After having the fantasic pappardelle at Crooklyn Improv, I found myself craving the broad ribbons of home made pasta. As I was contemplating the merits of different sauces that I could pair with my pappardelle, I came across We Are Never Full’s luscious Sausage Ragu. It had to be a sign. While many in the US associate ragù with a brand of jarred pasta sauce, it actually refers to a whole class of meat-based sauces in Italian cuisine. The word itself is a loan word from the French ragoût which is a stew or sauce that’s served with noodles. I happened to have about 5 lbs of pork cheek meat sitting in the freezer and because of its high fat and connective tissue content, it’s perfect for a sauce like this. For those not familiar, pork cheek (also known as jowel) is literally the cheek meat of the pig and is the same cut used to make Guanciale. There isn’t a ton of meat on each cheek, but the meat that is there is incredibly flavourful and has a fantastic marbling of fat that keeps it moist and makes it fall apart when cooked low and slow. It also happens to be a very cheap cut, coming it at $4.99 a pound at an upscale Manhattan butcher, which means you can almost certainly find it for less at your local butcher. Because it is a rather unusual cut, you probably won’t find it at the meat counter of a grocery store, but this is totally worth a trip to the butcher. If you’re not of the pork persuasion, this recipe would also work well with other types of meat like lamb or beef, but be sure you get a cut of meat with a lot of fat and connective tissue. If you do use other types of meat, try using other spices. Mint works great with lamb, and for beef, I tend to like more subtle spices like basil or sage. The best part about the recipe is that it’s simple and low maintenance. Just brown the meat and soffrito to create a flavourful fond on the pan, toss in all the other ingredients, then let it cook over low heat for a few hours. When you come back you’ll be greeted by a thick reduced sauce and glistening collagen laden meat that falls apart when prodded with a fork. The aroma is quite intoxicating, and whether it’s served over al dente pappardelle or with a crusty slice of toasted bread, you’ll be richly awarded for such a meager amount of work. The left over sauce freezes well and it also makes great open faced sandwiches. If you’re craving a quick pasta fix, this sauce would pair fantastically with my Hungarian Nokedli, which come together in the time it takes to boil a pot of water. As for the pasta, it’s so simple that I’ve stopped buying dried pasta. For two people, just mix 1 cup of flour (all purpose or semolina), and 1 large egg together until combined then add a small amount of warm water at a time until the dough just comes together. Then you can take your aggressions out on the dough, kneading and abusing it until it’s very elastic. Think of it like making playdough… better yet, get your kids to do the kneading so you can do something else. Once the kneading is done, just cover with plastic and allow it to rest for an hour before you roll it out thin and slice it into broad noodles.
📖 Recipe
