This pasta took both Pedro and I back to Tuscany... It's reminiscent of a wild boar sauce we ate in Sienna. I decided to make it as a means to try out our new Le Creuset Dutch oven and it was a huge success.
A few notes on the recipe below. I accidentally bought pork tenderloin roast instead of pork shoulder and thought that I had for sure committed a fatal mistake (tenderloin is super lean and I thought I'd have a difficult time shredding). It actually came out great and saved us a bunch of calories in the end. Tenderloin is a little more expensive though, because it's so lean.
I also used locally grown tomatoes instead of plum tomatoes and that worked just fine. My sauce came out a bit liquidy so I added extra cheese to thicken it up but if I'd had more time, I maybe would have put the pot back in the oven without the lid to let the sauce reduce. In any case, the portions I froze will lose some liquid so the sauce may be perfect by the time we use it for our next meal. Finally I used 2% milk instead of whole milk. The wild boar we ate in Italy was also slow cooked in milk. There's something about the enzymes in the milk that helps to soften pork.
I couldn't find hazelnuts so I omitted that from the recipe and instead topped with chopped parsley and truffle oil.
Enjoy!
Ingredients
SERVINGS: 4
5 large plum tomatoes, quartered
7 garlic cloves, 1 finely grated, 6 left whole
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
½ cup blanched hazelnuts
2 pounds boneless pork shoulder (Boston butt), fat trimmed, cut into 8 pieces
4 large shallots, quartered
2 cups red wine
2 cups whole milk
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
5 sprigs oregano, plus 1 tablespoon finely chopped
5 sprigs thyme, plus 1 tablespoon finely chopped
½ cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
4 ounces Grana Padano cheese, finely grated, plus shaved for serving
1 pound fresh or dried pappardelle
Preparation
Preheat oven to 425°. Toss tomatoes, grated garlic, and 1 Tbsp. oil on a rimmed baking sheet. Arrange tomatoes, skin side down, in a single layer; season with
salt and pepper. Roast until browned around the edges, about 25 minutes. Set aside.
Reduce oven temperature to 350°. Toast hazelnuts on another baking sheet, tossing once, until golden brown, 10–12 minutes. Let cool; coarsely chop.
Reduce oven temperature to 275°. Season pork with salt and pepper. Heat remaining 2 Tbsp. oil in a large ovenproof pot over medium-high. Cook pork in
batches, turning occasionally, until brown, 8–10 minutes; transfer to a platter.
Add shallots and whole garlic cloves to same pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 5 minutes. Add wine, scraping up any browned bits;
bring to a boil and cook until wine is reduced slightly, about 5 minutes. Return pork to pot and add milk, broth, and reserved tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Tie
oregano and thyme sprigs together with kitchen twine; add to pot. Cover and transfer to oven. Braise meat until very tender, 2–2½ hours.
Remove from oven; discard herbs and use a potato masher or pair of forks to shred pork and mash vegetables into medium-size pieces. Gradually add butter
and grated cheese, stirring as you go to fully incorporate into sugo.
Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain pasta, transfer to a platter, and toss with half of sugo.
Serve topped with hazelnuts, chopped oregano and thyme, and more Grana Padano.
Do Ahead: Sugo can be made 1 week ahead. Let cool; cover and chill, or divide in half and freeze up to 3 months.
