Faggots with Onion Gravy and Mushy Peas

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Mincer or food processor
• •Large ovenproof dish or deep roasting tin
• •Heavy-bottomed saucepan for the gravy
• •Medium saucepan for the peas

Instructions

1. 1

   Soak the peas

   The night before, tip the marrowfat peas into a large bowl and cover them generously with cold water. Add a pinch of bicarbonate of soda. Leave them overnight. They'll swell to nearly twice their size and the skins will soften. This step isn't negotiable. Tinned marrowfat peas exist, and they're fine in a pinch, but soaked and cooked from scratch they have a sweetness and a texture that the tin can't replicate.

   The bicarbonate of soda softens the skins. Don't skip it, but don't overdo it either. A pinch is enough. Too much and the peas taste of soap.
2. 2

   Prepare the faggot mixture

   Cut the liver and pork belly into rough chunks. You're going to mince them, either through a mincer on its coarse plate or in a food processor. If you're using a processor, pulse it. You want a coarse, rough texture, not a paste. Think sausage meat, not pâté. Tip the mince into a large bowl. Add the finely chopped onion, the breadcrumbs, the sage, the mace, and a generous seasoning of salt and pepper. Mix it with your hands until everything is evenly combined. It should smell deeply savoury, earthy and herbal, like a kitchen that knows what it's doing.

   If you're nervous about seasoning, pinch off a small piece of the mixture and fry it in a hot pan. Taste it. Adjust the salt and sage in the bowl before you shape them. This is the only reliable way to season raw meat mixtures.
3. 3

   Shape the faggots

   Divide the mixture into eight to ten portions and roll each into a firm ball, a little larger than a golf ball. If you have caul fat, rinse it gently in warm water (it's delicate, handle it like wet tissue paper), spread it out, and cut it into squares large enough to wrap each faggot. Tuck the edges underneath. The caul will melt during cooking and baste the faggots from the outside. If you haven't got caul, just shape them firmly and they'll hold together in the gravy. Pack them snugly into an ovenproof dish, touching but not crowded. Set the oven to 180C/160C fan.

4. 4

   Build the onion gravy

   Melt the butter in a heavy pan over a medium heat. Add the sliced onions and a pinch of salt. Stir them through the butter and then leave them alone, mostly. You want them to cook down slowly, softening from sharp and pale to sweet and golden, then on to a deep amber that smells like Sunday afternoon. This takes a good twenty to thirty minutes. Don't rush it. Stir when you remember. When they've collapsed into something sticky and dark, sprinkle over the flour and stir for a minute. Pour in the stock gradually, stirring as you go, then add the thyme sprigs and the Worcestershire sauce. Let it simmer for five minutes. Taste it. It should be rich, savoury, and just slightly sweet from the onions. Season as needed.

5. 5

   Braise the faggots

   Pour the onion gravy over the faggots in their dish. It should come about two thirds of the way up. Don't drown them; you want the tops exposed so they colour in the oven. Cover the dish with foil and braise for thirty minutes. Then remove the foil and give them another fifteen to twenty minutes uncovered, until the tops are burnished and the gravy is bubbling around the edges. The kitchen will smell extraordinary by now. Trust your nose. When it smells done, it is.

   If the gravy reduces too much in the oven, add a splash of stock or water. You want it loose enough to ladle generously. This is not a dish that benefits from restraint with the gravy.
6. 6

   Cook the mushy peas

   While the faggots are in the oven, drain the soaked peas and tip them into a saucepan. Cover with fresh cold water by a good few inches. Bring to a boil, skim off any foam that rises, then reduce to a gentle simmer. Cook for forty-five minutes to an hour, checking now and then and adding water if they start to look dry. You'll know they're ready when they begin to collapse of their own accord, going from individual peas to a rough, thick mass. Some will hold their shape and some won't. That's what you want. Stir in the butter, a squeeze of lemon or a splash of malt vinegar to brighten them, and season well with salt and pepper. They should taste green and sweet and savoury all at once.

   The consistency is a matter of preference. Some like them thick enough to hold a spoon upright; others like them looser, almost soupy. Add a splash of the cooking water back in if you want them wetter. There's no wrong answer here.
7. 7

   Serve generously

   Spoon two or three faggots onto each warm plate. Ladle the onion gravy over them, properly, not a polite drizzle but a generous pour. Put a good heap of mushy peas alongside. There are few better feelings than putting a warm plate of this in front of someone on a cold evening. It's the kind of meal that makes people go quiet for a moment, and then reach for more. That's all you need to know.

Chef Tips

• •Ask your butcher for the liver and the caul fat at the same time. Most will have both or can get them for you with a day's notice. Caul fat is one of those ingredients that sounds intimidating but is the easiest thing in the world to use: rinse it, spread it out, wrap, tuck. It melts away in the oven and leaves the faggots rich and self-basting.
• •Fresh sage is not optional here. Dried sage tastes musty and flat. Fresh sage, chopped finely so it runs through the mixture, is what gives faggots their particular warmth. Grow a pot on the windowsill if you can. It's almost impossible to kill and it earns its place in the kitchen ten times over.
• •This dish is better the next day. The flavours settle overnight, the gravy thickens as it cools, and reheating in a low oven brings everything back together with a depth that the first evening only hinted at. Make more than you need. Future you will be grateful.
• •The mushy peas want proper dried marrowfat, soaked overnight, not frozen garden peas mashed with a fork. The texture is different: starchier, more substantial, a proper partner for the gravy rather than a garnish. The overnight soak is the price of admission, and it's a small one.

Advance Preparation

• •The faggot mixture can be made a day ahead, covered, and refrigerated. Shape and wrap them the next day before braising.
• •The onion gravy can be made up to two days ahead and kept refrigerated. Reheat gently and pour over the faggots before braising.
• •The whole dish, faggots in gravy, reheats beautifully. Cover with foil and warm in a low oven (150C) for twenty to thirty minutes. The peas are best made fresh, but will keep refrigerated for a day and reheat on the hob with a splash of water.
• •Marrowfat peas must be soaked overnight. There is no shortcut for this. Plan accordingly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 430g)