This pork fillet recipe is impressive enough for a dinner party yet simple enough for a delicious midweek meal. Wrapping the fillet in smokey speck ham gives fantastic depth of flavour and contrasts beautifully with the tart apple sauce.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

– 6 x 180g chunks of pork fillet
– 4 tbsp wholegrain honey mustard
– 150g smoked speck, thinly sliced
– 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

For the applesauce
– 4 eating apples, such as Melinda or Pink Lady
– 100ml water
– 1 tbsp muscovado sugar or caster sugar

Method:

1. To make the applesauce, peel, core and chop the apples. Put the water and sugar in a saucepan and simmer until the sugar dissolves, then add the apples, cover and cook for 15 minutes, until the apples have softened. Blend to a smooth consistency.
2. Pound the pieces of pork until they are all about 5cm thick. Coat lightly with the mustard. Wrap each chunk of pork in speck and secure with a toothpick.
3. Heat the oil in a wide, heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat. Add the pork and seal on all sides. Cover and cook for 6 minutes on each side. Serve with a helping of applesauce.
4. You could use pancetta or guanciale instead of speck. Sometimes I like to add raisins and pine nuts to the applesauce if the fancy takes me.

 ‘In Italy, eating translates into saporous feasts, merriment and chat, and all guilt  free. I had travelled from purgatory to heaven.’ So begins Eileen Dunne  Crescenzi’s wonderful adventure with Italian food, culture and celebrations. In  Festa the renowned restaurateur shares the recipes and memories that defined her  many happy years living la dolce vita. For every occasion there is a recipe, and for every recipe there is a story about the trials and triumphs of an Irish food lover’s  life in Italy.

To buy your copy visit www.gillmacmillanbooks.ie.

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