Shelly's Recipe

PORK AND ROSEMARY RAGU

Category: Sauces - Miscellaneous

2 tbsp olive oil
8 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped
8 sprigs fresh rosemary
One 3 1/2- to-4-pound pork bone-in rib roast, ribs removed and tied onto a roast
1 red onion, roughly chopped (about 2 cups)
One 35-ounce can whole tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
2 pounds pasta (preferably pappardelle), cooked
Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

In a large skillet, warm the olive oil. Add garlic and rosemary and saute until rosemary needles sizzle and turn crisp the garlic is golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove and reserve. In the same pan, sear the pork in the hot oil, turning it occasionally, until all sides are nicely browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a large stockpot; set aside.

Add the onion to the oil and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned (adding more oil sparingly if the pan is too dry), about 3 minutes. Crush the tomatoes and add, with their juice, stirring to scrape up any browned bits of pork stuck to the bottom of the pan. Transfer the tomato mixture to the stockpot; bring to a low boil over medium heat. Cover the pot, lower heat, and simmer until the pork is tender enough to shred (when scraped with a fork), about 2 hours. Cool the pork in the tomato sauce. (The cooled pork roast and sauce can be transferred to a storage container and refrigerated overnight. Wrap and store the garlic and rosemary separately.)

Remove the pork from the tomato sauce and reserve. In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, process half the tomato sauce with the fried garlic cloves and rosemary needles (discarding stalks) until somewhat smooth. Stir the pureed sauce back into the pot with the rest of the tomato sauce. The goal is a sauce with a rough, chunky character. Shred the pork and strip the meat from the bones. Discard the bones. Chop the meat finely by hand, not in a food processor, and stir it into the tomato sauce. Heat and serve over pasta, passing the cheese on the side. Makes 8 cups, enough for 2 to 3 pounds pasta.