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Gnocchi With Pork Ragu

November 2, 2010 by 6 Comments
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This Pig Needs No Lipstick!

 

Buon giorno!

 

When I think of Gnocchi, I automatically envision the Classic Tuscan dish, Gnocchi con Sugo Cinghiale or Gnocchi with Wild Boar Sauce. Since today’s grocery meat department is generally devoid of wild boar, my taste reverts to making MY favorite preparation of Gnocchi which is served with Pork Ragu . This sauce is, in my mind and heart, the standard among tomato sauces and can be used with so many types of pasta. It is easy and not expensive to prepare. This sauce illustrates the saying “Appetito vien mangiando” or Appetite comes with eating, as this is the sauce that brings an appetite to life! I like to use different sauces with my Gnocchi, but I suggest this Pork Ragu is the signature and reminds me most of that mouth watering Boar Sauce that is steeped in Tuscan tradition!

As I was growing up in our little house in Binghamton, New York, this was the type of sauce (with a couple of minor additions from me) that my mother, Loretta, most often made. It was Sunday Sauce. I can hear her say “the most flavorful sauce is made with pork – especially the bones!” The aroma of this pork sauce would permeate the house for hours, and I would wait for the moment when she would call me to “taste” the sauce. This taste test consisted of a piece of crusty Italian bread and a spoonful of the hot sauce on top. It brought a burst of flavor on the tongue and would wet my appetite for the meal to follow. I often sneaked a second taste when her attention was diverted.

Speaking of sneaking, my father, Attilio, would inevitably “slip” something into the sauce that Loretta did not know about. If asked, he called it “Sale da Gaeta”. (Translation: Salt from Gaeta – Gaeta being a city on the water between Rome and Naples from where the famous and wonderful wrinkly olives hail) Whenever a dish was especially delicious, he announced “Ah! It’s Sale da Gaeta!” None of us ever saw this “special salt” and very often, we assumed that his little addition to the recipe was usually red pepper flakes or “hot pepper” as he called it! He always had a container of this at the dinner table where he liked to add just a little more heat! (Hear more about Loretta and Attilio at“About Linda” at Linda’s Italian Table)

Each region of Italy seems to treat this sauce a little differently. Each area uses a different meat or combination of meats. Some use boar, some venison, some pork, beef, veal or all three. My mother, using the pork, left the meat on the bone alla Napoletana instead of shredding it Tuscan style. Everyone, then, received a large piece of meat still on the bone which was served separately after the pasta course and before the salad which is the traditional Italian style of presenting the meal.

When selecting the pork for this dish, it is your choice. Some even prefer to use Italian Sausage. When I choose to use sausage in any sauce, I always like a combination of sweet (mild) and hot. My family would almost always be most likely to use a cut of pork with the bones, and sometimes would combine both sausage and pork in the sauce. For Gnocchi, my personal preference is to use just the pork with bones. After the pork is shredded, it becomes very tender and surprisingly light with the Gnocchi. Any very inexpensive cut of pork from neck bones to ribs – anything really – can be used here. The desired effect is a combination of intense flavor and tender meat. The meat will cook in the sauce so long that it will tenderize and fall from the bone making it easy to serve. Andiamo!
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

PORK RAGU!

About 3 lb pork on bones, can be ribs, neck bones or other

 

 

 

 

1/4 lb pancetta diced

4 cloves garlic – chopped finely

4 tbsp olive oil

1 onion chopped – the sweeter the onion the sweeter the sauce!

1 stalk celery chopped

8 baby carrots chopped in very small pieces ( baby carrots are sweeter!)

1 c. red Italian wine (vino rosso) – could be a Chianti or Valpolicella

2 28 oz cans San Marzano Tomatoes- if you can find them because San Marzano tomatoes are by far the tastiest – if you can’t – use other- can use crushed or whole peeled and crush them

1/2 c. chopped Fresh Flat (preferable) Leaf Italian Parsley

1/2 cup chopped Fresh Basil

2 Tbsp chopped Fresh Oregano

1 tsp sugar

1 – 1 1/2 tsp Kosher salt (to taste)

6-7 twists of the Black Pepper grinder

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Fresh Basil chopped for garnish

Begin by just browning the pancetta pieces.

