Pulled Pork Pasta with Almond Cream Sauce

[kirra]

Pulled Pork Pasta with Almond Cream Sauce
Sara Lawson

Ingredients:

4 garlic cloves, crushed
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons hot sauce, such as Sriracha
1/4 cup canola oil
1 pound boneless pork butt, cut into large cubes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc
1 carrot, large dice
1 leek, white part only, washed and chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1 tablespoon fennel seed
Cold water to cover
1 pound fresh or dried pappardelle or other long, flat pasta
Almond Cream Sauce (recipe follows)
Fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

Almond Cream Sauce:

2 cups whole almonds, lightly toasted
1 quart heavy cream
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

To make the marinade for the pork, combine the garlic, brown sugar, soy, hot sauce, and oil in a mixing bowl and stir to combine. Add the pork cubes, tossing to coat. Cover and marinate for 30 minutes or up to overnight in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 325-degrees F. Place a large Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Put the pork, along with the marinade, in the hot pan. Sear the cubes evenly on all sides until browned, turning with tongs. While browning, season the meat in stages with salt and pepper. Just before the garlic has burned, deglaze with the wine, scraping up the brown bits on the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Cook until the wine is almost totally evaporated, about 3 minutes. Add the carrot, leek, onion, bay leaves, peppercorns, and fennel seed. Pour in enough cold water to cover by 1-inch. Cover the pot and braise in the oven for 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours until the pork is fork tender.

Pour out 1 cup of the braising liquid into a sauce pan and simmer over medium heat until reduced by half; taste for seasoning. Keep the pork in the remaining liquid leftover so it stays moist. When the meat is cool enough to handle, shred it with your fingers and keep warm covered in the jus.

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add the pasta ribbons to the boiling water and cook until al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the pasta, put it in a bowl, and toss lightly with 1/2 cup of the almond cream sauce to coat and prevent it from sticking.

To serve, divide the pasta among 4 plates, top with the shredded pork, a drizzle of the reduced jus, and more almond cream sauce. Garnish with parsley.

To make the almond cream sauce, combine the almonds and cream in a sauce pan and place over medium heat. Slowly simmer for 30 minutes, to infuse the almond flavor into the cream, stirring often. Strain the almonds out and discard. Continue to simmer to reduce the cream until it coats the back of a spoon, about another 30 minutes. Season to taste and hold hot. Serves 4.