Pork Belly Tortellini with Prosecco Poached Pears, Pecorino and a Sage Brown Butter

I’ve been so consumed with exam stuff and final projects that I have sadly neglected this site a little.

That’s not to say that I haven’t been cooking but as I don’t want anyone to know what my Tante Marie final exam dishes are, I can’t really blog them. So I was relieved today to find the time to do something a little different…a distraction if you will. 

Eatlikeagirl set a challenge on her blog to come up with a perfect food match to some Bisol Jeio Prosecco. I relish a new challenge and seeing as when I tried the stuff at her stall a few weeks back and liked it I thought this might just be for me. Find out more about this competition and her excellent website here . 

After securing a bottle myself we had a few taste tests to see what we thought it would work well with. We did our best Jilly Goolden impressions and came to the conclusion that the predominant flavour notes were toasted nuts with lots of fruit which we thought were either apples or pears (I think more pears).

From that I went on to construct a dish, which would compliment those characteristics in a simple relaxed Italian style, much like the prosecco. Relaxed style is not really my bag these days (as some might have noticed) but I have to admit it’s nice to get back to it. It’s also nice to see how far I can take dishes like these given my journey into doing all the hideously complicated ‘gastronomic Lego’ stuff. Actually at the end of it I feel the ‘less is more’ bug might be coming back to bite me…which in itself has made this a worthwhile project, even if nothing else comes of it. 

My dish I settled for was a pork belly tortellini with poached pears, pecorino and sage brown butter. The cheese and the brown butter give the perfect kind of nutty vibes with the pear complimenting the fruitiness. The addition of the prosecco itself into the menu doesn’t harm the combination either but the effect is a subtle undercurrent. 

For once I wont bang on about how good or bad it is and contrary to my track record write you out the full recipe with all the numbers and stuff so you can see for yourself if you like. 

Pork Belly Tortellini with Prosecco Poached Pears, Pecorino and a Sage Brown Butter. 

Serves 2 

500g pork belly with skin 

300ml chicken stock 

1 bay 

1 sprig thyme 

peppercorns 

half a carrot 

1 leak 

half an onion 

1 garlic clove 

150g butter 

small bunch sage 

200g pecorino 3/4 grated and the rest shaved 

100 ml Bisol Jeio Prosecco 

2 pears (peeled cored, and cut into 8 slices.) 

100ml water 

100g caster sugar 

200g 00 flour 

6 egg yolks 

1 egg 

1 tbsp olive oil 

pinch of salt 

salt and black pepper 

a little hazelnut oil 

Separate the skin from the belly and brine belly in a 15% water to salt mix for 2 hours. Drain, pat dry and place fat side down in a cold pan and turn on to a high heat. Melt the fat and brown on all sides. Remove from pan and drain of the fat. Deglaze with a little stock and then add the rest of the chicken stock, herbs and veg and the belly and braise for minimum of 2 hours in a covered pot or in the oven at 140oC. It’s done when it pulls apart easily with a fork. 

In the mean time salt the skin until the juices start to come out. Dry and salt again and put into the oven for about 45 mins at 220oC basting with its own fat regularly. Remove when blistered and crispy. Put to one side. 

To make the pasta, make a well with the flour and add all the ingredients. Mix with your finger in a circular motion and combine when it begins to come together. Knead for about 10 mins or until it springs back. Leave to rest for an hour in the fridge covered with cling film. 

Mix the sugar, water and prosseco in a pan and heat until sugar dissolves. Add the pears and cook until tender. Remove dice up half and leave to one side. 

Remove the belly and place in a bowl with some of the braising liquid. Leave to cool in the liquid so as to absorb some of the juices. Sieve the remaining braising liquid and put back in a wide bottomed pan and reduce to a thick constancy and season appropriately. 

When the pasta is ready, roll out with a floured pasta maker to the second from last setting and cut into large rectangles. 

Drain the belly and pull apart with your hands and a fork. Add the reduced braising liquid and mix well. Chill. 

Fill the pasta with a ball of the belly and shape into tortellini’s. 

Boil some salted water and cook the pasta for about 3-4 mins. 

At the same time brown the butter in a large frying pan and when the nutty aroma is at it’s peak and brown dots start to appear add the sage, the pear and the grated cheese and then the pasta with a little of the cooking water. Emulsify everything in the pan and toss till everything is warmed though. 

Season with salt and pepper and pour onto the plate. 

Decorate with a few deep fried sage leaves and some of the crispy skin and drizzle with a little hazelnut oil.

Comments

[Dan]

Ooof that's gotta hit the spot! Sounds and looks like a worthy contender to bag Trinity. Glad you've put the recipe up for once too.

[Essex Eating]

Very nice recipe. Looks bloody lovely.

[restaurantgroupie]

that look sooooo fricking good. i wish we could get good prosecco in australia!!! i love sage brown butter as well...argh actually i think this dish has everything i love - pasta, pork, butter, sage!!!