Ziti with Pork and Sausage Ragu

  • 4 ounces thinly sliced bacon, chopped
  • 2 pounds pork shoulder, cut into 1 1/4-inch cubes
  • 1 pound Italian hot sausages, casings removed
  • 1 onion, minced
  • 2 carrots, peeled, diced
  • 1 celery stalk, minced
  • 1 tsp dry thyme
  • 6 large garlic cloves, chopped
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried chili flakes
  • 2 cups dry red wine
  • 1 28-ounce can plum tomatoes in juice, tomatoes chopped, juice reserved
  • 1 1/4 pounds ziti pasta
  • 2 cups (packed) coarsely grated whole-milk mozzarella cheese (about 8 ounces)
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

  1. Heat a heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add bacon and sauté until brown and crisp. Drain on a paper towel.
  2. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper. Add half of pork to drippings in pot; sauté until brown, about 7 minutes. Set aside. Repeat with remaining pork.
  3. Add sausage to same pot. Sauté until no longer pink, breaking up with back of fork, about 5 minutes.
  4. Add onions, carrots, celery, thyme, garlic, bay leaves, and crushed chili flakes.
  5. Reduce heat to medium-low; sauté until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Add wine and bring to boil, scraping up browned bits.
  6. Add meat with any accumulated juices; boil 2 minutes. Add tomatoes with juice. Cover and cook until pork is very tender, adjusting heat as needed to maintain gentle simmer and stirring occasionally, about 2 hours.
  7. Uncover pot; tilt to 1 side and spoon off fat from surface of ragù. Gently press pork pieces with back of fork to break up meat coarsely.
  8. Season ragù to taste with salt and pepper.
  9. Preheat oven to 400°F. Butter 15x10x2-inch glass baking dish or other 4-quart baking dish.
  10. Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta; mix into ragù. Season mixture to taste with salt and pepper; transfer to prepared dish. Sprinkle both cheeses over. Bake until heated through and golden, about 20 minutes.

 

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