Ben Williamson’s Orecchiette with Pork & Fennel Sausage
A pasta to nourish, warm and delight from Anyday chef and co-owner Ben Williamson. This dish is a favourite of Ben’s family. His kids ask him to make it at least once a week! Bitter greens balance the sweetness of the pork and adding ‘secret ingredients’ fish and soy sauce enhance depth of flavour.
Serves 4 || Prep time [15 minutes] | Cook time [35 minutes]
Ingredients:
100 g olive oil
1 brown onion
4-5 cloves of garlic
1 tsp of fennel seeds
5 g dried porcini
4-5 anchovy fillets
2 sprigs of rosemary
1 bunch of cime di rapa / turnip tops / Italian chicory
6 pcs (1 packet) Italian style pork and fennel sausages
200 ml dry white wine
100 g unsalted butter
50 g freshly grated Pecorino
100 g freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
500 g orecchiette pasta
To taste:
Salt
Cracked black pepper
Fish sauce
Soy sauce
Method
1. Crush garlic into a paste.
2. Finely slice the onion.
3. Remove skin from the sausages
4. In a sauté pan, heat the olive oil and add the sausages in batches, breaking these into small pieces to ensure each piece caramelises well over medium heat (8-10 minutes).
5. Place sausages, along with any liquid from the pan, into a bowl and set aside.
6. On low heat, add olive oil into a large pot or deep skillet and add the onions, garlic and fennel seeds. Cover with a lid for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally every 8-10 minutes. By putting the lid on the pot, the onions will sweeten instead of caramelising. Keep the heat low – don’t rush the onions!
7. Soak the porcini in boiling water for about 5-10 minutes. Drain the porcini and save the water. Set water to the side.
8. Add anchovies, porcini and sauté for 3 minutes. Add white wine to the pot and deglaze.
9. Add sausages to the pot, followed by the porcini water.
10. Add rosemary to the pot and allow the mixture to simmer, stirring occasionally.
11. Boil water for the pasta. Don’t salt the water for the pasta; add the salt into the actual dish at the end.
12. Once the water is boiling, cook the pasta until just before al dente. Save the pasta water. Don’t cook the pasta too much at this stage, because it will continue to soften once combined with the sauce and other ingredients.
13. Prep the greens by removing the leaves from the stems.
14. Remove the rosemary from the sauce.
15. Stir in the pasta.
16. The consistency of the sauce should be soupy and not too thick. If it is too dry, add more pasta water to rectify.
17. Taste and add in the fish sauce and soy sauce if necessary. These are the ‘secret ingredients’ for this dish and will add depth of flavour, aka bring out more unami.
18. Add the greens and mix well.
19. Fold in the cheese and butter. If the mixture is getting too dry, take the pan off the heat and add more pasta water.
20. Add in the cracked black pepper.
21. Taste and see if any more soy or fish sauce or salt is required.
22. Add a splash of fresh white wine to the pot just before serving and stir.
23. Plate and finish with a scattering of parmesan.
24. If desired, garnish with red chilli flakes or chopped toasted walnuts.
Watch Ben Williamson’s Orecchiette
with Pork & Fennel Sausage Recipe Video
Wine Pairing Recommendation by Sommelier, Rani Parish
Ben’s recipe is all rich pork, punchy fennel and toothsome orecchiette. To complement this dish, I recommend the 'Calvarino' Soave (2021 being its 50th vintage) by Pieropan, arguably one of Italy’s greatest white wine producers. It is made from a single hillside vineyard, perched above the picturesque Soave town.
I am always looking for maximum refreshment with wine and this is a vibrant and energetic drop. I've chosen it as a citrusy thirst quencher and palate freshener between bites of the rich pork and fennel sausage. Some mid-palate weight from a year on lees holds up to all the garlic and the creaminess that the pecorino brings.