Tony’ Restaurant Ragu

Ah, now this is pasta! You don’t rush a ragù. No, no, no. You give it time. You give it attention. Ground pork shoulder, cooked nice and slow until it gets tender and rich. Then comes the white wine. Beautiful! It cooks down with the pork, gets into everything. That’s where the magic starts. Thyme. Oregano. Parsley. Sage. Nothing crazy. Just enough so every bite tastes like somebody’s grandmother has been cooking it since Tuesday. And look at these noodles! Big, wide pappardelle. You need a pasta with some shoulders on it to carry a ragù like this. Then we put basil whipped ricotta right on top…creamy, light, fresh basil…and a little lemon to wake the whole thing up. Fresh tomatoes for sweetness and acidity. Because a rich sauce needs something bright. Otherwise everybody gets sleepy. And this…this is insurance. Crispy pork crackling. Salty, crunchy, beautiful. Now you got slow-cooked pork underneath and crispy pork on top. Pork coming at you from both directions! Rich ragù. Creamy lemon ricotta. Fresh tomatoes. Herbs. Crunchy pork. Big ribbons of pasta. You put this between two people, maybe light a candle…pretty soon they’re eating the same piece of pappardelle. Then they meet in the middle. That’s amore!

Ingredients

1.5 lb pork shoulder
2 inch piece of pork skin
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 onion
1 carrot
1 rib celery
1 tbs olive oil
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried sage
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried parsley
4 cups white wine
1 Parmesan rind
1/2 cup fresh basil
1/4 tsp celery salt
1/4 tsp white pepper
1 oz lemon juice
1 tbs lemon zest
1 tbs olive oil
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 tomato
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 lb pappardelle pasta

Directions

Pre heat oven to 300 degrees F.
Cut the pork shoulder into 1 inch pieces and season with salt and pepper. Place the pork skin on a small baking sheet and season with salt and pepper. Grind the pieces of seasoned pork with a meat grinder.
Using a box greater, grate the onion, carrot, and celery. Heat a large pot over medium low heat with 1 tbs of olive oil. Add the thyme, sage, oregano, and parsley to the oil with the grated vegetables, saute for about 5 minutes. Add the pork to the pot and cook for an additional 10 minutes stirring occasionally to render out the fat from the pork. Deglaze the pot with the white wine and add the Parmesan rind. Cover the mixture with a cartouche and the pot with an oven proof cover, place the pot in the oven with the seasoned pork skin. Cook for 2 hours.
In a small food processor add the basil, celery salt, white pepper, 1 tbs olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, and ricotta cheese. Blend until smooth.
Chop the tomato into 1/2 inch pieces. Prepare the pappardelle per package instructions, reserve 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid. Revove the cartouche and Parmesan rind from the ragu. Place the pasta in the ragu and toss to coat, use the reserved cooking liquid to thicken the ragu. Plate the pasta and top with the whipped ricotta and chopped tomatoes. Slice and crumble the pork cracklings and sprinkle over tomatoes and pasta, garnish with fresh parsley.
Serve