Pork and Pappardelle

I love to read cookbooks, and my collection is probably in the hundreds.  For some reason, I rarely actually cook from them.  These days I am most inspired by blogs and the occasional recommendation from a friend.  Luckily a friend recommended this recipe from Smoky Pork Papparadelle from Food & Wine.  It includes a list of specialized ingredients, including smoked sea salt, champagne vinegar, and pappardelle - a pasta that is not easily found in every supermarket.  I think this combination of flavors is perfect, but it is still an excellent dish with regular salt, white wine vinegar, and a tubular pasta that catches the shreds of pork.  This is a hearty cold, rainy day kind of dish.  It is smokey with a slight sweetness and the pork just melts in your mouth.

Smoky Pork Pappardelle

Pork Pappardelle
adapted from Food & Wine

2-pound piece of boneless pork shoulder

2 Tb canola oil

1 each Granny Smith apple, medium onion, and carrot, cut in 1-inch dice

2 cloves garlic, crushed

3 thyme sprigs

1/2 cup tomato paste

3 cups liquid (mix of chicken stock and dry white wine)

1/3 cup white wine vinegar (champagne if available)

3 Tb honey

3 Tb mascarpone cheese (sour cream would work)

sea salt (smoked if available), freshly ground pepper

1 Tb chopped parsley

1 lb cooked papparadelle (or tubular pasta)

Preheat the oven to 300°. Season the meat with salt and cook in an enameled cast-iron casserole on medium high heat until browned on all sides. Transfer to a plate.

Add the apple, onion, carrot, celery, garlic and thyme and cook on medium until beginning to brown. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until it deepens in color. Add the liquid and bring to a boil. Add the vinegar and honey and bring to a simmer.  Return the pork, cover and transfer to the oven. Braise for about 3 hours, turning once halfway through, until very tender.

Transfer the pork to a plate. Strain the sauce into a large bowl.   Pour the sauce back into the pot. Shred the pork; discard any pieces of fat. Return the shredded pork to the sauce and stir in the mascarpone. Season the sauce with salt and pepper.  Serve over pasta and sprinkle with parsley.