Add the olive oil and then the garlic and pork with heat at medium being careful not to let the garlic burn.

Just brown each side of the pork as it will cook thoroughly in the sauce. Remove the pork pieces, set aside, and add the onion, celery, and carrots. Stir occasionally and cook these vegetables about 5 min until just tender.

Then add the browned meat back to the pan followed by the wine.Scrape the bottom of the pan a little to release the small bits from the bottom of the pan, turning the meat to let the wine seep into both sides. Cook the wine for about 2-3 min at medium high and let it bubble.

Then add the San Marzano Tomatoes, and all herbs and remaining seasoning including the sugar. ( Loretta and Attilio would be taken aback by this last addition as they used to whisper “so and so puts sugar in their sauce” as if some law had been broken.) In ancient times, sugar was said to be used only by the wealthy as it was considered dear. In our household it was – GASP ! - the Cardinal Sin.

My personal take on this is that the sugar cuts the acidity of the tomatoes and adds a little balance to the sauce.

If you have a rind or a piece of one from your Parmigiano-Reggiano, go ahead and drop it in the sauce as it simmers! It will add another level of flavor.

Simmer this sauce on low heat for about 3 hours – stirring occasionally. I like to cover mine while simmering. You know it’s done when the meat is so tender that is falls easily from the bones.

When sauce is finished, remove the pork pieces to a separate dish. the meat should be falling off the bones and you might have to “fish” for it.

The next step is familiar to those especially in the South who make barbecue. Take 2 forks and gently use them to shred the meat pulling in opposite directions.

Discard the bones and the fat. You might want to stir a couple of tablespoons of the sauce into the meat. I like to keep the meat separate from the sauce until serving time.

To serve, prepare the gnocchi as directed in last week’s post “Making Gnocchi” and place it in a serving dish bathing it in the delicious sauce. I take the shredded pork and mound it in the middle.

Garnish with chopped Fresh Basil and present to your guests with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese.

This makes a large amount of sauce, so what you do not use can be frozen for another great pasta meal – perhaps with Pappardelle!

My favorite accompaniment to this meal is a Zenato Valpolicella Superiore Doc 2007. .

PARLA COME MANGI!

**Also: See the new November RECIPE OF THE MONTH on LINDA’S ITALIAN TABLE – for another great sauce recipe for GNOCCHI!

Food Photos by Tommy Hanks Photography

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Pasta Alla Norma — Or Not?

October 12, 2010 by Leave a Comment
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Buon Giorno!

Pasta alla Norma is one of the most tried and traditional of Italian pasta recipes. It is considered to be a Sicilian dish and one of much fame and discussion. Given my rather capricious nature, I have tweaked this Sicilian recipe to favor my taste and whim. Thus, today, we explore Pasta Not So Norma!

So the story goes, Vincenzo Bellini, the brilliant and prolific composer of operas, created his famous work, “Norma” based on a French story of a tragic heroine in two acts. Several Druids and high priestesses later, our heroine, Norma mounts a funeral pyre and is joined by her love, Pollione. The role of Norma is said to be very challenging even for the most accomplished of divas. It was the signature role of Maria Callas who performed it over 40 times during her career and showcased the lilting Casta Diva,( <click here to experience her memorable rendition)one of the most famous Italian operatic pieces. Sicilians in the 19th century so loved this opera and the pasta dish we discuss today, that the two became entwined forever.

Traditionally, Pasta alla Norma is made with a combination of fried eggplant, tomatoes, basil and some hot pepper, topped with shavings of the sharp and lovely Ricotta Salata.

I have seen this dish all sorts of ways including an interesting deconstructed version that was presented in a series of layers of the ingredient almost like a lasagna. I much prefer the ingredients combined as they seem to intensify the flavor of the sauce as they touch and mingle reaching a fantastic crescendo of intensity – a rather sexy dish!

My Pasta Not So Norma has a similar mix of ingredients with something more! There is nothing subtle or mild about this pasta. It has plenty of flavor which seems to increase when made a day ahead. Do we love that? Troppo Bella!

