Gnocchi with Pork & Veal Ragu

Serves 4

Time 2 hours

Ingredients

Ragu
1 onion, diced
¼ fennel, diced
1 carrot, diced
2 sticks celery, diced
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt & pepper
3 bay leaves
1 sprig basil, leaves picked
50g butter
⅓ cup white wine
½ cup red wine
1 cup passata 

Meat
3L chicken stock
300g speck
300g pork neck
300g veal chuck
½ fennel
½ brown onion
2 sticks celery
1 tbsp thyme
2 bay leaves
Salt & pepper

Gnocchi
1 egg
250g plain flour
1kg large Nicola potatoes, boiled with skin on, peeled
½ tsp salt

Method

To 2 litres of boiling chicken stock add speck, veal, pork, fennel, onion, celery, thyme, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Top up with remaining stock to cover the meat. Cover and simmer over a low heat for 45 minutes.
To make the ragu add butter, onion, fennel, carrot, celery and extra virgin olive oil to a hot pan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, celery and half of the basil. Allow to sweat down for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Add wine and pasta and allow to simmer.
Peel the boiled potatoes and put through a ricer into a large bowl. Create a well in the potato and add the flour, egg, and a pinch of salt. Add flour in small amounts to ensure the dough doesn’t become too dry. Use your fingers to bring it together. Gently knead until it forms a smooth dough. Use a sharp knife to slice the dough into 5-6 chunks, dust with flour. Slice each of those into 3 long slices and roll into a sausage shape – about the width of your finger. Dust with flour and slice. Roll the gnocchi pieces down the small holes of a box grater and set aside on a plate.
Remove the meat and shred. Add the shredded meat to the sauce just before serving.
Cook gnocchi in boiling salted water, gently stir around to ensure it doesn’t stick to the bottom. Use a spider and drain the gnocchi, add to the sauce before serving.