Serves 6
Need
4 oz pancetta
2 lbs Pork, defatted and ¾” cubed
1 16 oz can whole tomatoes
2 cups sweet onion, chopped
1 large fennel bulb, chopped
2 TBS fennel fronds chopped
4 cloves garlic minced
1 tsp sea salt + salt for cooking pasta
2 tsp fresh thyme
1 tsp black pepper
⅓ cup heavy cream
1 cup dry white wine
2 TBS Bay Leaf Black Pepper Preserved Meyer Lemon Paste
¼ cup fresh Meyer lemon juice
12 oz pasta with heft such as papardelle or rigatoni
1 cup grated Pecorino Romano
Do
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350F.
In Dutch oven over a medium-to-high heat burner, cook pancetta and ¾ cup water, stirring occasionally, until water has evaporated and dark fond forms on bottom of pot, about eight to 10 minutes. Remove pancetta and set aside.
Add pork to the Dutch oven. When pork begins to brown, add onion and fennel bulb, and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables soften and start to brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in garlic, sea salt, thyme, black pepper and Preserved Meyer Lemon Paste and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds).
Stir in pancetta, cream, canned tomato and 2 cups dry white wine, scraping up any browned bits. Add the lemon juice. Cover, transfer to oven and cook until pork is tender, about 1½ to 2 hours.
When pork is done, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot to cook the dry pasta. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt to boiling water and cook, stirring occasionally, until just al dente. Reserve 2 cups cooking water, then drain pasta and add it to Dutch oven.
Over medium heat add the Pecorino and ¾ cup reserved cooking water and stir gently until sauce is slightly thickened and cheese is fully melted into the sauce, about two to three minutes. If needed, stir in remaining reserved cooking water, ¼ cup at a time, to adjust sauce consistency.
Notes
Add less water than you think you need. You can always add more. Season with salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle with fennel fronds. Serve immediately.
Adapted by the recipe from Don Grogg dongrogg@outlook.com
