Italian Braised Pork Shoulder Ragu with Burrata Cheese
Recipe created by Kristy Bombini-Cioffi
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 pounds Johnston’s Pork Shoulder fat trimmed and cut into chunks
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 large onion diced
- 4 shallots diced
- 4 cloves garlic diced
- 2 carrots diced
- 3 cups red wine
- 2 - 28 oz cans of whole tomatoes puréed
- 1 - 28 oz can of diced tomatoes
- ½ pound mild Italian pork sausage meat out of casing
- Rigatoni or pappardelle pasta or any pasta of your choice
- Fresh Burrata cheese for topping
- Parmigiano Reggiano cheese for topping
- Fresh Italian parsley for topping
Instructions
Method:
- In a large Dutch oven, heat olive oil on medium high. Coat pork shoulder chunks in salt and pepper and sear on each side - approximately 4 minutes each side until browned. Transfer to plate and set aside.
- Reduce heat to medium/low and add onions, shallots, and garlic. Cook and stir frequently for about 6-8 minutes. Add carrots and cook another few minutes. Add red wine and increase heat to medium high. Cook another 5 minutes. Then add tomatoes and a little more salt and pepper to taste.
- Add pork shoulder back into Dutch oven and bring sauce to a boil. Take raw sausage meat, break it into tiny clumps and drop it into the sauce. Stir, cover, and then lower heat to allow to simmer for approximately 3 and a half hours. Or braise in oven covered at 325°F for 3 and a half hours.
- After 3 and a half hours, remove pork shoulder chunks and shred. This is only necessary if the meat isn’t already falling apart. Transfer shredded pork back to sauce. Taste your sauce and add more seasonings, such as salt, pepper and add in your parsley.
- Serve Ragu with any pasta of your choice. Add a little bit of salted pasta water and a dollop of butter when you toss pasta with Ragu. Top with fresh parsley, Reggiano cheese, and fresh Burrata. Buon apetito!
