Braised pork ragu with porcini and muscat

FOOD & WINE MATCH

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Braised pork ragu with porcini and muscat

This recipe is from the April/May 2010 issue of Gourmet Traveller WINE.

Wine to try
2006 Speri Valpolicella Classico Superiore Ripasso DOC, Verona (Italy), A$45
Yum, a rustic ragu, based on pork hock embellished with the gutsy flavours of porcini mushrooms and the sweetness of a fortified muscat. Yet it is so sweetly intense that most reds would jar – their singular fruit flavours and bold tannins clashing with the intense richness of the ragu. Ripasso is the halfway house between the simple, fruity flavours of a Valpolicella and the full-on character of an amarone – the air-dried, super-concentrated red from which the Veneto is justly famous. The ripasso’s bouquet has the same intense savoury smells as the ragu, while the sweetness of its dark, sour-cherry fruit flavours is tamed by the hint of oxidisation – an inherent character of both ripasso and amarone. This is a monumental combination of food and wine, so leave time for a nap afterwards.

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Braised pork ragu with porcini and muscat

Serves 6

3 tbsp	olive oil
1 head	garlic, peeled
20	eschallots, peeled and halved
2	carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
2	pork hocks
500ml	muscat
20g	dried porcini mushrooms
2 cups	veal or beef stock
1	bay leaf
3 sprigs	thyme
6 sprigs	oregano
1 cup	passata
600g	pappardelle
To serve:	grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

1	Preheat oven to 160°C. Heat oil in a heavy casserole dish with a tight-fitting lid over high heat. Add garlic, eschallots and carrots, and cook for 3-4 minutes or until brown. Add pork, muscat, porcini, stock and herbs. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and bring to the boil.
2	Remove from heat. Cover and bake in the oven for 3 hours, turning every hour until the meat is falling off the bone.
3	Remove from oven. Lift out pork and use two forks to shred meat, discarding skin and fat. Return meat to pan, add passata and season. Simmer, uncovered, over medium heat for 5-6 minutes or until thickened.
4	Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water for 10-12 minutes or until al dente. Drain and toss with pork ragu. Serve sprinkled with Parmigiano-Reggiano.