Ingredients: (serves 10)

• 1 ham hock, smoked if possible
• 2 onions, roughly chopped
• 1 head of celery, roughly chopped
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 2 sprigs garlic
• 2 sprigs bay leaves
• 3 plum tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 5 pigs’ trotters
• 500ml red wine
• ½ tsp ground mace
• salt
• pepper

For the pane:

• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 2 eggs, beaten with a splash of milk
• 4 tbsp breadcrumbs

Method:

Wash the ham hock, place in a good-sized pot and cover with water. Bring to the boil, skim any scum off the water, and add half the following ingredients: celery, onion, rosemary, bay leaf and garlic. Simmer for about 3 hours until the meat is coming away from the bone. Allow to cool and shred all the meat off the bone.

At the same time in a deep roasting tray, roast the other half of the vegetables with the chopped tomato. When browned add the trotters, red wine, bay leafs, rosemary, add water until just covered, put tin foil over the trotters and braise in the oven (140ºC) for 3 hours, until falling apart. Drain in a colander and reduce the cooking liquor until thick (about the thickness of Yorkshire pudding batter). Remove all the meat from the trotters – you will find there is not a lot, but add half the skin and fat and roughly chop.

In a large bowl mix together the trotter meat, trotter stock and ham hock meat. Add the ground mace and check seasoning. Put this mix in an oiled shallow tray and set in the fridge for about 5 hours. When set, turn out and dice (about 2cm squares), pane (dip in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs) and deep fry at 180ºC until golden brown.

To serve:

Serve with some apple sauce or tartar sauce.