g duck fat
salt
for the pulled pork
Heat the oven to 160 °C. Heat the olive oil in a large cast iron casserole, then place the pork shoulder in the casserole to brown on all sides. Take out and keep aside.
Place the onion, celery, carrot and leek in the casserole and fry for about 5 minutes. Then add the garlic, bay leaves and sage, and season with salt and pepper.
Place the pork shoulder in the casserole again and add white wine and stock. Cover with a lid and place in the oven.
Remove the pork shoulder from the oven after 2 ½ – 3 hours. Using two forks, pull the meat apart.
Blend the meat juices and vegetables until smooth, using a hand blender.
Add the pulled pork and mix.
for the cabbage
Slice the cabbage in thick round slices and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper. After pouring over the chicken stock, drizzle the cabbage with olive oil and dot with butter. Place in the oven for about 15 – 20 minutes – leaving them in the oven longer if the cabbage is sliced a bit thicker.
Take out of the oven and keep aside.
Fold some foil lengthwise to make a long, thin strip of foil for each slice of cabbage.
Wrap the foil around the edges of the cabbage slices, then remove some of the cabbage in the centre.
Spoon the pulled pork in the centre and drizzle over a little bit of oil.
Place back in the oven for another 15 minutes just before you serve the dish.
for the duck fried potatoes
Using a mandolin, thinly slice the potatoes, while heating the duck in a saucepan. Once the duck is warm, fry the thinly sliced potatoes until crispy and golden.
Drain on kitchen towel.
to serve
After removing the cabbage from the oven, arrange the potatoes on top and finish with micro herbs and broccoli tips.