( recipe )
branch of Corks will be opening soon in a shipping container! Corks at Cargo will be appearing on the Wapping Wharf development on Bristol’s Harbourside in the next few weeks.) Now, it’s easy to associate Vouvray with the cheaper, slightly sweeter examples that floated around in years gone by, but put any preconceptions on hold. This particular biodynamic wine is made using older vines from various vineyards. Aged for two months in oak and then in stainless steel, it’s far from oaky but has an incredible texture that works so well with the pork ragu. Its apple-sweet tang is great with the fennel and the lift at the end from the wine’s subtle acidity really picks up on the ricotta gnocchi. At this point I have to give a huge shout out to head chef Joe Harvey, who created this stunning dish. Coming from Italian stock, his skill in food and wine comes as second nature. He also has a few successful Bristol restaurants on his CV – think Riverstation, Papadeli and Manna, as well as a stint at Bell’s, of course. Joe’s grandfather was even the head chef at the first Berni Inn, at the Llandogger Trow on King Street. So food is truly in the family’s blood! Berni Inns aside, thank goodness he’s got Bellita in his grips. His passion and ingenious palate gives me yet another reason to be so very pleased to call Bristol my home. The team have created a proper little culinary oasis on Cotham Hill, and have put as much effort into their niche wine list as their crazy-good food. Dunleavy Rosé, £11.50 direct from Ingrid, mention Crumbs for a 10-percent discount on a case of 12; dunleavyvineyards.co.uk; Vouray Silex Vigneau Chevreau 2015, £14.99 from Corks of Cotham and Corks of North Street; corksofbristol.com
Serve your ragu with dehydrated tommies and fried sage like Joe does, if youʼre feeling fancy
PORK and FENNEL SEED RAGU with RICOTTA GNOCCHI and PARMESAN (SERVES 6)
INGREDIENTS
METHOD
For the ragu: glug of olive oil 500g pork belly, diced 100g pancetta 1 onion, finely chopped 1 stick of celery, finely chopped 1 carrot, finely chopped 4 garlic cloves 1 tsp rosemary, chopped 1 tsp thyme, chopped 1 tsp of whole fennel seeds 1 star anise pinch of chilli flakes 200ml white wine 400g chopped tomatoes 200ml pork stock 1 bay leaf For the gnocchi: 250g ricotta 2 egg yolks 40g grated Parmesan pinch of nutmeg 100g ‘00’ flour semolina, for dusting
✱ Andy Clarke is a freelance
TV producer and writer; follow him on Twitter @TVsAndyClarke; one4thetable.com
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– First, make the ragu. Heat a large casserole pan over a medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and diced pork belly and cook until the pork is caramelised and coloured all over (depending on the size of your pan, you may have to do this in smaller batches so that your meat doesn’t stew). Once this is achieved, remove the pork with a slotted spoon and set aside. – Drain any excess fat from the casserole and add the pancetta to the pan (we use our house-cured fennel pancetta, but any shop-bought pancetta will do). Cook the pancetta until it is crispy and all the fat has been rendered. – Next, reduce the heat of the casserole and add the onions, celery, carrot, garlic, rosemary, thyme, fennel seed, star anise and chilli flakes. Stir and fry for 5-10 minutes until softened and ever so slightly caramelised. – Return the pork belly to the casserole and combine. Pour in the white wine and boil for 1 minute. – Next, add the chopped tomatoes, pork stock, bay leaf and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Once the ragu has started to boil, cover with a lid and cook slowly on a low heat for 3 hours. – Now make the gnocchi. Strain the ricotta in a sieve or through a cloth, and place it in a bowl with the egg yolks, Parmesan and nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper and combine, gradually adding the flour. – Dust a surface with the semolina and roll the gnocchi dough out into sausages – aim for the diameter of your thumb. Cut the gnocchi into bite-sized pieces and set aside. – Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil and add the gnocchi. They are cooked when they rise to the surface. – Add the gnocchi straight into the pork ragu, and serve (we recommend running a whisk through the ragu first to break up the pork belly, but if you prefer bigger chunks of meat then just serve as it is). We garnish ours with dehydrated cherry tomatoes, crispy fried sage and grated Parmesan. ✱ bellita.co.uk
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