Baked Orecchiette with Pork Sugo

By Shaylie

In Italian cuisine, a sugo is a gravy or sauce. Here, Stowell prepares a pork sugo by brais¬ing pork shoulder until it almost falls apart, shredding it in a food processor and mixing it with a red-wine-and-tomato sauce; then he bakes it with orecchiette under a top¬ping of Parmigiano cheese until crispy. The dish is an excellent alternative to the usual baked pasta, because it's not as heavy and cheesy but still delicious and satisfying

Ingredients

• 31/4 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch pieces
• Kosher salt and freshly
• ground pepper
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin
• olive oil
• 4 carrots, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 4 celery ribs, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 1 large sweet onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 4 garlic cloves, very
• finely chopped
• 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1-1/2 cups dry red wine
• 4 thyme sprigs
• 5 cups chicken stock or
• low-sodium broth
• 2 tablespoons chopped
• flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1-1/2 pounds orecchiette
• 2 cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (7 ounces)

Details

Servings 8

Preparation

Step 1

1. Season the pork with salt and pepper. In a large enameled cast-iron casserole, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Add the pork in a single layer and cook over moderately high heat until the pieces are golden brown all over, about 12 minutes. Add the carrots, celery, onion and garlic and cook until softened and browned in spots, about 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes and their juices and bring to a simmer. Add the red wine and thyme sprigs and cook over high heat until the wine is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Cover and sim¬mer over low heat until the pork is very tender, about 2 hours.
2. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pork and vegetables to a food processor; dis¬card the thyme sprigs. Pulse just until the pork is shredded. Scrape the shredded pork and vegetables back into the cas¬serole. Stir in the chopped parsley, oreg¬ano and crushed red pepper and season with salt and pepper.
3. Preheat the oven to 375°. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the orecchiette until it is still firm to the bite, about 5 minutes; drain well. Add the orecchiette to the casserole and toss with the pork sauce. Scrape the pasta into a very large baking dish and sprinkle all over with the Parmigiano-Reggiano. Bake the casserole in the upper third of the oven for about 35 minutes, until golden brown on top and bubbling. Let the baked pasta stand for 10 minutes before serving.

MAKE AHEAD The pork sugo can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. Reheat tossing with the orecchiette.

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