Pork Ragù with pappardelle

A meat ragù is one of those dishes that takes time to prepare but the result is so worth it. This is basically love in a bowl.

Cut: Pork Leg

3 Hours

Ingredients

olive oil for frying
2 kg pork leg, skin removed, deboned and cut into big chunks
2 medium onions, chopped
2 large celery sticks, chopped
2 medium carrots, grated
50 g tomato paste
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 Tbsp (30 ml) chopped fresh sage
2 Tbsp (30 ml) chopped fresh thyme
2 Tbsp (30 ml) chopped fresh rosemary
2 bay leaves
1 C (250 ml) red wine
2 x 400 g tins of chopped tomato
1 C (250 ml) chicken stock
1⁄2 C (125 ml) chutney
2 Tbsp (30 ml) fish sauce
salt and pepper
1 C (250 ml) fresh cream

Method

Preheat the oven to 160 oC. Heat a splash of olive oil in a large cast-iron pot over medium-high heat. Sear the pork pieces on all sides, do a few pieces at a time so that you don’t crowd the pot. Caramelise the pieces well for maximum flavour. Reserve the seared pork pieces to one side and add the onion, celery and carrots to the pot. Saute for 7-10 minutes until the veg has softened and is starting to colour. Add the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant. Add the sage, thyme, rosemary and bay leaves and fry for another 2 minutes. Add the wine to deglaze and bring to a boil to cook off the alcohol. Add the tins of chopped tomato, stock, chutney and fish sauce and mix well to combine. Bring to a boil and then cover and place the pot into the oven. Cook for 1 1⁄2 hours covered, then remove the lid and continue cooking for another hour. Remove from the oven and check the pork – it should be fork-tender. Pour in the cream and mix well, then use two forks to shred the meat.