Pork Ragu

How to prepare pork ragu

1. In the widest pan possible (28-30 cm), heat a little oil. Fry the ground meat (in 2-3 batches, so it's not crowded) stirring frequently until it changes color everywhere and pressing it with a wooden spoon to break it up, so no large pieces remain. Then you can fry a bit more until it browns slightly. While the meat cooks, sprinkle with salt and grind in black pepper. As you fry the meat, transfer it to a bowl with a spatula, leaving as much fat as possible in the pan.
2. There should now be enough fat in the pan to sauté the finely diced onion. Sauté over low heat until softened, don't let it brown. Takes about 5 minutes.
3. Add the crushed garlic and fennel seeds and sauté for 1 more minute.
4. Add the tomato paste and sauté for another 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until the paste caramelizes slightly and looks drier.
5. Add the 'nduja paste and stir until it melts into the pan.
7. Add the meat back to the pan, sprinkle with a little more salt and pepper. Mix well to coat with the seasonings.
8. Transfer the contents of the pan to a Dutch oven and heat on the stove. Add the water and milk and stir. When it comes to a boil, put the lid on and transfer the Dutch oven to the oven at 150°C for 2 hours.
9. At the end, if you're not using it immediately, you can let the Dutch oven with ragu cool in the oven. It will cool slowly, the meat will continue cooking and become creamy, melting in your mouth.
10. This portion of ragu is enough for 400 g of pasta, meaning 4 servings. When you want to use it, boil the pasta (pappardelle or tagliatelle) in salted water. In a wide pan, heat the ragu sauce, adding 100 ml of water from the pasta water. When it boils, add the drained pasta and stir for about 2 minutes until coated with sauce. Serve immediately with plenty of grated Parmesan and if desired a piece of burrata or a generous spoonful of ricotta.

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