One-Pot Braised Pork Ragù

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One-Pot Braised Pork Ragù

This vegetable-heavy baked ragù is a great way to stretch one pound of meat into a hearty pasta sauce. There’s only about 15 minutes of active work; the oven does the rest. Pork shoulder (also known as picnic shoulder) is a relatively inexpensive cut of pork that takes well to braising, which yields super flavorful and tender meat. Cubing it into small pieces helps it soften faster, while a little heavy cream helps tenderize the meat as it cooks. The versatile ragù can be served over pasta or polenta, and leftovers easily turn into craveable sandwiches the next day. The recipe is easily doubled and freezes extremely well, if you’d like to cook once and eat twice.

Rating

Ingredients

  • 1/4cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1pound pork shoulder, cut into ½-inch cubes
  • Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) and black pepper
  • 3medium carrots, peeled and finely chopped (1½ cups)
  • 1medium yellow onion, diced into small pieces (1½ cups)
  • 5garlic cloves, minced
  • 2tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1(28-ounce) can whole tomatoes
  • 1fresh rosemary sprig
  • 2fresh basil sprigs, plus chopped leaves for garnish
  • 1/4cup heavy cream
  • Cooked pasta or polenta, for serving
  • Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, for serving
Set base servings to enable scaling:

Directions

Heat oven to 450 degrees.

In a large Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium. Add half of the pork to the pot and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, 3 minutes; using a slotted spoon or tongs, transfer the pork to a plate. Repeat with the remaining pork and season with salt and pepper.

Reduce heat to medium-low and add carrots, onions and 1 tablespoon of the oil. Season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic, then add tomato paste and the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, and cook, stirring continuously, until lightly caramelized, 3 minutes.

Add pork and any accumulated juices, then the tomatoes and their juices, crushing the tomatoes with your hands as you add them. Stir in the rosemary, basil sprigs, cream and 2 cups of water; season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over high, cover and bake until pork is tender and sauce is thickened, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Discard rosemary and basil sprigs.

Serve pork ragù over pasta or polenta. Top with some cheese and chopped basil.

Nutrition

Info
Trans Fat: 0 gramsFat: 41 gramsCalories: 630Saturated Fat: 13 gramsUnsaturated Fat: 25 gramsSodium: 1164 milligramsSugar: 10 gramsFiber: 8 gramsCarbohydrate: 39 gramsProtein: 28 grams
Italian One-Pot Meals Pork

Source: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1023562-one-pot-braised-pork-ragu