Celeriac and veal pelmeni in chicken broth

Method

1. For the dough, combine the flour and salt in a mixing bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the eggs and 4 tbsp cold water, then slowly whisk. Bring the dough together with your hands – it will be quite firm.
2. Turn out the dough and knead for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. (Alternatively, knead on a medium speed in a stand mixer with a dough hook fitted for 5 minutes.) Wrap in cling film and chill for 1-2 hours.
3. Meanwhile prepare the filling. Peel and roughly chop the celeriac, putting it in a large pan of cold water with a squeeze of lemon juice to stop it discolouring. Bring to the boil and cook for 20 minutes until very tender. Drain and return to the pan.
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5. Heat a glug of oil in a small frying pan and gently fry the onion for 10 minutes, without colouring, until soft. Add the mince, season with salt and pepper, then gently fry for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until starting to brown but not cooked through. Put the mince mixture, celeriac, soured cream, chives and some seasoning in a food processor, then whizz to a smooth purée. Cool.
6. Once the dough has chilled, divide it in two. Keep half covered with a damp cloth and roll out the rest to about 2mm thick. Using a 5cm cookie cutter, stamp out as many circles as you can (about 20), then roll these to half the thickness. Spoon 1 tsp purée into the centre of each circle. Wet the edges of dough with a little water, then fold over into a semi-circle, squeezing out any air. For each one, bring the 2 ends together to meet in the centre, then pinch together, forming a tortellini shape. Put on a tray, cover with a tea towel and chill. Repeat with the other half of pastry dough, re-rolling any scraps until it’s all used up.
7. For the broth, heat a little oil in a small pan and fry the pancetta for 8-10 minutes until crisp. Meanwhile, heat the chicken stock until boiling in a large deep saucepan along with the bay leaves, lemon zest and juice, and 1 tsp salt.
8. Add half the herbs and half the dumplings to the broth. Boil for 3-4 minutes until the pelmeni rise to the surface, then remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Repeat with the remaining pelmeni, then return them all to the broth, along with the spinach. Simmer gently for 1 minute, then serve the dumplings in bowls with a little broth, the crispy pancetta, soured cream and remaining fresh herbs.