Lidias Baked Penne With Pork Ragu Food

PENNE WITH PORK RAGOUT

Steps:

• Dry the pork well and sprinkle it on all sides with 1 tablespoon of the kosher salt and the pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil in a Dutch oven over high heat. Working in batches to avoid crowding the pan, brown the pork on all sides, about 4 minutes per side. Remove the pork to a plate and set aside. While the pork is browning, tie the thyme, rosemary and bay leaf into a bundle using butcher's twine.
• Once all of the pork has been browned, reduce the heat to medium. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil no oil remains in the pot. Add the onions and the remaining 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt. Cook for about 8 minutes, stirring and scraping up any browned bits. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 or 3 minutes. Deglaze with the white wine and cook until reduced to nearly dry, 6 to 10 minutes. Add the chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, Parmesan rind, chile flakes and the herb bundle and bring to a simmer. Return the pork to the pot, tucking it in under the sauce. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, until the pork is fork tender, about 1 hour 45 minutes.
• Remove the pork and shred into bite-size pieces using two forks. Remove the herb bundle from the sauce and add the pork back to the pot. Stir in the olive oil and half of the grated Parmesan. Keep warm over low heat.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the penne for about 1 or 2 minutes less than the package directions. Drain and add the pasta to the sauce, tossing to coat. Finish cooking the pasta in the sauce, about 2 minutes, adding a ladle of pasta water as needed. Serve topped with the remaining grated Parmesan, or more as desired, and a drizzle of olive oil. Garnish with a few leaves of baby arugula, if using.

PORK RAGU

Steps:

• Heat a Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the extra-virgin olive oil, 3 turns of the pan, then add the carrots, celery, onions and garlic. Stir in the bay leaf and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook the vegetables until soft, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add the tomato paste and stir for 1 minute, then add the wine and cook for another minute. Stir in the stock and bring sauce to a simmer. Add the pork and season with a pinch of ground cloves. When the sauce returns to a simmer add the milk and reduce the heat to low. Let the sauce mellow while you bring the water to boil for the pasta or polenta. Sauce may be made ahead and reheated over medium-low heat. Add a splash of stock or water to thin the sauce, if necessary. Serve the sauce tossed with pasta ribbons or atop creamy bowls of polenta and garnish with lots of cheese and parsley.

PENNE WITH MEATY RAGU

Steps:

• Put the garlic, celery, carrot, onion and oregano leaves in a food processor and pulse to chop into small pieces.
• Heat the olive oil in a medium Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium heat. Add the chopped vegetables and cook, stirring once or twice, until they start to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the pork, beef, tomato paste, and some salt, pepper and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring often, until the meat is browned, about10 minutes.
• Add the diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes and basil sprigs. Bring the sauce to a simmer, reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• Just before the sauce is done, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat and cook the penne until al dente, according to package directions. Drain and return to the pasta pot. Spoon about 1 cup of sauce into the penne and stir to coat. Serve the penne topped with more sauce, some torn basil and a sprinkle of Parmesan.

LIDIA'S POT ROASTED HERB SCENTED PORK LOIN

Steps:

• Put 1/2 cup rosemary leaves, 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, 5 garlic cloves, 8 sage leaves and 1 teaspoon of salt into a food processor bowl.
• Process until you have a fairly smooth paste.
• Lay out the pork loin fat side down.
• Cut along the top side of the"tail" and into the eye of the roast.
• Continue cutting in a sawing motion, unrolling the loin into a rectangle of more or less even thickness.
• Spread the entire top surface of the pork evenly with the herb paste.
• Starting with the side opposite the tail, roll the roast into a compact roll with a spiral of herb filling running through it.
• Tie the roast at 1-inch intervals with kitchen twine.
• Season generously with salt and pepper.
• Set the meat into a round 5-quart casserole dish.
• Add the remaining rosemary sprigs, sage leaves, garlic and bay leaf.
• Pour in just enough water to cover the meat.
• Season the water lightly with salt and pepper.
• Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat to a simmer and cook, turning the meat occasionally, until almost all of the water has evaporated and the meat begins to stick to the casserole, about 2 hours.
• Skim any foam off of the surface as needed.
• Pour off the fat remaining in the braising pan and pour in the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil.
• Adjust the heat to very low.
• Cook, turning often, until the pork has a caramelized golden brown crust, 15 to 30 minutes.
• Let the meat rest for 20 minutes and then slice into 1/4" thick slices.

