PORCHETTA
SERVES12-15
Beginthisrecipe1 dayahead. You will
need kitchen string.
1 x 2.8-3kgpieceporkbelly(rumpend)
or shoulder, bone removed, skin scored
SEASONING
2 tbsseasalt
11 / 2 tbsfennelseeds,freshlyground
2 tbsfinelychoppedsageleaves
2 tbsfinelychoppedrosemaryleaves
4 garliccloves,finelychopped
1 tspfreshlygroundblackpepper
1 tsp dried chilli flakes
SALSAVERDE
1 garlicclove
Smallbunchparsley,leavespicked
1 tbssaltedcapers,rinsed
2 anchovyfillets,drained
Juiceof1 lemon
(^1) / 2 cup (125ml) extra virgin olive oil
Ensuretheporkis drybypattingdownskin
andfleshwithpapertowel.Laythepork,
skin-sidedown,ona cleanworksurface.
Fortheseasoning,mixallofthe
ingredientstogetherin a bowl.
Rubseasoningintothemeatthen
rollupthebellyandtietightlyusing
kitchenstring.Placeona wirerackover
a trayandrefrigerate,uncovered,
overnight.Thisallowsflavourstodevelop
and skin to dry. Allow pork to come
toroomtemperature before moving onto
thecooking.
Preheatovento170°C.Placetheporkon
a wirerackovera bakingtrayandroastfor
3 hours.Increasethetemperatureto
200°C,thencookfora further 30 minutes
oruntiltheskinis cracklingandgolden.
Removeandallowtorestfor 30 minutes.
Meanwhile,forthesalsaverde,finely
chopgarlic,thenaddparsleyandcontinue
tochop,addingcapersandanchoviesand
continuingtochopuntileverythingis
roughlyincorporated.Transfertoa small
bowl,squeezein thelemonjuiceandmix
inenougholiveoilsothatsauceis a
drizzlingconsistency.Seasontotaste.Cut
theporchettainto slices and serve with the
salsa verde.
CAVATELLIWITHSAUSAGE AND
CAVOLONERO
SERVES 4
400gsemolinaflour,plusextratodust
(^1) / 4 cup(60ml)extravirgin olive oil
1 onion,finelydiced
3 garliccloves,finely chopped
6 sageleaves
Pinchofdriedchilli flakes, plus extra
toserve
3 porkandfennelsausages (about 300g),
casingsremoved
400gcannedwholepeeledtomatoes
1 bunchcavolonero(about150g),stems
removed,leavesroughlychopped
Grated parmesan, to serve
Tomakethecavatellipasta,placetheflour
ontoa cleanworksurfaceandmixwith
a largepinchofsalt.Makea wellin the
centreandslowlypourin 3/4cup(180ml)
warmwater.If thedoughfeelsverydry
ordifficulttobringtogether,sprinkleover
alittleextrawater.Usingyourhands,
bringa littleflourata timeintothewater
untilyouhavea roughdough.Usea pastry
scrapertobringit alltogether.Kneadfor
10 minutesoruntilsmooth.Coverwith
plasticwrapand set aside for at least
30 minutes.
Dividethepastadoughinto4 pieces,
coverwitha cleanteatowelandsetaside
untilreadytouse.Workingwith1 pieceat
a time,placedough,ona lightlyfloured
worksurface,rolldoughintoa ropeabout
1.5cmthick.Cuttheropeinto1cmlengths
anduseyourfingertopressdownandroll
tocreatea smallcavern.Thisis bestdone
ona flatwoodenboard.Placethecavatelli
ontoa boardorteatowelgenerously
dustedwithsemolinaflour.Repeatwiththe
restofthedough,arrangingcavatelliin a
singlelayertoensure they don’t stick to
eachother.
Warmtheoliveoilin a largefrypanover
a low-mediumheat.Addtheonionandfry
gentlyfor 15 minutesoruntilsoftand
beginningtocolour.Stirin thegarlic,sage
anddriedchilli.Increaseheattomedium-
highandaddthesausagemeat.Breakup
themeatwiththebackofa woodenspoon
andcookfor3-4minutesuntilgolden.Add
tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes, then
SIMPLECOOKINGISwhatI’vealwaysknownandloved.It is thesortoffoodI grewup
eating– thoughtful,consideredanduncomplicated,in thebestpossibleway.If we had
goodingredientstobeginwith,littlewasneededtomakea beautifulmeal.
Foodandfamilyaresointertwined.Whilecookingforfamilyis,ofcourse,tosatisfy
hunger,it is somuchmore.‘Familyfood’is generousandunfussyanddemonstrates
loveandcare– it is perfectlyimperfect.Forme,it is alsoaboutmakingritualsand
creatingspecialmomentstogether;evensomethingassimpleaseggsontoastcanbe
a joyousoccasionwhenyouarealltogetheraroundthediningtable.Thatnotionof
beingtogetherandsharingfoodata tableis a practicethatis oftenlostin the
busynessofourlives.Nomatterwhatthedayhasbroughtus,thedependableactof
settingthetableandenjoyinga simplemealis comfortingandever-reassuring.
AYearofSimpleFamilyFoodbyJulia Busuttil Nishimura, Published by Plum, $39.99,
Photography by Armelle Habib
@juliaostro
delicious.com.au 87
EXTR ACT.