Rillettes or "simplicity is strength"

Rillettes is actually a pork spread. Its preparation is very simple, even primitive. But the result is worth it.

Meat is needed to make rillettes. So I bought a kilo of boneless pork belly. I cut it into bigger cubes, salt and peppered it. To each his own taste, but I personally recommend not to spare the spices. I also chopped two onions and put everything in the slow cooker. I covered it with two decilitres of white wine, set the pot on "low" and went to bed. I mean, cooking in the slow cooker is best done overnight. The process runs even when you're asleep.

In the morning, the kitchen was full of pleasant aromas - as it should be. After about ten hours of slow cooking, the meat was almost completely falling apart. I helped it a little more with a spoon and pulled small plastic jars out of the cupboard. Why small? I'll explain later. I divided the mixture of meat, fat and juices into the jars, and when it cooled a bit, I put it in the fridge to solidify the fat and juices.

And that's it, folks.

Rillettes are an excellent first aid when you come home hungry from work, for example. You spread some on a slice of fresh sourdough bread, bite into a cucumber or pickled onion, open a beer... wonderful.

Why did I stress to you to divide it into small bowls? Because it's so good that if you have a lot in front of you, it's easy to overeat. :)

And just as there are dozens of "guaranteed" recipes for potato salad in the Czech Republic, there are also dozens of recipes for the right rillettes. Some people use raw onions, some use fried onions. Some people use just pork belly, some add leaner meat, like neck (but not too much, the fat is an important part). Someone adds various spices, someone reduces the juice before the end - there are no limits to the imagination and everyone can actually do it their own way.

Bon appetit.