Rigatoni with Calabrese Pork Ragù
★★★★☆
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion, quartered
- 1 carrot, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 celery stalk, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 tsp fresh oregano leaves (9.9 ml)
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (1.2 ml)
- 1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley, divided (118 ml)
- 1 (28-oz) can whole peeled tomatoes
- 1/4 cup olive oil (59.1 ml)
- 1 lb hot or sweet Italian sausage, casings removed (454 g)
- 1 lb ground pork (454 g)
- Kosher salt, pepper
- 1 T tomato paste
- 1 lb mezzi rigatoni or penne (454 g)
- 3/4 cup grated Parmesan (177 ml)
Instructions
- Pulse onion, carrot, celery, garlic, oregano, pepper flakes, 1/4 cup parsley in food processor. Purée tomatoes separately.
- Brown sausage and ground pork. Add vegetable mixture, cook until golden 8-10 minutes.
- Add tomato paste, 1 cup water, puréed tomatoes. Simmer 4 hours, adding water as needed.
- Cook pasta; toss with sauce, 1/2 cup cooking liquid, and 3/4 cup Parmesan.
Wine Pairing: Full Red (Aglianico, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo) — Southern Italian full reds stand up to the long-simmered pork ragù.