Fall is one of my favorite seasons. The golden sunsets cast long shadows, vermillion leaves scurry around in circles carried by the brisk autumn breeze, and in the kitchen, it's the season of slow-cooked melt-in-your-mouth roasts and home warming braises.
Perhaps it's driven by some primal nesting instinct, but as the thermostat falls, I yearn to stock up and hunker down. My freezer gets loaded up with meat, and my pantry is brimming with canned goods in preparation for a long winter. It's also around this time that my Le Creuset emerges from hibernation and makes it's first appearance of the season.
This sugo is the perfect dish to make on one of those chilly days when your toes wince upon hitting the floorboards as you emerge from bed in the morning. It's a simple affair that involves some meat, a little wine and a lot of time. But just because something takes a long time to cook doesn't mean it requires a lot of your time.
Beyond some dicing and browning, there's not a whole lot to do, so you can go right ahead and jump back into bed! A few hours later, you'll be rewarded by a luscious sauce with tender bits of pork that melt into a pool of rich meaty flavor with each bite. I like pairing this sugo with Strozzapreti because it has a wonderful firm texture that skirts the boundary of tender and chewy. It stands up to the hearty sauce while absorbing all it's flavors, all without going limp. It's also delicious on Malfatti, gnocchi's less attractive cousin, and one of my favorite childhood Italian dishes.
More Fall Comfort Foods
📖 Recipe
Units
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 680 grams pork shoulder
- 2 large cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 medium onion (diced)
- ½ carrot (small dice)
- ⅔ cup red wine
- 3 cups tomatoes (peeled, seeds removed and chopped)
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 450 grams Strozzapreti (or other short pasta, boiled according to package directions)
- Parmigiano-Reggiano (for serving)
Instructions
- Generously salt and pepper the pork. Heat a heavy pot just large enough to fit the pork over medium heat. Add the oil, then add the pork. Fry until golden brown, turning until golden brown on all sides. The browned bits lay the foundation for our sugo.
- Transfer the pork to a plate, drain off all but 1 tablespoon of oil, then add the garlic, onions, and carrots. Saute the vegetables until they start browning. This sweetens them and adds another layer of flavor on top of the browned pork.
- Add the red wine and bring to a boil. You want to scrape all the browned bits off the bottom of the pan and burn off the alcohol in the wine. Add the tomatoes, bay leaf and thyme into the pot along with the pork. Make sure the pork is mostly submerged, then cover loosely with a lid (leave the lid ajar). Turn down the heat to low and simmer for about 3 hours or until you can easily stick a fork into the pork. You'll want to flip the pork a few times if it is not completely covered in sauce.
- When the pork is tender, remove it from the pot and use a fork to shred the meat. Use a spoon to skim off any excess fat (a little is okay, but you don't want an oil slick on top). Add the pork back to sauce, which should now be pretty thick. If it's watery, turn up the heat a bit and reduce it until it's nice and thick.
- Boil the strozzapreti just short of the time specified on the package. Drain and add to the sugo. Turn up the heat and cook for a few minutes until the strozzapreti is al dente and the sauce easily coats each piece of pasta. Serve with some grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.
the indolent cook says
That looks so divine. Lucky I'm having pork for dinner tonight, so I won't be too tortured by the images of this delicious meal!
Oui, Chef says
Tis the season of the pork butt, indeed. Love the sound of this meltingly tender ragu, it is going on my list of dishes to make for the ski house this winter.
Lara H Alexander says
This looks perfect for a meal for a dinner party without any last minute running around the kitchen. Beautiful.
spinachtiger says
Now this is comfort food and I can tell how flavorful this is without being too much of anything. Just the way the Italians like to eat.
Marilia says
Fabulous
Marc Matsumoto says
Thanks for sharing Paolo! In Japan, we have some pretty disgraceful Italian food on menus, so I find myself cooking pasta at home quite a bit:-)
Marc Matsumoto says
Absolutely! It's nice to be able to sit down and eat with the guests.
