Pork, Fennel & Lemon Ragu with Pappardelle

This recipe comes to you from a good friend of mine who is an amazing chef! Ann said this recipe is one of the best recipes she has tried in some time. Now that says a lot as Ann makes some amazing dishes. This recipe does take a little bit of time but it’s most definitely worth it!

Serves 4-6 Total cooking time 2 3/4 hours

INGREDIENTS

• 4 ounces pancetta, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped fine
• 1 large fennel bulb, 2 Tablespoons finely chopped, stalks discarded, bulb halved, cored and chopped fine
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt or kosher salt as Ann used (plus salt for pasta water)
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 2 teaspoons minced thyme
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 (1 1/2 pound) boneless pork butt roast, well-trimmed and cut in half across the grain. You can have your butcher do this if you are unsure how.
• 1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon zest plus 1/4 cup juice, 2 lemons
• 12 ounces pappardelle
• 2 ounces pecorino Romano cheese, grated, plus extra for serving

DIRECTIONS

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pancetta and 3/4 cup water in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until water has evaporated and dark fond forms on the bottom of the pot, 8-10 minutes. Add onion and fennel bulb, cook stirring occasionally until vegetables are softened and start to brown 5-7 minutes. Stir in garlic, salt, thyme, and pepper. Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Stir in cream and 2 cups water scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Add pork and bring to a boil over high heat, cover and transfer to your oven and cook until the pork is tender. About 1 1/2 hours.

Transfer pork to a large plate and let cool for 15 minutes. Cover pot so fond will steam and softened. Using spatula scrape brown bits from sides of the pot and stir into sauce. Stir in lemon zest and juice.

While pork cools, bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot. Using two forks shred pork into bite-size pieces discarding any large pieces of fat or connective tissue. Return pork and any juices to Dutch oven.

Add pasta and one Tablespoon of salt to boiling water cook stirring occasionally until cooked al Dante. Reserve two cups of cooking water then drain pasta and add to the Dutch oven. Add pecorino and 3/4 cup of the reserved cooking water and stir until the sauce is slightly thickened and cheese is fully melted – 2-3 minutes. If desired stir in remaining reserved cooking water 1/4 cup at a time to adjust the sauce consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle with fennel fronds. Serve warm.

Enjoy!

This recipe comes from Cooks Illustrated.