Recipes

Method

1. 1.
   Gnocchi: Preheat oven to 200°C. Prick the potatoes with a fork and bake in oven on rock salt till the potatoes are soft, approximately 1½ hours. The bigger the potato the longer they will take, so try to pick medium size potatoes, ones that are about the size of a stretched orange. When the potatoes are cooked, remove from the oven, allow to cool slightly, then cut in half and scrape out all the soft flesh and pass this through a mouli with the fine hole attachment. Otherwise use a potato masher. Place the “passed” potato on to a lightly floured bench, add egg yolks, Parmesan, most of the flour and salt and begin kneading the dough – add more flour till the dough feels firmer, but still soft and slightly ‘tacky’. Don’t be afraid to add more flour if you think it is too soft. Some potatoes hold more moisture than others so will need a little more flour to bind. Start rolling into logs about the thickness of a 20c pieces and cut gnocchi pieces with a metal scraper or a blunt knife into 3 to 4 cm long pieces. Put gnocchi pieces on a lightly floured tray and cool in fridge for 30 minutes before cooking in salted boiling water for about 4 minutes. The gnocchi will float to the top of the pot when done. Scoop out the gnocchi pieces, on to a lightly oiled tray and place in the fridge immediately. The gnocchi can stay there until the pork ragu is ready.
2. 2.
   Pork shoulder & confit fennel ragu: Season the pork pieces with salt and pepper. Heat oil in pans and seal the pork to golden, strain off the excess fat in a colander. Meanwhile, start the soffrito base of the onion, celery, garlic, herbs & fennel seeds in a heavy based saucepan using more blend oil. Allow the veg to caramelize well but DO NOT burn – nut brown colour is what you are looking for. Increase the heat, deglaze with the white wine, stir well for 3 minutes, then add the pork pieces and chicken stock (make sure enough stock so the mix is well covered), bring to boil. Carefully tip into a roasting tray, cover with a cartouche of baking paper, wrap in foil and cook in oven at 170°C until the pork is soft and tender, but should not be ‘shredding’ apart – may take 1½ to 2 hours – you will need to check.
3. 3.
   Confit fennel: Separate the tops from the bulbs of fennel. Remove the core of the fennel bulbs and then slice into slices about 1cm thick. Meanwhile, finely slice the tops along with the feathery tops. Heat oil in a heavy based saucepan till very hot, add the sliced fennel bulb and cook on a medium heat till the fennel starts to soften, then decrease to low heat and continue to cook slowly for about 30 minutes altogether. Remove from heat, stir in tops and season with salt and pepper. Set aside, this mix will keep for 5 days in the fridge.
4. 4.
   To plate the dish: Bring a pot of well salted water to the boil. Meanwhile reheat the pork ragu and stir in some of the confit fennel. Plunge the gnocchi into the boiling water for about 3 minutes, until the gnocchi floats again, then gently remove from the pot and add to the piping hot ragu. Spoon this into serving bowls, garnish with picked fresh oregano leaves, freshly grated pecorino and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.