Pork Ragôut with Pappardelle

Savory pork ragôut, slowly stewed with tomatoes, carrots, pearl onions, and herbs creates a succulent sauce for Tuscan pappardelle egg noodles.

Ingredients

For the Pork & Marinade:

3 pounds boneless pork ribs
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce

For Browning the Pork:

⅓ cup flour
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

For the Ragôut:

2 teaspoons freshly minced garlic
2 (3-inch) fresh sprigs of rosemary
4 cups carrots, sliced on the bias
1 pound pearl onions, peeled
3½ pounds fresh tomatoes, diced, or 2 (28-ounce) cans petite diced tomatoes
1 quart chicken stock
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 cups water
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons salt
Pappardelle egg noodles

Intriguing Ragôut

Historically, the French lay origin-claim to the term ragôut. The French word gôut means essentially the taste or sense of taste, flavor, the savor or experience of tasting. For the French, the very action of tasting became a profoundly loaded noun. The infinitive verb ragôuter literally means to stew, but it signifies awakening and exciting one’s appétit with all the senses. Appétit translates to appetite but also indicates one’s zest for the experience of tasting and eating.

Traditionally, French ragôut is a hearty stew with small cuts of meat slowly braised at low heat and full of rich, melded flavor from the rendered protein fat, stock, vegetables, and herbs. Italian cuisine applied the soffritto with ground or minced meat to its version of ragù. Bolognese remains one of the celebrated Italian ragouts, served over hefty kinds of pasta like lasagna or penne. Pasta, polenta, and rice especially complement the endless meat and vegetable combinations of the ragôut.

Method

To Preparing the Pork & Marinade:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Lay the boneless pork ribs out on a parchment-lined surface. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, extra-virgin olive oil, and soy sauce. Massage the ingredients into the meat on all sides. Allow the ribs to rest for about 10 to 15 minutes on the parchment.

To Brown the Pork:

Dust the meat generously with flour on all sides. In a large, enameled Dutch oven or another roasting pan with a lid set on the stove at medium-high heat, brown the meat in the olive oil for about 4 minutes on each side. Remove the meat from the pan and set it aside.

For the Ragôut:

Using the drippings from the browned meat, add in the carrots and pearl onions. Sauté the vegetables until the onions begin to caramelize, about 5 minutes. Add in the garlic and sprigs of rosemary; sauté for another minute. Stir in the tomatoes, chicken stock, brown sugar, soy sauce, black pepper, and salt. Return the meat to the pan and cover with the lid.

Place in the covered pot in the preheated oven. Allow the meat and vegetables to braise for about 2½ hours, or until the meat is tender and falling apart.

Toward the end of the cooking time, prepare the pappardelle noodles as directed on their package. Serve the ragôut atop the noodles.

Recipe Created and Stylized by R. Shannon Mock
and Brontë E. Mock