Sous vide pig cheek lasagne

Preheat a water bath to 75℃

Add a dash of olive oil to a large frying pan and place over a high heat. Season the pig cheeks well and seal in the hot oil, colouring well. Transfer to a tray and chill

Combine the sage, fennel seeds and star anise in a piece of muslin cloth to form a bouquet garni. Sweat the onions gently with the bouquet garni in a large pan with a lid

Once the onions have softened, remove the lid and increase the heat until the onions have caramelised. Deglaze the pan with the white wine then add the passata and stir well. Leave the onion mix to chill

Divide the pig cheeks between two vacuum bags and add half of the onions to each. Seal in a vacuum chamber, then place in a second bag and reseal. Cook in the water bath for 12 hours

To make the pasta dough, sift the flour and salt into the bowl of a food processor and start the motor running. Beat the egg mix and the oil together and pour into the flour

Stop the motor, then use the pulse button until a breadcrumb texture is achieved

Squeeze a small amount of the dough together to check the texture. Often 2–3 grams of egg will make all the difference so use a rubber spatula to scrape the egg off the sides

Tip onto a work surface and knead to bring the dough together. Form into a cylinder and oil lightly. Wrap in cling film and rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before using

Lightly sweat the vegetables in a frying pan with a dash of oil until just beginning to soften

Drain the pig cheeks over a colander and reduce the cooking liquid to a thick sauce consistency

Roughly shred the pig cheeks and combine with the cooking liquid, onions and vegetables in a large bowl. Season well and set aside

For the cheese sauce, combine all of the ingredients in a pan and melt gently together. Season to taste

Roll out the pasta dough to the point where you can just see your fingers through it

Preheat the oven to 170°C/gas mark 3

To assemble, line a 20x30cm baking tin with foil and oil the inside. Cover the bottom with two slightly overlapping pasta sheets then add half of the pig cheek mix. Repeat and finish with the cheese sauce and a layer of grated Parmesan

Bake for 20–30 minutes until bubbling and golden brown

Meanwhile, make the tomato sauce. Halve the tomatoes and warm the olive oil in a heavy-based pan. Add the tomatoes, season with salt and allow to stew gently, stirring occasionally until the tomatoes have softened

Save a few halves of tomato for garnish and blitz the rest with a hand blender. Pass through a fine sieve

To serve, cut the lasagne into portions and place in the centre of the plate, drizzle around the tomato sauce and garnish with salad leaves