Pork belly and pigs’ cheeks in red wine sauce with gnocchi
This is a rich and flavourful dinner that is perfect for a dinner party or special occasion.
Ingredients
For the pork in red wine sauce
- 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú butter
- 500g/1lb 2oz pigs’ cheeks, fat on and each cheek cut in half
- 500g/1lb 2oz pork belly, cut into chunks
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 100²µ/3½´Ç³ú smoked lardons
- 1 tbsp flour
- 1 head of garlic, cloves separated and peeled
- 750ml/1¼ pint red wine
- 2 thyme sprigs
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
For the gnocchi
- 500g/1lb 2oz potatoes, skin on and cut into even-sized chunks
- 2 free-range egg yolks
- 100²µ/3½´Ç³ú plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú butter
- bunch of fresh basil, leaves picked and shredded, to garnish
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
For the pork in red wine sauce, heat the butter in a casserole dish and sauté the pigs’ cheeks and pork belly for a few minutes, turning until the meat is browned on all sides. Remove the meat from the pan and set aside.
Add the onions and lardons to the casserole. Sweat for 10 minutes, or until the onion has softened and the lardons are cooked. Stir in the flour and cook for a minute, then add the meat back to the dish. Add the garlic, wine, thyme, bay leaf and enough water to just cover the ingredients in the dish. Simmer for 1–1½ hours, or until the meat is completely tender. Add the carrots and more water if needed and cook for another 30 minutes. If the sauce needs to reduce, cook for slightly longer. Remove the garlic cloves, thyme sprigs and bay leaf.
Meanwhile, make the gnocchi. Place the potatoes in a saucepan of salted cold water. Bring to the boil and cook until the potatoes are tender, but not falling apart (about 15–20 minutes depending on the size of your potatoes). Drain and leave to cool slightly. When cool enough to handle, remove the skins. While the potatoes are still warm, mash them until very smooth or pass through a ricer, then set aside to cool completely.
Season the cooled potatoes with salt and pepper, stir in the egg yolks and add the flour. Bring the mixture together to form a dough.
Sprinkle some flour on a clean work surface and roll out the dough into long sausage shapes. With a sharp knife, cut the dough into dumpling shapes of about 2cm/1in.
Bring a large pan of water to the boil and drop in the gnocchi. Simmer until they rise back to the top then lift them out with a slotted spoon. Leave to drain on kitchen paper.
Heat the butter in a frying pan and add the gnocchi. Fry gently on each side until the gnocchi just starts to colour. Garnish the gnocchi with the basil and serve with the pork in red wine sauce.
