Frit Mallorquí de Matances

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide heavy frying pan or low-sided sauté pan (30 to 32cm)
• •Slotted spoon or frying spider
• •Heatproof tray or large platter
• •Heatproof jug for reserved frying oil
• •Instant-read thermometer

Instructions

1. 1

   Cut and dry

   Prepare the vegetables first, then use a separate board for the pork and liver. Keep every main ingredient close to 1.5cm across so it cooks at the same rate. Blot the shoulder, belly and liver thoroughly with kitchen paper and keep them in separate bowls. Wet meat releases water and goes grey in the pan instead of browning.

   Don’t rinse raw pork liver. Trim it, blot it dry and wash the board, knife and your hands with hot soapy water before touching cooked food.
2. 2

   Fry the potatoes

   Heat the olive oil in a wide, heavy pan to about 170°C. A potato cube should bubble steadily as soon as it enters. Fry the potatoes in two batches, turning occasionally, for 10 to 12 minutes per batch. They’re ready when a knife enters without resistance and the edges are deep gold. Lift them onto a tray with a slotted spoon and season while hot with 4g of the salt. Carefully ladle all but 45ml of oil into a heatproof jug.

3. 3

   Brown the pork

   Set the pan over medium-high heat. Season the pork shoulder and belly with 3g salt and 1g black pepper. Add the belly first and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until its fat is glossy and its edges have browned. Add the shoulder in a single layer and fry for 6 to 8 minutes, turning until browned and cooked through. If the pan is crowded, cook the shoulder in two batches. Lift both meats onto the tray with the potatoes.

4. 4

   Cook the liver

   Season the liver with 2g salt and the remaining 1g black pepper. Raise the heat and place the pieces in one uncrowded layer. Fry for 4 to 5 minutes, turning once or twice, until browned outside and cooked through but still tender. Pork liver should reach 71°C in the centre. Remove it promptly and keep it separate from the other cooked ingredients; leaving it in the pan while the vegetables cook would make it hard.

5. 5

   Soften the vegetables

   Spoon off excess fat so about 45ml remains in the pan. Lower the heat to medium and add the crushed garlic, bay leaves and whole guindilla. Cook for 30 seconds, then add both peppers and 2g salt. Fry for 5 minutes, stirring now and then. Add the spring onions and cook for another 4 to 5 minutes, until the peppers are tender with browned edges and the onions have gone soft. Stir in 10g of the chopped fennel for the final 30 seconds.

6. 6

   Bring it together

   Return the belly, shoulder, liver and potatoes to the same pan. Add the final 1g salt and turn everything gently for 2 to 3 minutes, just long enough for the seasoned oil and fennel to coat every piece. Remove the bay leaves and guindilla. Scatter over the remaining 5g fennel and carry the pan straight to the table. The ingredients should remain distinct, not collapse into a hash.

Chef Tips

• •Buy pork liver from a butcher with good turnover. It should look moist and deep burgundy, with no dry edges or sour smell. Use it the day you buy it, and keep it properly chilled until the pan is ready.
• •Pork shoulder is the dependable substitute for the Mallorcan magre sold simply as lean pork. Loin also works, but it has less fat and dries sooner; fry 1.5cm pieces for only 3 to 4 minutes before checking them.
• •Wild fennel gives the dish its Mallorcan scent. The fronds from a supermarket fennel bulb are quieter but sound. If neither is available, use 1 teaspoon lightly crushed fennel seed; the result will taste warmer and more aniseed-like, without the fresh green note.
• •Let the leftover frying oil cool completely, strain it through a fine sieve and refrigerate it in a closed jar. Use it within three days for potatoes or another pork dish. Don’t pour good oil away merely because it has done one morning’s work.
• •Serve the frit with sturdy bread and a young, dry Mallorcan red based on Manto Negro, or another light to medium-bodied red. It needs freshness beside the liver, not a heavy wine that sits on top of it.

Advance Preparation

• •Cut the peppers, spring onions and fennel up to 8 hours ahead and refrigerate them separately in covered containers.
• •The shoulder and belly can be diced up to 8 hours ahead. Keep the liver in a separate covered container, use it the same day and blot it dry only when the pan is ready.
• •The potatoes can be diced up to 4 hours ahead and held under cold water. Drain and dry them thoroughly before frying; clinging water makes the oil spit and prevents proper browning.
• •The finished frit keeps for 2 days in the refrigerator, but the potatoes soften. Reheat it in a wide pan over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, turning gently, rather than adding more oil.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 430g)