Pork Cheek Cannelloni with Truffle Cream

4 people

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

3h 45 mins

Total Time

I first had this dish at a restaurant called Forn de Sant Joan in Palma de Majorca. I love the combination of rich slowly braised pork cheek wrapped in beautiful pasta and the creamy truffle sauce topped with gratinated cheese. The pork cheek filling carries bags of flavour and it retains its moisture, so the cannelloni won’t be dry when you serve them. You can prepare this dish well in advance, by making the pork cheek filling and truffle cream the day before. You can either buy some fresh pasta sheets or you can make your own pasta.

Ingredients
Method

4 large fresh pasta sheets, cooked and cooled down in iced water
Parmesan cheese to grate all over
For the pork cheeks:
500g Iberico pork cheeks, all excess fat trimmed
4 tbsp olive oil
2 large banana shallots, finely chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and finely chopped into cubes
2 sticks of celery, finely chopped into cubes
1 bay Leaf
2 sprigs of thyme
Plain flour to roll the cheeks on
500ml beef stock
200ml amontillado sherry
Salt and pepper to taste
For the truffle cream:
2 large banana shallots, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp butter
50ml white wine
300ml whipping cream
2 tbsp of truffle paste or fresh black truffle to grate
Salt and pepper

In a large casserole dish, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil until it starts to smoke. Roll the pork cheeks in the flour and shake the excess flour off. Fry the cheeks in small batches, until golden brown. It takes about 3 minutes on each side. Drain the pork cheeks on kitchen paper and set aside.
In the same casserole dish, add the extra tablespoon of olive oil if needed and fry on a medium heat the chopped onions, carrots, celery and bay leaf. Make sure you scrape the bottom of the pan to pull off the caramelisation made when frying the cheeks and fry the chopped vegetables until the mix develops a light golden brown colour. About 8 minutes. Return the pork cheeks to the casserole dish, add the sprigs of thyme, season the cheeks with salt and pepper.
Pour in the sherry and cook on a high heat for 2 minutes until the sherry has reduced slightly. Pour in the beef stock, bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 3 hours. Once the cheeks are cooked, drain the cooking liquid and set aside. Use a fork to break all the cheeks into a shredded pork mix. Add enough cooking liquid to make the cheek filling moist. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
For the truffle cream, heat the oil and butter in a medium size pan and fry on a gentle heat the chopped garlic and onion until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the white wine, increase the heat and reduce the liquid by half. Add the cream and reduce by one quarter for about 5 minutes, this will thicken the sauce slightly. Season with salt and set aside.
Before serving, add the truffle paste or freshly grated black truffle.
Pre-heat your grill oven to the highest setting. In a sauce pan, heat your shredded pork cheek filling and spoon lengthways one quarter of the mix into each pasta sheet, roll each sheet into a cannelloni tube and place on an oven proof dish. Spoon the truffle cream sauce all over, grate some cheese and place under the grill until lightly brown. Serve immediately.

Ingredients

4 large fresh pasta sheets, cooked and cooled down in iced water
Parmesan cheese to grate all over
For the pork cheeks:
500g Iberico pork cheeks, all excess fat trimmed
4 tbsp olive oil
2 large banana shallots, finely chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and finely chopped into cubes
2 sticks of celery, finely chopped into cubes
1 bay Leaf
2 sprigs of thyme
Plain flour to roll the cheeks on
500ml beef stock
200ml amontillado sherry
Salt and pepper to taste
For the truffle cream:
2 large banana shallots, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp butter
50ml white wine
300ml whipping cream
2 tbsp of truffle paste or fresh black truffle to grate
Salt and pepper

Method

In a large casserole dish, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil until it starts to smoke. Roll the pork cheeks in the flour and shake the excess flour off. Fry the cheeks in small batches, until golden brown. It takes about 3 minutes on each side. Drain the pork cheeks on kitchen paper and set aside.
In the same casserole dish, add the extra tablespoon of olive oil if needed and fry on a medium heat the chopped onions, carrots, celery and bay leaf. Make sure you scrape the bottom of the pan to pull off the caramelisation made when frying the cheeks and fry the chopped vegetables until the mix develops a light golden brown colour. About 8 minutes. Return the pork cheeks to the casserole dish, add the sprigs of thyme, season the cheeks with salt and pepper.
Pour in the sherry and cook on a high heat for 2 minutes until the sherry has reduced slightly. Pour in the beef stock, bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 3 hours. Once the cheeks are cooked, drain the cooking liquid and set aside. Use a fork to break all the cheeks into a shredded pork mix. Add enough cooking liquid to make the cheek filling moist. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
For the truffle cream, heat the oil and butter in a medium size pan and fry on a gentle heat the chopped garlic and onion until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the white wine, increase the heat and reduce the liquid by half. Add the cream and reduce by one quarter for about 5 minutes, this will thicken the sauce slightly. Season with salt and set aside.
Before serving, add the truffle paste or freshly grated black truffle.
Pre-heat your grill oven to the highest setting. In a sauce pan, heat your shredded pork cheek filling and spoon lengthways one quarter of the mix into each pasta sheet, roll each sheet into a cannelloni tube and place on an oven proof dish. Spoon the truffle cream sauce all over, grate some cheese and place under the grill until lightly brown. Serve immediately.

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Chef's Profile

Javier De La Hormaza

Javier is a Basque born, trained chef and hospitality professional, owner of Basco Fine Foods, a Spanish food and drink importer based in Yorkshire. He regularly runs client food and drink events around the country and he is a course tutor at Hartingtons of Bakewell cookery school. Javier's passion lies on bringing quality Spanish ingredients and recipes to as many people as possible.

Twitter: @bascofinefoods
Instagram: @mrbasco