Pork Rigatoni Bolognese

Pork Rigatoni Bolognese

Prep Time: 20 - 30 minutes

Cook Time: 3 - 3 ½ hours

Servings: 6

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground pork
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 carrot, finely chopped
• ½ fennel bulb, finely chopped
• ½ yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 cup red wine
• ¼ cup tomato paste
• 1 bay leaf
• ¼ tsp nutmeg
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 28 oz can whole marzano tomatoes
• Salt, to taste
• Fresh ground pepper, to taste
• 1 cup parmesan cheese, more for topping
• 1 lb dried Rigatoni
• Basil, to garnish

Directions:

1. Shape the ground pork into an oval shape about 2 inches in length.
2. Heat a large dutch oven or pot over medium high heat. Once hot, add the olive oil.
3. Sear the small pork chunks. Season with a large pinch of salt. Once seared until deeply golden on one side, sear on an additional 1-2 sides. Set aside (it’s okay if it’s still raw in the middle).
4. Turn the heat to medium and add more olive oil if needed. Add the carrots, onion, and fennel and stir to combine. Let the moisture sweat out for a few minutes, and then season lightly with salt and pepper.
5. After about 5-6 minutes, add the pork back in and use the back of a wooden spoon to break up the chunks.
6. After the sizes of pork are uniform, add the red wine. Cook the wine down until nearly evaporated.
7. Add the tomato paste, bay leaf, and nutmeg. Cook the tomato paste down until it darkens in color, about 2-3 minutes.
8. Next, pour in the whole milk. Bring up to a simmer and continue to cook for an additional 10 minutes, until the milk is reduced by about half.
9. While this cooks, remove the whole canned tomatoes and chop into chunks.
10. Add the tomatoes and tomato juice to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cook the bolognese for 2-3 hours with the lid off, stirring occasionally and adding water as needed to prevent burning.
11. Once the bolognese is almost done cooking, boil and salt a large pot of water.
12. Cook the rigatoni according to package directions. Once al dente, toss the rigatoni into the sauce with ½ - 1 cup pasta water and ½ cup grated cheese.
13. Serve with more parmesan cheese, fresh cracked pepper, and basil.