Pilot Post: Pork + Pappardelle

I hadn’t intended for my first foray into food blog-dom to be so full of aliteration, but the English major in me is now momentarily mesmerized by the challenge.  Don’t worry, it will pass.

When I first mentioned the notion of this blog to Mr. Food Year’s Resolution*, he was appropriately encouraging, as any good partner should be.  I was hesitant, given just how many food blogs there are out there, but when I was talking about how I thought it would help me to stay on track to 1) cook more at home and 2) try out new recipes, I think his brain processed this information as 1) more $$$ in the bank and 2) more awesome new food in his mouth.

I think we started off on the right track with the dish from last night.

When poking around for a winter-y dish that tasted like it took a lot of effort but in actuality was quite simple, I stumbled across this recipe from Food & Wine.  It was contributed by Gerard Craft, who’s the executive chef / owner of Niche in St. Louis.  If St. Louis wasn’t a 5+ hour drive away and if we didn’t have a 4 month old, I’d be tempted to make reservations there for this coming weekend (St. Louis peeps, go and let me live vicariously through you).  Alas, I’ll just have to settle for this mouth watering deliciousness.

I altered the recipe only slightly–I didn’t use smoked salt because I didn’t have any and I added an extra clove of garlic because, well, I love garlic.  I would be tempted to buy smoked salt in the future for this recipe alone just to see if it made the pork that much more awesome.  Also, this made a ton of leftovers and it was just as good the next day for lunch.

OH, and the Mr.’s response to the dish?  Unsolicited he said something that sounded like, “Mmmmm… fish bait” which I’m translating into “Mmmm…this is great.”  Either way, he’s not the biggest fan of pasta, so I consider either utterance an endorsement.

Smoky Pork Pappardelle (from Gerard Craft as published in Food&Wine)

One 2 lb. piece of boneless pork shoulder

Smoked sea salt

2 tbsp canola oil

1 granny smith apple, cut into 1-inch dice

1 medium onion, cut into 1-inch dice

1 carrot, cut into 1-inch dice

1 celery rib, cut into 1-ince dice

2 garlic cloves, crushed

3 thyme springs

1/2 cup tomato paste

1 cup dry white wine

2 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth

1/3 cup champagne vinegar

3 tbsp honey

3 tbsp mascarpone cheese

Freshly ground pepper

1 lb pappardelle

1 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

Extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling

1. Preheat the oven to 300°. Season the pork with 1 1/2 tablespoons of smoked salt. In a medium, enameled cast-iron casserole, heat the canola oil until shimmering. Add the pork and cook over moderately high heat, turning, until browned on all sides, 15 minutes. Transfer the pork to a plate.
2. Add the apple, onion, carrot, celery, garlic and thyme to the casserole and cook over moderate heat until beginning to brown, about 6 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until it deepens in color, about 2 minutes. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Add the chicken stock, vinegar and honey and bring to a simmer. Add the pork, cover and transfer the casserole to the oven. Braise the pork for about 3 hours, turning once halfway through, until very tender.
3. Transfer the pork to a plate. Strain the sauce into a large bowl, gently pressing on the solids. Pour the sauce back into the pot. Using 2 forks, shred the pork; discard any large pieces of fat. Transfer the shredded pork to the sauce and stir in the mascarpone. Season the sauce with smoked salt and pepper. Cover and keep warm.
4. Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pappardelle until al dente. Drain the pasta and transfer to the casserole with the sauce. Toss the pasta with the sauce and the parsley over moderate heat until well coated, about 1 minute. Transfer the pasta to warm bowls. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with smoked salt and serve.

* When asked if he wanted an alias to be used on this blog, his response was Dr. Klaus von Awesome.  I think we’ll probably just go with James in the future.