Tuscan Ragu of Pork Shoulder

This being Texas, most people use a pork shoulder for BBQ or carnitas tacos, but we decided to put an Italian twist on your basic pork shoulder. We adapted this recipe from the Ragu Cinghiale Bruschetta served at Siena restaurant here in Austin. While the restaurant prepares it with wild boar (a common ingredient in Tuscany and Texas actually), my butcher talked me into purchasing an 8 pound pork shoulder last weekend. So we decided to make a Tuscan ragu with the behemoth hunk of meat and now have plenty of leftovers packed securely in the freezer. I think the outcome tastes remarkably similar to the dish at Siena and it was worth the trouble to make. Because there was a little bit of trouble, and I'm here to share with you how we made it all work out.

I bought a pressure cooker last year and absolutely love how it can make a dish that usually takes hours in the oven in about an hour or less. So we thought, "why not make our ragu in the pressure cooker??" Great idea, but after an hour and a half, we were left with a greasy mess. After 15 minutes of draining fat carefully with a shallow spoon, picking out the fat bits and manicuring the meat, we put it back into a dutch oven with the rest of the bottle of wine and 2 tbs balsamic vinegar, added another clove of chopped garlic and placed it in the oven for another hour. It turned out beautifully!! This tastes great over pasta (I enjoyed mine over some gluten free fusilli), grilled bread, polenta, on pizza or wrapped and baked in pastry for "Italian" emapanadas. It's so versatile!

INGREDIENTS
7-8 pound bone in Pork shoulder, trimmed of excess fat
1 bottle of Tuscan Sangiovese (we actually used a blend of sangiovese, merlot and cab)
1 28 oz can of peeled whole San Marzano tomatoes
1 small jar of tomato paste
2 tbs aged balsamic vinegar
10 cloves of minced garlic
1 large carrot, cut into small dice
1 large white onion, diced
3 stalks of celery, diced
3 tbs dried oregano
3 tbs dried basil
2 tbs garlic powder
2 tbs onion powder
4 bay leaves
2 sprigs rosemary, chopped
1/4 cup Italian parsley, chopped
1 tbs sea salt or more to taste

PREPARATION
In a large skillet with 1 tbs olive oil, we browned the roast on all sides until carmelized and golden brown, about 15 minutes total.

Meanwhile in my pressure cooker with the lid off, we made a "sofrito". This is the key to adding a depth of flavor to the base of the ragu and basically you just carmelize the onion, carrot and celery until soft in about a tablespoon of olive oil, about 15 minutes on medium heat.

 Herbed up and just about ready to pressure cook

We added the pork to the pot, the herbs (only half the parsley- save the rest to stir in just before serving),  garlic, half the wine bottle, tomatoes (not the paste) and the garlic. Covered it and cooked about 1.5 hours.

 This Monte Antico wine was fabulous! Only cook with what you'd drink!

This is where things got messy. Pork shoulder is pretty fatty, so when I opened the lid, I was greeted with an oily mess. In my mind I had pictured myself opening the lid to find the ragu perfectly tender, not greasy and ready to serve. Don't discount using the pressure cooker if you are crushed for time, but realize it will still need to be doctored after. I was so annoyed that I didn't have time to take a picture, though I wish I had. A few choice words later and after skimming and manicuring the meat, I put it in a Dutch Oven, added the paste, about 2 tbs of balsamic vinegar, the rest of the wine. In hind sight, I think it's better to just cook the whole thing low and slow in just wine, sofrito and herbs until softened (about 3 hours), manicure it and then add the tomato sauce, paste and balsamic plus more wine, maybe even a bit more fresh garlic to add another layer of brightness,  and simmer for about 6 hours in the oven at 200 degrees. NOTE: it tastes even better the next day so is a great pre-prep meal for a dinner party.

This recipe made about 8 cups total.

Here we served it on rustic bread cut 1 inche thick, drizzled with olive oil and grilled in a panini press.You need a thick slice to hold the juices and ragu.

Individual Chicken Pot Pies

On a recent trip to San Francisco I went to the mother ship of all Williams Sonomas in Union Square. It was my version of heaven- six stories of cooking things!! So I bought a Fagor pressure cooker and had it shipped home. Why have I not bought a pressure cooker years before?? They always scared me as I remember my dad unloading the behemoth of an antique pressure cooker when I was a kid and admonishing me, "Allrighty, now step back little lady!! This thing could blow your head clean off your shoulders!!" Luckily, pressure cookers have come a long way and are much, much safer and easier to use. Dad's had all sorts of knobs and screws on the side and generally looked terrifying to operate. I will admit when we made our first meal in the cooker earlier this week, a Tuscan Stew to die for in under an hour, that I hid in the butler's pantry while the hubs opened the lid. And it was no big deal as we both still have our heads, even if we do have a couple of loose screws :-)

So today it was nice and cool and only 70 degrees out-that's almost freezing here! Wrap the pipes! Drip the faucets! What better than chicken pot pie on a cold day in fall? So we decided to make it in the pressure cooker, but you could make it nice and slow in a dutch oven for 2 hours too.

INGREDIENTS
1 whole chicken, cut into parts, skin removed
2 celery ribs, chopped into large chunks
1 large carrot, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 shallots, cut in half
3 cloves garlic, slightly smashed
1 tbs chicken base such as Better than Bouillion or Swanson Flavor Boost
1 bottle of lager beer
2 cups low sodium chicken stock
1/4 cup frozen peas
4 sprigs thyme
1 sprig rosemary
1 tbs flour
2 tbs olive oil
1 tbs butter
1 sheet thawed puff pastry or pie crust (I used Immaculate Baking Company pie crust- tastes just like home made).
1/4 cup cream- or not if you want to keep it light. But the cream makes it waaaaay better. Like a hug from Granny.

DIRECTIONS
Turn stove to med- high and add the oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper and in batches, brown chicken until golden- about 5 minutes. Set aside on a plate, add veggies and stir until softened, about 3 minutes. Then add the beer, broth, chicken base and herbs and the chicken.  Cover and set the pressure cooker to high and cook 25 minutes. Release steam and open to find meltingly tender chicken. So good. Or, if you don't have a pressure cooker, stir in the flour with the veggies and some butter before the liquids and herbs, etc, cover and cook on low in a 250 degree oven for two hours.

Remove the chicken and let it cool a bit and in a sauce pan melt butter, add flour and stir in about a cup of the cooking stock to make a roux. Also remove the herb twigs, shallots, garlic cloves and celery from the stock. Leave the carrots. Add the roux, pull the chicken into chunks and put those back in the sauce. Stir in the cream now and the peas.

Then, cut out the puff pastry or pie crust to fit over your ramekins or cocottes, fill them with chicken sauce, cover with crust and brush lightly with a beaten egg. Poke a few small holes in the crust to release steam. Place them in a preheated 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Serve immediately. Then go take a nap...

I cut out little leaves for my toppings to make the pies look a bit festive. That's a shred of chicken on the crust there at the bottom, not sure how I missed that before taking the shot. Drrrrrrrr....