Teena says
Can this be done w/ a crock pot?
Marc Matsumoto says
It can be done in that you'll get a sauce with tender pork. However, you'll still need to brown and deglaze the meat and veggies in a different pan as that's where most of the flavor comes from. You may also need to transfer it back into a regular pan to reduce the sauce a little at the end as it will probably be too thin if made in a crock pot.
Fabian Peng Karrholm says
I read your blog ever since I came upon it after googling "ramen recipe kansui". Thought it was time to let you know how amazing your blog is. I cook something from it almost once a week! So I will make this pasta for sure. However, in Sweden pork putt tends to be without so much fat, so I might try something like loin.
Nikki says
A little wine and a lot of time? No problem! The wine cancels out the problem of the time. 🙂
Definitely enjoyed your lightroom class this weekend at the Foodbuzz Festival. I meant to find a chance to pick your brain a little more, but the weekend was just too short! 🙂 Even so, after your class I'm even more confident now in my choice to start using Lightroom. Thank you!!
research papers says
Oh MY GOD !!!!! It looks so delicious!!!
Nipponnin says
It was nice meeting you finally! I'm home and checking my email then check my blog to find your comment- I said wow! Thank you for your presentation. It was a fascinating class. I liked way you transformed the dull photos to really great pictures. I wish I could see more of example. Have a safe trip home. Thanks again for visiting my blog.
PS- I am printing this gorgeous recipe so that my pork loving husband would cook it for me.
Nipponnin says
It was nice meeting you finally! I'm home and checking my email then check my blog to find your comment- I said wow! Thank you for your presentation. It was a fascinating class. I liked way you transformed the dull photos to really great pictures. I wish I could see more of example. Have a safe trip home. Thanks again for visiting my blog.
PS- I am printing this gorgeous recipe so that my pork loving husband would cook it for me.
professional resume says
what a great post! looks amazing!
Wendy says
Thanks for sharing.It looks yummy and delicious.Great.
Cannella Impazzita says
we need zesty, hearthy foods in cold weather. foods that can keep us warm from the inside:-)
I love fall, too. Colors, foliage, everything is almost magic during this middle season.
Love this place!
Cannella Impazzita says
we need zesty, hearthy foods in cold weather. foods that can keep us warm from the inside:-)
I love fall, too. Colors, foliage, everything is almost magic during this middle season.
Love this place!
abruno says
Fortza Italia! I lived in Italy for three years and LOVE a good sugo. There's nothing like the aroma of a slowly simmering sauce wafting through the house...or greeting you at the door when you're coming in from stacking wood or raking leaves. It's the kind of meal that takes care of itself and never disappoints!
abruno says
Fortza Italia! I lived in Italy for three years and LOVE a good sugo. There's nothing like the aroma of a slowly simmering sauce wafting through the house...or greeting you at the door when you're coming in from stacking wood or raking leaves. It's the kind of meal that takes care of itself and never disappoints!
Rachel Page says
I have made this several times....a HUGE hit with my family....one of
the easiest recipes I have ever made! Thank you for sharing.
Nadine says
Hey Marc, I tried making this, but the end result result was rather dry and... hard to eat (although the taste of the sauce still came a long way). I'm usually not THAT far off the mark making a recipe of yours for the first time. I'd love to see a video or more photos of it. Maybe this could be a candidate for a revamp?
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Nadine, I'm so sorry to hear it didn't work out. I think the most likely culprit is that the piece of pork you used did not have enough fat and connective tissue. When you braise meats for a long time, most of the moisture leaves the muscle tissue and if there isn't anything to replace the liquid, the meat will end up tough and stringy. The trick is to use a cut of meat with a lot of marbled fat, and connective tissue (gristle). These cuts would normally be very tough if cooked briefly, but through the magic of time and temperature, the fat and connective tissue break down, lubricating the meat, and making it fall apart tender.