A note about eggplant: I know there are different notions about whether or not to press or salt eggplant to remove any bitterness. My recommendation is to always press your eggplant unless you are using a very mild or baby variety, and there are several – such as the beautiful Rosa Bianca pictured here. This eggplant, an heirloom variety very common in Italy, is sweet, tender, creamy tasting and would not need pressing.

Also see the more familiar “Black Beauty”, your average garden variety eggplant, shown here which can be found at any grocer. The “Black Beauty” is my choice for this recipe, as I prefer a stronger eggplant for this longer cooking sauce consisting of multiple ingredients.

A word about pressing eggplant to remove any bitter flavor: My mother, Loretta, used to slice her eggplant and layer it with paper towels in a baking dish or casserole topped with a plate. She would then put an iron or heavy cans of tomatoes on top to weight it down or press it. She left it to press overnight – Then the next day all of the bitter juices transferred to the paper towels leaving sweet eggplant slices.

 

I still use the pressing method as described here, but I have found that pressing for about 2-3 hours is enough. Some cooks choose not to press the eggplant. However, it seems a bit risky in that we never know how much bitterness the eggplant may contain. My results are always reliable when I press, and it’s so easy.

At this point, I suggest turning on that CD of Norma with Maria Callas pining away as you prepare your ingredients. Nothing like a good aria and a tragic figure going up in flames to help ignite your appetite, turn up the heat, and get those creative juices flowing.

PASTA NOT SO NORMA

Serves: 4

Prep: 20 minutes + time to press eggplant if needed

Cook: about 50 minutes

3 cloves chopped garlic

3 tbsp. olive oil

4 oz. pancetta chopped

1 green pepper chopped

1 Medium onion chopped

1 Medium Eggplant chopped into cubes – whether or not to skin the eggplant is your choice. (Press eggplant sliced thickly for a few hours or overnight – then chop)

1 28 oz can San Marzano Peeled Tomatoes preferred

1 tsp Kosher salt – more to your taste

Freshly ground black pepper

At least ½ c. chopped fresh basil (can also use parsley instead for a little different flavor)

2 Tbsp. Fresh Oregano ( if dried use less)

¾ c. pitted Kalamata, Cerignola Green or Gaeta Olives sliced in ½ (if using Gaetas – you might want to use a little less salt in the sauce)

1/2 to 1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes – adding the heat reminiscent of Norma’s demise (according to your taste as to how much fire you prefer!)

Ricotta Salata or Pecorino Romano cheese shaved or grated

1 lb Fusilli Pugliese or Rigatoni

Make your sauce a day ahead!

Saute garlic in oil in a deep fry pan or pot for a couple of minutes – then add pancetta.

Cook for a couple of minutes until it crisps up; add onion, green pepper and eggplant. Cook til tender – about 8 minutes. When you first add the vegetables to the pan, it will look like a lot, but will reduce and cook down.

Crush your tomatoes with clean hands or a knife and fork and add tomatoes with juices to the vegetables.

Crushing the tomatoes this way keeps them a little chunkier than if canned crushed tomatoes are used.

Add red pepper flakes, basil, oregano, salt, black pepper and stir. Cover and simmer for about 40 minutes, adding the olives in the last 5 minutes of cooking. Give it a stir occasionally.

To serve: I like this sauce over Fusilli Pugliese (small rolled strands of pasta from the Puglia Region of Italy) or Rigatoni. I serve this dish in shallow bowls topped with coarsely grated or shaved Ricotta Salata or Pecorino Romano – sharp cheeses suited for spicy sauces.

Usually, this serves 4 with a pound of pasta. There will be plenty of sauce – so if serving 6, the sauce should accomodate – just increase your pasta amount to 1 1/2 lbs.

My daughter, Jessica, likes to put diced Fresh Buffalo Mozzarella on this when it is very hot along with the other cheeses.

Wine: Barbera d’Alba – I particularly like the Mauro Sebaste Barbera d’Alba Santa Rosalia. The perfect accompaniment to this dish.

PARLA COME MANGI!

Reminder: Be sure to visit my website,Linda’s Italian Table, for the new Recipe Of The Month!

Food Photos by Tommy Hanks Photography

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