Simple Pork Ragù
Up in the mountains between Tuscany and Umbria where we have our Italian home, every family used to keep a pig or two—and sometimes many more. The breed was nothing special. Called, even in Italian, “large white,” they were a standard porker, but their flesh was notably delicious, probably because they grazed in the mountain forests on a steady diet of acorns, chestnuts, roots, and grubs. The ones marked for slaughter were usually dispatched in early winter, sometime between December 6 (Saint Nicholas Day) and January 17 (feast day of Saint Anthony Abbot, patron saint of swineherds). The meat of these prized animals was quickly converted into hams, as well as all manner of cured meats—sausages, salami, capocolla, pancetta, guanciale, finocchiona, coppa di testa (head cheese). Together with the rendered lard from the pork fat, this made up a good part of each family’s protein supply for the winter.
But of course some part of the pig got consumed fresh, and in the days before refrigeration, that meant a feast, one feature of which might well be this stunning ragù of fresh pork, which could be started on the day of the pig slaughter and cooked all night in the dying heat of the wood-fired oven outside each farmhouse. Sauced over pappardelle or tagliatelle, it makes a magnificent introduction to a meal, but it is also sufficiently meaty and robust to stand on its own as pasta e basta. This is an extraordinarily simple sauce, given elegance by the long, slow method of cooking and the bundle of herbs from just outside the kitchen door.
Pork shoulder, with its nice balance between fat and lean, is an excellent choice for this.
Note that the recipe makes 8 to 10 abundant servings, so you should plan on 1½ packages (about 1½ pounds) of pasta.
MAKES 7 TO 8 CUPS SAUCE, ENOUGH FOR 8 TO 10 SERVINGS
2 pounds yellow onions, thinly sliced (10 to 12 cups)
5 plump garlic cloves, crushed with the flat blade of a knife and chopped
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup dry white wine
2 pounds pork shoulder, cut in small cubes
About ½ bunch flat-leaf parsley
2 or 3 bay leaves
2 sprigs fresh sage
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
Chopped flat-leaf parsley, for garnish
Set the oven on 250ºF.
Combine the onions, garlic, and oil in a large, heavy, oven-proof saucepan and set over low heat. Cook very slowly, stirring, for 15 to 25 minutes as the onion slices start to soften and give up some of their liquid. When the onions are soft, sprinkle with salt and pepper, cover the pan, and continue cooking for another 15 minutes. At this point, the onions should be very soft and limp, but with no color at all.
Add the wine and raise the heat slightly. Cook the wine until the alcohol has burned off, then stir in the pork, along with the herbs (except for the parsley garnish). Mix everything together well, adding more pepper if you wish (the ragù should be quite peppery), cover with a tight lid, and set in the preheated oven. Bake for 3 to 4 hours. When done, the meat should be almost falling apart in the oniony sauce, while the onions themselves will have reduced to a cream.
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add salt and the pasta and cook following the directions here. Pappardelle should take 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the pasta and turn it into a warm serving bowl. Top with the pork ragù, garnish with parsley, and serve immediately.