Pasta Sauce with Pork Ribs: Tomatoes & Cranberry (Borlotti) Beans with Sage

 

Traditionally this is a summer sauce made when the borlotti beans & tomatoes are fresh but it's so heavy we prefer it in the fall and winter using our jarred tomatoes & frozen beans. Locals add pork ribs to the sauce adding extra flavor and resulting in a side dish of stewed meat! This is a stick to your ribs sauce perfect for a cold Sunday! Pairs great with any pasta shape/size but I prefer cavatelli for a full fledged nap inducing lunch!

Le Tagliatelle con i fagioli freschi
Borlotti & Tomato Sauce with Sage

serves 4+

2-3 handfuls of borlotti beans (preferrably fresh) dried
1 large jar or 2lbs/1 kilo of tomatoes, crushed, passed (seeded & skinned) or pureed
1 carrot
1 celery stick
1 onion
5-6 pieces of bone (whatever type you like) I normally use pork ribs that the butcher cuts in half
olive oil
salt & pepper
1 clove of garlic
sage
sprig of rosemary if you like
pasta of your choice
extra virgin olive oil for finishing the dish

This recipe calls for two pots: 1 for the beans, 2 for the tomato sauce. Make sure the pot for the tomato sauce is larger as we will add the beans into the sauce later in the recipe.

Place the beans (either fresh or dried & then soaked) and sage in a pot with plenty of water, in large pieces add: half the carrot, half the leg of celery & half the onion. Bring everything to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Allow to cook until the beans are tender. (Do NOT add salt during this process.)

Finely dice the other half of the celery, carrot & onion. In the larger pot, heat a few glugs of olive oil and add fine diced vegetables, along with the garlic & a little salt & pepper. Sweat 10-12 minutes on low-low heat or until very soft without browning.

Next, raise the heat, add in your bones and brown on all sides, keep ’em moving in the pot so they don’t burn.

Add in your tomatoes, rosemary and another leaf of sage if your feeling sporty. Bring up to a good simmer and then lower to a low slow simmer. Allow to simmer for 30-35 minutes until it reduces by about a third and becomes nice and thick. Stir it occasionally to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom.

Now here’s where the magic happens. Remove the chunks of vegetables from the pot with beans. Add the cooked beans to the larger pot SAVING the bean water. Bring the tomatoes & beans up to a simmer, adding a little of the bean water to thin it out. Cook about 10 minutes on a low low simmer, adjusting with a little bean water if it seems too thick.

To serve; fish out the rosemary sprig, garlic clove & sage leaves if you can find them. Remove the meaty bones from the pot. (These can be served alongside the pasta or as another course entirely.) Adjust your seasoning with salt & pepper and toss with hot pasta. We pair it with tagliatelle or cavatelli and finish with a drizzle of good finishing oil - this is when you use the good stuff!

Scallopini with White Wine and Capers

photo from Foodie Lawyer

Scallopini with White Wine and Capers

Serves 4

4 slices of veal, chicken, turkey, pork loin or beef cut scallopini style (You choose the protein you prefer. Ask your butcher to slice it for you if you like.)
flour, enough to dredge the meat in
2 T of butter
olive oil
3-4 cherry tomatoes, cut in half (optional)
2 T white wine
2 T chicken stock
pinch of fresh chopped herbs (whatever you have around: parsley, marjoram, oregano or sage)
spoonful of capers or olives
salt & pepper

Place your slices of meat between two sheets of plastic wrap or parchment paper and gently pound until they are thin and even.

Dredge them in flour.

In a frying pan on medium high heat, add a pad of butter with a bit of olive oil. When the pan is good and hot, add in your slices of meat. Saute for a minute or so on each side and season with salt and pepper. NOTE: The cooking time will depend on the type of meat you use - thin slices of veal will cook faster than chicken or turkey.

Once the meat is cooked, remove it from the pan and place on the side on a warm serving platter.

Reduce the heat of the frying pan to low. Deglaze with white wine. Once most of the white wine is evaporated add in your capers and tomatoes, then raise the heat a bit. Saute the capers and tomatoes for 20-30 seconds.

Add in your chicken stock and reduce for just a moment and then shut off the heat. Check your seasoning. Toss in the herbs and swirl in a pad of butter. Once the butter has melted, check your seasonings one last time and pour over the meat. Serve immediately.

