Anthony Felan, executive chef at the helm of Wine Country Bistro, is a Bossier City native who grew up tending his grandfather’s chicken coops and gardens before moving to San Francisco to attend Le Cordon Bleu. After graduating, he spent years “scrubbing floors and peeling vegetables in some tough kitchens” before cooking alongside revered West Coast chefs like Fabrice Marcon. Skyrocketing rent and a desire to be with his family drew him back toward home, and he found a kindred spirit in restaurateur Jason Brady, owner of Wine Country Bistro, who supported efforts to source ingredients from local farmers. “I’d pack up the car and cruise around to area farms, knocking on doors and buying anything they had to sell,” Felan says. A steady supply of local produce now fills the kitchen. Popular dishes at Wine Country Bistro include fried pickled green tomatoes with tarragon shrimp salad, pan-seared duck breast with roasted jalapeño and basil corn pudding, and crispy local pork belly served with an apple chive salad and house-made pickles.
Wine Country Bistro
4801 Line Ave., Shreveport
(318) 629-9463
cadrehg.com/wine-country
Confit Pork Belly with Apple Chive Salad, Louisiana Sweet Potato Pureé and Abita Root Beer Glaze
confit pork belly
2 ½ pounds pork belly
(skin on )
3 quarts duck fat
( You can also use
canola oil)
2 large shallots
(sliced )
5 cloves garlic
(crush and leave
whole)
1 bay leaf
4 sprigs fresh thyme
4 tablespoons belly
cure
Pork Belly Cure
1 teaspoon ground
black pepper
¼ teaspoon ground
cinnamon
1⁄8 teaspoon ground
clove
1⁄8 teaspoon allspice
1 bay leaf crushed
2 sprigs thyme
chopped
3 tablespoons salt
Apple chive salad
1 Granny Smith
apple cut into
match stick size
2 tablespoon
chopped chives
Extra virgin
olive oil
1 lemon
Salt to taste
Abita root beer glaze
2 cups cane vinegar
2 cups granulated
sugar
3 bottles Abita root
beer
1 tablespoon
pickling spice (use
cheese cloth to
make sachet)
Louisiana Sweet potato puree
2 large sweet
potatoes
4 cups cream
¼ teaspoon
cinnamon
Salt and pepper
to taste
1. Pork Belly Cure Mix all ingredients together.
2. Before you confit pork belly, you must first cure for 24 hours to pull moisture out. Season pork belly with cure. Place in a container big enough to hold belly. Let cure in refrigerator overnight.
3. Confit Pork Belly Preheat oven to 275°F. Remove belly and lightly brush excess cure away (leaving some on is OK). Place in pan big enough to hold belly and 3 quarts of fat. Place sliced shallots, garlic, bay leaf and thyme on top. Before you place belly in oven gently fold parchment paper over belly to keep submerged in oil while cooking, cover with foil and cook for 4-5 hours.
4. When belly is nice and tender, gently remove from oil and place in casserole dish, weigh down with plates and let cool. Portion belly by removing skin and cutting into 2 x 2 inch squares. Using some of the oil from cooked belly, sear portioned belly in cast iron pan till golden brown on all sides.
5. Apple Chive Salad Mix apples and chives in bowl, drizzle with olive oil, lemon juice and salt to taste. Garnish crispy belly with salad.
6. abita root beer glaze In saucepan add sugar and vinegar and cook till sugar is dissolved. Add root beer to sugar mixture (careful mixture will be hot and root beer will foam up). Add sachet of pickling spice to mixture. Cook till reduced by half and is a nice glaze. Remove sachet. Strain into clean vessel
7. louisiana sweet potato pureé Wash, peel, and chop sweet potato into two-inch pieces. Place sweet potato in to medium size pot and cover with cream, add cinnamon and salt and pepper. Simmer potatoes till fork tender. Strain cream and set aside. Place cooked sweet potato in to blender and add enough cream to help blender puree sweet potatoes. You want a smooth silky puree. Adjust seasoning to taste.
Serves 6
