Felicity Vincent's Pork Meatballs & Celeriac Mash. (Serves 6)
Ingredients
Pork meatballs recipe
1 kg minced pork
120g stale bread
200g milk
30g parsley
1 red chilli
4 garlic cloves
2 ts fennel seeds
2 Tbs dried oregano
Sea salt
Black pepper
Apple & Onion gravy recipe
5 onions (red, white, or a mix)
3 apples
20 sprigs of thyme
2 veg stock cubes
800mL water
2 Tbs corn starch
Celeriac mash recipe
780g potatoes
760g celeriac
55g salted butter
80mL milk
2 tsp ground nutmeg
Seasonal greens
2 pak choi
100g kale (or cavolo nero)
1 Tbs rapeseed oil
1 Tbs apple cider vinegar
Sea salt
Black pepper
The Method
1. Prepare the bread
Tear up the stale bread into a bowl and cover it with the milk. Leave to soak for 10 minutes.
2. Prepare the aromatics
Thinly dice the parsley and red chilli, making sure to remove the seeds.
3. Mix the meatball ingredients
In a large mixing bowl, add the pork mince, diced chilli, parsley, fennel seeds, oregano, a few generous pinches of salt and black pepper, and the soaked bread. Crush all the garlic cloves finely into the bowl.
4. Combine the mixture
Mix the aromatics into the pork mince until evenly distributed. It's easiest to use your hands for this, but a large spoon can also work.
5. Test the seasoning
Warm up a large saucepan and add a bit of oil. Drop a teaspoon of the pork mix into the pan and cook until brown all over. Taste to see if the mix is well-seasoned or needs more salt.
6. Form the meatballs
Once you're satisfied with the taste, roll the pork mixture into meatballs using the palm of slightly wet hands.
7. Prepare the apples and onions
Peel and thinly slice the red onions. Quarter the apples, keeping the skin on for added nutrients, and remove the cores before thinly slicing them.
8. Cook the meatballs
Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the meatballs in batches, browning them on two sides (about 5 minutes per side). Once browned, remove them from the pan and set aside.
9. Cook the onions and apples
Add the onions to the pan with a pinch of salt and cook on medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes, or until they have caramelised evenly. Add the apples to the onions with an extra pinch of salt, the vegetable stock cubes, and water.
10. Simmer with the meatballs
Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Add the browned meatballs back into the pan along with any juices they released. Cover and cook on low heat for 30 minutes.
11. Prepare the green
Wash and slice the greens. Steam them for 8 minutes or until al dente. Dress with oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper.
12. Thicken the gravy
Before serving, mix 2 tablespoons of cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water in a small bowl to create a slurry. Stir this into the meatball saucepan while the gravy simmers until it thickens. For a thicker gravy, you can add more cornstarch slurry as needed.
Celeriac Mash Recipe
1. Prepare the celeriac
Peel the celeriac by slicing it in half, then cutting off the top and bottom. Use a knife to follow the curves of the celeriac along the sides to remove its skin. Always keep the flat side down to prevent slipping.
2. Dice the celeriac and potatoes
Dice the celeriac into bite-sized pieces. Dice the potatoes, leaving the skin on for extra nutrients, into chunks slightly larger than the celeriac as they cook faster.
3. Cook the vegetables
Put the diced celeriac and potatoes in a saucepan, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil. Add a couple of generous pinches of salt and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until a knife easily pierces them.
4. Mash the mixture
Drain the cooked vegetables and mash them while still hot, slowly incorporating the cold butter and milk.
5. Season the mash
Add ground nutmeg and salt to taste before serving.
6. Serve
Plate the meatballs with the apple and onion gravy, steamed greens, and a bed of celeriac mash.