Prosciutto Wrapped Pork Tenderloin

We affectionately call this dish 'pork wrapped pork'!  Prosciutto wrapped pork tenderloin with sage is a savory secondo we serve year-round and often on the menu for our cooking classes. Serve it on a bed of grilled radicchio with cherry tomatoes and balsamic for a perfect balance of flavors! 

Prosciutto Wrapped Pork Tenderloin
Serves 4

1 tenderloin of pork
5-8 slices of prosciutto (depending on how big your tenderloin is)
handful of sage leaves
a few cherry tomatoes
clove of garlic
a few Tablespoons of white wine
salt & pepper

The Rolling:

1. Remove the "silver skin" from the pork tenderloin and season generously with salt and pepper.

2. Lay out a sheet of plastic wrap about 6 inches longer than the tenderloin.  Lay prosciutto down the middle vertically, slightly overlapping the edges to fit the length of the tenderloin.

3. Lay sage leaves down the center of the prosciutto, slightly overlapping.

4. Place the pork ontop of the sage. 

5. Now roll it up! Using the plastic wrap, roll the prosciutto tightly around the pork tenderloin - just like sushi. It is very important to roll tightly. If there is slack it will open as it cooks.

6. Tuck the bottom piece of plastic under the top. Turn both ends to tighten even moreso and secure.

photo from our cooking classes at La Tavola Marche

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 205 C/ 400 F

Remove the tenderloin from the plastic. 

 With a little olive oil in the pan, heat until nice and hot. Sear on all sides * starting with the seam side DOWN.  Note: Be gentle and careful not to break/tear the prosciutto as you sear it.

Once seared on all sides, toss in 3 or so cherry tomatoes into the pan with a clove of garlic and the white wine. 

Finish cooking in the oven 18-30 minutes depending on the size of your pork tenderloin.

Remove and allow to rest at least 15 minutes before slicing. 

Wine: Pairs perfectly with a bold red wine from Le Marche like Terracruda's Profundo.

Spezzatino (Stewed Pork)

There is nothing better on a cool autumn Sunday evening than walking into the kitchen, welcomed by the glow of the fireplace and the rich smells of meaty goodness: a pot slowly simmering on the back burner with stewed meat, falling apart ready to top thick golden polenta. This is a "stick to your ribs" hearty dinner perfect for the fall & winter.

photo: iocomesono-pippi.blogspot.com

Spezzatino

Stewed Pork

1 lb of beef or pork for stew (or a mix of both)
1 carrot, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
handful of olives
2-3 spoonfuls of capers, drained
1/2 glass of white wine
salt & pepper
flour for dusting
olive oil
squeeze of lemon juice
aromatics/herbs - thyme, sage, rosemary
stock, enough to cover the meat
optional: mushrooms

Dredge meat in flour.
In a heavy bottomed pot on medium/high heat, brown meat on all sides.
Remove meat from the pan.
Reduce heat to low, add in vegetables and sauté for 10 minutes.
Add meat back to the pot (as well as the optional mushrooms) with your aromatics.
Deglaze with white wine and lemon juice.
Cover meat with stock.
Toss in capers & olives.
Simmer very slowly for 1.5 - 2 hours until meat is very tender.

Serve over polenta or boiled potatoes.

Pork Roast

You will not be disappointed, this comes out delicious & juicy!

Pork Roast
Arista di Maiale

pork loin roast, tied (the butcher will do this for you)
rosemary
thyme
fennel seed
sage
red pepper flacks, to taste
rind of half a lemon, chopped
garlic
olive oil
white wine

Combine all ingredients (except the meat) and form a paste. Food processor, mortar & pestle or a small food chopper will work, you can also do it by hand.

Transfer above mixture into a bowl & add a glug or two of olive oil so the paste is spreadable.

Work paste into meat evenly & refrigerate over night or at least 6 hours.

When ready to cook preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Generously salt the meat & place in a roasting pan.

Roast for the first 15 minutes at 425 degrees, remove from oven. Add a 3/4 cup of white wine

Then return to oven & lower to 350 degrees cooking for about 15 minutes per pound,or until juices run clear.

Baste the meat once or twice during cooking.
(If the top starts getting too brown, cover for the last bit. If liquid at the bottom of the pan cooks out, add a little water.)

Once cooked, allow roast to sit for a few minutes. Remove string & slice thinly. Use the pan juices as a sauce.

NOTE: pairs well with white beans.