A simple Tuscan pork ragu, slow cooked over a couple of hours either in the oven or on the stove top. You’ll be amazed at the depth of flavour with just a handful of ingredients.
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Have you ever looked at a recipe and thought it’s too simple or not interesting enough to give it a try?
Here’s a recipe that’s been a bit of a game changer for me. So much so that I followed it exactly the first time and then made it exactly the same the second time.
And third time out I still didn’t feel the need to change it. Which totally goes against the way I normally cook!
You may be familiar with Antonio Carlucci – he’s the Godfather of Italian cooking in the UK. With an appetite for food and wine matched only by his zest for life, his many TV series showcase his no-fuss approach to Italian cooking.
These Middle Eastern inspired meatballs are slow cooked too!
This recipe comes from Antonio’s The Collection, a compilation of over 300 regional Italian recipes.
My first reaction looking through the book was that the recipes are so simple – which in my head I translated as too easy and uninteresting.
And then on page 126 I came across Tuscan Pasta with Pork Sauce and I may have had an epiphany.
There’s no garlic, no herbs apart from a few bayleaves and just pork mince not the usual beef/veal/pork and I was intrigued.
What resulted was a very rustic, simple yet rich pork ragu full of flavour from a long, slow cook.
If you make it once, you’ll make it again.
And then you’ll double the recipe so you always have a batch in the freezer.
A very simple Tuscan pork ragu
A simple pork ragu that is sure to become a firm family favourite.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 20 minutes
Ingredients
-
6
tbsp
olive oil -
1
small onion
finely chopped -
1
celery stalk
trimmed and finely chopped -
1
carrot
finely chopped -
400
g
pork mince {not too fatty} -
100
ml
dry red wine -
500
g
passata -
5-6
bay leaves - salt and pepper
-
Parmesan cheese
grated
Instructions
-
Heat oven to 150C. {Note 1}
-
Heat the olive oil in a pan. Add the onion, celery and carrot and fry gently until soft. {Note 2}
-
Add the meat and stir to brown a little then add the wine and let the alcohol evaporate.
-
Stir in passata, add the bay leaves and salt & pepper. Cover and place in oven for 2 1/2 hours.{Note 3}
-
Serve with pasta and parmesan cheese.
Recipe Notes
{Note 1} Antonio’s recipe says to cook slowly for 2 hours on the hob. I prefer to cook it slowly in the oven.
{Note 2} I put all the vegetable into a food processor together and blitzed into very small pieces to help them cook down into the sauce.
{Note 3} I left one batch in the oven for over 3 hours – don’t worry if you’re not home to look after it.
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The book is full of similar recipes – no fuss, easy cooking, rustic food.
My kind of cooking and eating – and yours too I hope.
Do you have favourite ragu recipe? Do you overlook more simple recipes sometimes too?
