This is a great recipe to make on a Saturday afternoon… it takes a few hours and a few more pots and pans than are acceptable for a weeknight dinner. 🙂
Italian Style Sweet & Sour Pork with Pappardelle
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. butter
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 3 1/2 to 4 lbs. country-style pork ribs (shoulder cut)
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 3 or more cloves garlic, minced
- 1 – 15 oz. can tomato puree
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
- 2 Tbsp. granulate sugar
- 1/4 cup currants
- 1/4 tsp. thyme
- 1/4 tsp. whole all-spice
- 1/4 tsp. whole cloves
- 1/4 tsp. whole black pepper corns
- 1 – 12 oz. package Pappardelle pasta
- 1 bunch Italian flat leaf parsley
- 1 cup shredded fresh parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Cut the ribs in half and season them with salt and pepper. I
- In a large dutch oven or a deep pot with a lid, heat the butter and oil on medium high heat. When oil is hot, add the ribs in batches (don’t over-crowd them) and brown them on both sides.
- Remove the ribs from the pan as you go, and set them aside in a bowl. When all of the ribs have been browned, turn the burner down to low and add the onions and garlic. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- While the onions and garlic are cooking, combine tomato puree, currants, salt, thyme, allspice, cloves, peppercorns and 1/4 cup of vinegar in a bowl.
- Combine the remaining 1/4 cup of vinegar with the sugar and set aside for later.
- Once the onions are very soft, pour the tomato sauce mixture into the pot, add the ribs and any juice from their bowl and coat the ribs well with the sauce. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce heat to low. Add a little water if sauce appears too thick.
- Cover the pot and simmer until the meat is very tender – about 2 1/2 to 3 hours. While the meat is cooking, chop the flat leaf parsley and set it aside.
- When the meat is very tender, remove it from the sauce with a slotted spoon or tongs, discard any bones or fat, and set the meat aside while you finish the sauce.
- our the sauce through a strainer into a clean sauce pan. Return the strained sauce to the stove. Bring it back to a boil and skim off any extra fat from the sauce.
- When the sauce has been skimmed, stir in the vinegar-sugar mixture and then add the meat back to the sauce. Cover the pot and simmer on low heat while you prepare the pasta.
- Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain the pasta and toss with a small amount of olive oil.
- Dish the pasta onto plates or bowls and top with pork, sauce, chopped parsley, and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Serve with a great bottle of wine, a tossed green salad, and crusty bread. I guarantee your carnivore friends will love sharing this dinner with you!
