Cannelloni with Braised Pork Cheeks and Sweet Cicely

Name: Cannelloni with Braised Pork Cheeks and Sweet Cicely
Yield: serves 4
Ingredients: 2 pounds pork cheeks (trimmed of any excess fat and sinew); Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper; 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling; 2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped; 4 cloves garlic, smashed; 1 onion, chopped; 1 cup white wine; 3 cups Prosciutto Broth (page 47); 2 fresh bay leaves; 3 tablespoons minced sweet cicely or chervil; 1/2 recipe Egg Pasta (page 84); 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced; 1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano; Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

December 14, 2011

Cannelloni, you say? Isn’t that the type of old-school Italian food you order at places with red-and-white checked tablecloths and candles stuck into Chianti bottles? Well, yes, and no. For this dish, you first braise some succulent pork cheeks until they shred when you look at them. Then you create a rich, savory broth that you use to moisten the pork, and accent it with sweet cicely, an herb with an aniselike flavor. Roll it in silken squares of pasta and coat with Parmigiano-Reggiano and cream. Sometimes old school is worth resurrecting.

Recipe notes

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