LIDIA'S ITALY: RAGU MISTO ALLA MOLISANA

Steps:

• Pour the olive oil into the big saucepan and set it over medium heat.
• Scatter in the sliced garlic, let it sizzle and start to color for a couple of minutes, stir in the chopped onions, rosemary, and bay leaf and season with 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook for 7 or 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened and translucent.
• Season the pork and veal chop all over with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt.
• Push the onions to one side of the pot and lay the meat pieces in the pan bottom. Brown the meats slowly, turning frequently so all sides are evenly colored, about 10 minutes in all.
• When the meats are nicely browned, sprinkle the peperoncino in the pan bottom to toast for a minute, then stir the onions back into the center of the pot, scraping up the meat juices.
• Turn up the heat, pour in the red wine, bring to a boil, and cook until almost completely evaporated.
• Pour in the crushed tomatoes, slosh out the cans with 4 cups of cold water, and add that as well.
• Stir in the remaining teaspoon salt.
• Cover the pan and bring the sauce to a boil over high heat then adjust the flame to keep a gentle, steady bubbling.
• Cook covered for 1 hour, stirring and turning the meat pieces over occasionally, then set the cover ajar to allow the sauce to reduce gradually as it bubbles away.
• Cook another hour until the pork and veal are just tender, then drop in the sausages and continue simmering for another 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• After nearly 3 hours of total braising, the meats should be extremely tender and readily broken apart. The sauce should be thick and flavorful. Check the concentration of the sauce during the long cooking. If it seems too thin, remove the cover all together. If it's reducing too fast, cover the pan tightly and lower the heat.
• If you'll be serving the meats and dressing pasta right away, remove the meat to a warm platter, take out a couple of cups of sauce for the meat, and leave the rest in the big saucepan to dress the pasta (about 8 cups sauce for 2 lbs. rigatoni or 4 cups sauce for 1 lb.). If you'll be serving the meat and sauce later, leave them both in the saucepan to cool; refrigerate or freeze for longer keeping.
• To cook and dress rigatoni with sauce: fill the pasta pot with plenty of well-salted water (at least 6 quarts water with 1 tablespoons salt for 1 lb. of rigatoni; 8 quarts and 1 1/2 tablespoons salt for 2 lbs.) and heat to a rolling boil.
• Stir in the rigatoni, return the water to a boil, and cook until the pasta is just al dente.
• Meanwhile, if you're using the sauce right away, bring it back to a simmer in the big saucepan or a big skillet, preferably 14 inches in diameter. If the sauce has cooled and thickened, loosen it with some of the pasta cooking water.
• Lift the rigatoni out of the pot, drain briefly, and drop them into the sauce. Toss well for a minute or so over low heat until the rigatoni are nicely coated and perfectly al dente.
• Turn off the heat, sprinkle on the grated cheese, and toss again. If you like, drizzle on more olive oil and toss that in as well.
• Serve the pasta right away, transferring it to a large, warm bowl to serve family-style or heaping it in individual warm pasta bowls. Serve immediately, passing more cheese at the table.
• To serve the meast as a second or main course, slice the pork and veal. Pour the reserved sauce in a skillet, lay in the slices and sausages, and place over low heat until the meat is heated through. Serve on a warmed platter with some of the sauce, passing the rest.

BAKED ZITI WITH SPICY PORK AND SAUSAGE RAGù

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add pancetta and sauté until brown and crisp. Using slotted spoon, transfer pancetta to bowl. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper. Add half of pork to drippings in pot; sauté until brown, about 7 minutes. Transfer to bowl with pancetta. Repeat with remaining pork. Add sausage to same pot. Sauté until no longer pink, breaking up with back of fork, about 5 minutes. Add onions, carrots, celery, thyme, garlic, bay leaves, and crushed red pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low; sauté until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Add wine and bring to boil, scraping up browned bits. Add pancetta and pork with any accumulated juices; boil 2 minutes. Add tomatoes with juice. Cover and cook until pork is very tender, adjusting heat as needed to maintain gentle simmer and stirring occasionally, about 2 hours.
• Uncover pot; tilt to 1 side and spoon off fat from surface of ragù. Gently press pork pieces with back of fork to break up meat coarsely. Season ragù to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cool slightly. Refrigerate uncovered until cold, then cover and keep refrigerated. Rewarm over low heat before continuing.)
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Butter 15x10x2-inch glass baking dish or other 4-quart baking dish. Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta; mix into ragù. Season mixture to taste with salt and pepper; transfer to prepared dish. Sprinkle both cheeses over. Bake until heated through and golden, about 20 minutes.
• *Pancetta (Italian bacon cured in salt) is available at Italian markets and in the refrigerated deli case of many supermarkets.