Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 2 (100 page)

SUCKLING PIG

Cochon de Lait

Roast suckling pig is wonderfully dramatic to serve, delicious to eat, and is hardly more difficult to cook than a turkey. Your only absolute requirement is an oven large enough to hold the roasting pan that will be large enough for the pig; the pig will be around 20 inches long from end of rump to tip of snout, but it can be arranged either in the traditional straight crouch, illustrated farther on, or in a comfortable curl; a pan 12 by 18 inches and 2 inches deep would be the minimum size. You must also have something upon which to serve the pig, like a jumbo platter, a large tray, a carving board, or a piece of plywood covered with foil. You will want leaves, flowers, fruits, and vegetables for decoration; suggestions are in
Step 7 of the recipe
. Your final decision will be whether or not to stuff the pig. If you choose not to stuff, you should spread a flavoring of cooked chopped celery and onions, herbs (thyme, bay, sage), salt, and pepper in the cavity. Stuffing, however, not only flavors the meat, but also allows you to serve more people; use anything suitable for turkey or goose, such as sausages and apples, bread crumbs and onions, one of the
appropriate suggestions listed
, or the unusual
farce Trébizonde
suggested in the recipe here.

HOW TO ORDER A SUCKLING PIG

Be sure to order suckling pig well in advance, because this is not an everyday item. Specify the genuine milk-fed suckling pig, weighing 10 to 12 pounds and no more; heavier animals are too fatty and the skin is tough. After 14
pounds a pig is no longer suckling and would probably not fit into your oven anyway. It may be that when the pig is available, you are not, but you can have it wrapped airtight and frozen, where it will keep perfectly for several weeks at zero degrees or less. (Fresh pork is perishable; plan to roast the pig within a day or two of purchasing or defrosting it.) Ask that it be thoroughly cleaned inside and out, and that the eyeballs be removed because they burst during cooking. If the heart, liver, and kidneys come along with the pig, save them for your stuffing or use in the Provençal sausages,
caillettes
.

PREPARING THE PIG FOR ROASTING

To prepare the pig for roasting, soak for several hours in cold water with ¼ cup of vinegar and 2 tablespoons of salt for each 4 quarts of water. If your pig is frozen, it will defrost at the same time. Scrub inside the ears, nostrils, and mouth with a vegetable brush to be sure all is clean; scrub the feet also. Go over the pig to remove any hairs that might have been missed. Dry the pig thoroughly inside and out, and it is ready to stuff and roast.

COCHON DE LAIT, FARCI À LA TRÉBIZONDE

[Roast Suckling Pig Stuffed with Rice, Sausages, Apricots, and Raisins]

With this exotic mixture stuffed into your suckling pig you need just a green vegetable accompaniment, like buttered brussels sprouts or broccoli. A smooth and not too heavy red wine would be your best choice, such as a Bordeaux from the Graves or Médoc districts.

For 12 to 14 people

1)
Preparing the pig for stuffing—3 to 4 hours

A 10- to 12-pound suckling pig

Prepare the pig for roasting, soak it and dry it as described above.

2)
The rice, sausage, and apricot stuffing—farce Trébizonde—10 to 12 cups

NOTE
: Many of the steps in this stuffing may be carried on at once; we have separated each process, and leave the time sequences up to you.

1 lb. pure pork sausages (
preferably homemade
)

A medium (10-inch) frying pan with cover

¼ cup water

A 5- to 6-quart mixing bowl

A slotted spoon

Prick skin of sausages with a pin, arrange in pan with water, cover, and simmer 5 minutes. Uncover, drain off water, and sauté sausages slowly for several minutes,
until lightly browned. Remove, leaving fat in pan. Cut sausages into ½-inch lengths, and place in mixing bowl.

Either
the pig’s liver, heart, and kidneys cut into ⅜-inch dice (1¼ to 1½ cups);

Or
¾ lb. liver, calf or chicken, diced

¼ cup minced shallots or scallions

¼ tsp thyme

Salt and pepper

Heat fat in pan to very hot but not smoking, and stir in the liver mixture, shallots or scallions, and thyme. Toss and turn for 2 minutes, just to stiffen liver. Season, and scoop out into mixing bowl, leaving fat in pan.

2½ cups minced onions

Stir the onions into the pan, cover and cook slowly 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender and translucent. Season lightly, scoop half into mixing bowl, and leave the rest in the pan.

1 whole head of garlic

A pan of boiling water

Butter if needed

1½ cups plain, raw, white untreated rice

⅓ cup dry, white wine or dry, white French vermouth

1⅓ cups chicken broth, hot

1⅓ cups hot water

½ tsp salt

½ imported bay leaf

¼ tsp thyme

Big pinch saffron threads

Separate garlic cloves, drop them unpeeled into boiling water, and boil 2 minutes. Drain, refresh in cold water, slip off peel, quarter garlic lengthwise, and reserve. If fat in frying pan has darkened, drain onions and return them to pan with 3 tablespoons butter. Blend in rice, and stir over moderate heat for several minutes until rice becomes translucent, then milky in color. Stir in the wine or vermouth, chicken broth, hot water, salt, herbs, and saffron. Bring to the slow boil, add the garlic, and stir once; cover, and boil slowly for about 15 minutes, or until all liquid has been absorbed and rice is almost but not quite tender. Set aside, uncovered.