Braised Pork Pasta Recipe: Tagliatelle with Pork Shoulder
This meaty pasta dish is the epitome of comfort food. Wrap yourself in a warm, hearty sauce and thick, tender noodles. A culinary hug if there every was one.
Course Entree
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 30minutes
Cook Time 3hours
Total Time 3hours30minutes
Servings 6servings
Calories 826kcal
Author Stephanie Stiavetti
Ingredients
2poundsof pork bonessuch as ribs, optional (ask your butcher for these)
1/2poundsweet Italian sausageabout one good sized sausage, casing removed
1 1/2poundspork shouldercut into 1-inch cubes
1 1/2cupsstockuse whatever you have - chicken, beef, etc
1/2cupapple juice
2sprigsfresh rosemary
1teaspoonsalt
1teaspoonfreshly ground black pepper
3wholeshallotchopped, divided
3stripsof baconchopped into 1-inch pieces
1tablespoonbutter
1/2poundcrimini mushroomsquartered
One8-ounce packageof tagliatelle or pappardelle pasta
1/4cupcrème fraîche
Chopped fresh parsleyfor garnish
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C). Set pork bones into a shallow baking pan and roast for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. Adjust oven temperature to 225°F (108°C).
Crumble sausage into a Dutch oven and cook over medium heat until browned, stirring occasionally for even browning. Scoop out the sausage crumbles, cover them, and set them in the fridge until a later step. Pour off most of the fat from the Dutch oven, leaving only a thin film on the bottom.
Set Dutch oven over medium-high heat and brown the pork cubes, making sure to get a good, solid sear on all sides. Add stock, bones, and apple juice to the pan, scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon to get up all the browned tasty bits. Add rosemary, salt, pepper, and 2/3 of the shallots, stirring well. Slide the Dutch oven into the oven and braise, uncovered, for 2 to 3 hours.
Once the pork is done, remove it from the oven and strain off any excess fat from the surface. Discard the bones.
Set a large pot of water to boil for the pasta, and begin preparing the mushrooms. Heat bacon in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Cook until browned and crispy. Remove bacon to a plate covered with a paper towel to drain. Return sauté pan to the heat and add remaining shallots, cooking just until translucent.
Add mushrooms to the sauté pan and cook until brown and tender, stirring occasionally. The mushrooms may squeak a bit as they cook and you may feel they’re about to burn. Don’t worry - just keep cooking and stirring. Once the mushrooms have softened, transfer mushrooms and shallots to a bowl and set aside. To the sauté pan add 2 cups of braising liquid from the pork along with half the pork. Set aside. Also add the sausage crumbles from earlier to the braising liquid.
Once the pot of water is at a boil, add 2 tablespoons of salt and stir until dissolved. Add pasta to the water, stirring every few seconds for the first 2 minutes. Cook the pasta for 4 minutes--it should only be semi-cooked.
Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water and add it to the sauté pan with the pork and braising liquid.
Drain the pasta and add it to the sauté pan. Set pan over medium heat and cook until the sauce has thickened and the pasta is just al dente, about another 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Dish the pasta into 4 bowls and add 1 tablespoon of crème fraîche to each, stirring until the cream is completely mixed into the sauce. Top each bowl with more pork, a little bacon, and a sprinkling of freshly chopped parsley. Serve hot.