PORK NUDLI

INGREDIENTS For the stew: A little sunflower oil 1.2kg piece belly of pork 500g large baking potatoes Two carrots, cut thickly on the diagonal One large white onion, sliced Four cloves garlic, minced 50ml apple juice One litre pork or chicken stock Two bayleaves Maldon salt and freshly-ground black pepper For the kefir dumplings: 450g natural yoghurt 100ml water One tbsp cider vinegar One tbsp sunflower oil One tbsp unrefined golden caster sugar Large pinch of Maldon salt 700g plain flour, plus extra for rolling Two tsp bicarbonate of soda Extras: A nice deep casserole dish A few large gherkins One Savoy or green cabbage (optional) ]METHOD

First, get the pork under way. Heat the oven to 180ºC / Gas 4.

Peel and quarter the potatoes, lengthways. Cut the pork into thick slabs and season well.

Heat a slug of oil in a pan and sear the pork well, getting deep colour on all sides.

Remove the pork and set aside. Add the potatoes and cook on all sides, getting good colour.

Remove and add to the pork. Repeat with the carrots. Sweat the onions in the oil until softened and golden, then add the garlic and cook for a few more minutes.

Deglaze the pan with the apple juice and pile all the reserved ingredients back into the casserole.

Add enough stock to cover, add the bayleaves and plenty of seasoning and pop the lid on.

Bake for at least three hours, topping up the stock if necessary, until the meat is tender.

As the stew cooks, make up the kefir dough: Mix the yoghurt with the water, vinegar, oil, sugar and salt.

Sift the bicarb into the flour in the bowl of a mixer and add the kefir mixture, processing on slow, bringing it together to form a soft, pillowy dough. Add more flour if necessary.

It should be soft but not sticky. Wrap in clingfilm in the fridge until required. Then, cut into four. On a well-floured table, roll out each quarter to rough rectangles of 2mm thickness.

Brush with a little sunflower oil and roll into a tight sausage-shaped cylinder. Then, with a sharp floured knife blade, cut each sausage into 5cm-thick pieces. You should have over 30 little dumpling-whirls.

Check the stew – it should be just covered with the stock. Adjust if not, and then arrange the dumplings all over the surface of the stew, leaving no gaps if possible.

Replace the lid and bake for 20-30 minutes, until the dumplings are cooked through, soft and fluffy.

Remove the lid and cook for a further few minutes to allow the tops to become golden, then set aside and cool a little before serving.

Tradition suggests pickled aubergine or cucumbers, but I see no reason why a lovely bowl of Savoy cabbage wouldn’t suit this dish down to the ground either.