Temperatures dip gracefully into the 60s, lower still at night, and warm food once again beckons. Yet unwilling to concoct stews or other hefty plates, I am inspired by a simple Italian style Ragu; it juxtaposes the fresh, bright tastes of items off the garden vines and stems alongside a slowly heated, heartier base. Despite using my favorite pas de deux, butter and pork, this dish manages to dance between lustily flavorful and light to digest.
Perfect for a day such as this, rainy and preliminarily fall chilly, I recommend cooking this when you can pass in and out of the kitchen for an hour (or two!) prior to eating; that might sound demanding – you can also prepare this in a half hour, but the flavors develop somewhat differently with a longer simmer.
You’ll need: 4 Tbs butter; 1 small onion, chopped; one carrot, chopped, 1/2 bulb fennel, chopped (or celery), a tsp. of fennel seeds; 2-oz. piece of pancetta (I also use several strips bacon and any other cuts of pork left over from other dinners); 1/2 cup dry white wine; 1 cup tomato puree (optional); salt and pepper; 3/4 cup milk; several dashes of heavy cream; parmigiano-reggiano. Also – fresh pasta or dried pasta cooked (a tagliatelle style is good).
To cook, put the pancetta or other pork cuts into a heavy-bottomed, medium-sized pot, over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until fat has rendered, about 10 minutes. Add the onion, carrots, fennel (or celery) and fennel seeds and cook, stirring frequently (I usually swing by every 5 to 10 min., doing necessary phone calls, or other household chores in-between) until soft and somewhat browned, about 15 minutes. You can also leave this to simmer for up to an hour.
Add the white wine and simmer until evaporated, roughly 5 minutes. Add the tomato puree if desired (sometimes I leave this out, preferring the sauce over pasta with just the flavors of veggies and pork). Stir well to combine, adding water if you desire; bring to simmer. Season with salt and pepper, then add half the milk and simmer. Add rest of milk after a couple minutes, continue simmering until sauce is thickened. This can take from 1/2 hour to an hour – just depends on how thick you want it. Stir in the cream and serve over your pasta of choice – again, bite size pieces are good versus long strands. Top with Parmigiano-reggiano.
Note: Sometimes I leave out both the tomato puree and milk, waiting just until vegetables are nicely soft and pork flavor fully developed. Then, I toss with about 1/4 cup of cream and the parmigiano over pasta, which makes for a lighter fare. Add a bit of fresh chopped basil atop each serving for a brilliant note of your fall garden.
This recipe is our take on several versions published in Saveur, No. 110.
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