Pork & Fennel Tortellini in Tomato Beef Broth

The Recipe

Serves: 6 people
Preparation: 1 hour
Cooking Time: 1 hour

“The essence of a good muffin is the muffin top, without it, we can just call it a naked cupcake.”

If you know me, you would know how obsessed I am with all things Sicilian. I guess there are times in our lives when we travel and certain experiences, people and places stick to your memories like glue. I feel that these experiences can define who we are as individuals as they represent a small piece of time in our lives where we felt happiest or completely fulfilled.

Sicily was I place I had always wanted to travel to and I found it to be one of the most magical parts of the world I have ever been. I learned how to discover, explore and laugh out loud again.. for this, it will remain forever etched into my heart.

Sentiments aside, let's talk about food. Sicilian food is some of the best I have ever tried in my life (yes I am being biased - but why not?). It is an amalgamation of Arab, Greek, French and Spanish cultures which makes it so unique and with it being situated in the Mediterranean sea it has an abundance of glorious, wonderful produce.

Tortellini en brodo is actually a northern dish, however, I first tried it in Sicily - this recipe is loosely based on a version of the traditional dish I ate in Palermo.

INGREDIENTS - Pasta Dough
6 eggs
600g plain flour

INGREDIENTS - Tomato Beef Broth
100g fennel stalks, roughly chopped
4 small garlic cloves or 8g, chopped finely
120g yellow onion, finely chopped
500g ripe Roma tomatoes, roughly chopped
1500g good beef stock
Salt and pepper to taste
20mls olive oil for cooking the onions

INGREDIENTS - Pork and Fennel Filling
300g pork mince
80g bacon or pancetta
½ tsp fennel seeds
100g fennel, finely chopped
1 clove garlic (4g)
20g red onion
1tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
½ tsp sweet paprika
40g grated parmesan cheese

METHOD
Place flour in a bowl or on a flat surface
Crack the eggs into the flour one at a time, combining the egg into the flour mixture each time
Knead the dough until it is completely smooth, for about 10 minutes (this all can be done in an electric mixer)
Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes.

METHOD
Fry the onions in the olive oil until translucent.
Fry the fennel stalks and then the garlic
Add in the tomatoes and let them cook slightly
Add in the beef stock and cook over low heat until the liquid has reduced by half
Allow the mixture to cool slightly before blending (explosions will happen otherwise!)
Blend the mixture and then fine-strain it
Set aside

THE METHOD
Cook the onion in olive oil until translucent
Add pancetta and cook through
Add the garlic, fennel seeds, fennel, onion and pork mince
Cook mixture through before adding the salt, pepper and paprika
Taste the mixture and add more seasoning if needed
Set aside and allow the mixture to cool completely
Blend in a food processor until fine.

GARNISH
Parmesan Cheese
Fennel Fronds
Sliced fennel

ASSEMBLY AND COOKING
When the pasta is set, roll it out with the pasta machine to the finest setting.
Cut circles with a round cookie cutter about 8cm in diameter
Place a teaspoon of the pork mixture into the centre of the circle
Wet one side with water and fold over into a semi-circle. Make sure all the edges are sealed tightly. Fold the two far edges of the semi-circle onto one another. Fold the excess of the semi-circle back down onto the base.

Bring a pot of salted water to the boil

Add in tortellini until they float to the top. Strain off the water

Heat the tomato stock in a separate pot

Place the tortellini in a bowl, spoon over the tomato stock

Garnish with parmesan cheese, thinly sliced fennel, fennel fronds, and olive oil.

Beetroot Salmon

The Recipe

Serves: 6 people
Preparation: Overnight
Assembly: 10 minutes

Amongst a slathering of cream cheese squeezed with some good rye or a spongy bagel, who doesn't like a bit of cured salmon?

This old school way of preserving fish dates back to the middle ages - this is known as gravlax and finds it's origins in Nordic countries such as Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Iceland. The Nordic fisherman used to bury salted and fermented salmon in sand.

However, the actual process of curing fish is known to have begun 3000 BCE, Mesopotamia where salt and sesame oil was used in the process.  As Phoenicians started trading salt, it became commonplace in the Mediterranean so the Greeks and Romans began developing their own methods of curing fish, meat and developing some pickling methods.

The idea of curing salmon imparts and infuses flavour into the fish while under a heavyweight and the salt brings out the moisture - enabling the fish or meat to be preserved for long periods of time.

This recipe is a quick and easy way to prepare fish without using heat or too much effort. The end result is impressive in colour and surprising in texture...

THE INGREDIENTS

600g salmon, de-boned
10g dill, leaves only
300g sea salt
500g fresh beetroot
100g white wine vinegar
20g dijon mustard
50g white caster sugar

THE METHOD

1. Peel and cut beetroot into rough cubes

2. Blend the beetroot with mustard and white wine vinegar until it makes a nice paste, set aside

3. Blend the salt, dill and sugar in a spice grinder or this will work in a blender as well

4. Line a tray with 2 layers of cling film

5. Line the cling film with half the amount of beetroot mixture and half the amount of the dill salt mixture

6. Place salmon on this mixture and then pour the remainder of the salt and beetroot on top of the salmon

7. Wrap the salmon firmly with cling film.

8. Place in a box and place a considerable amount of weight on the salmon. This will squeeze out extra liquid or moisture from the fish which is ideal for the curing process. Try a few kilograms of flour, wooden boards or containers filled with water.

9. Store the fish like this overnight

10. Drain of the excess liquid and wash the salmon well to remove all the salt.

11. Slice thinly with a very sharp knife

12. Serve on rye bread with dill, capers, red onions and a good creme fraiche or sour cream