Cavatappi with Pork and Fennel Ragu
Cavatappi with Pork and Fennel Ragu
Prep 10 mins Cook 30 mins Eat 40 mins
Cavatappi with Pork and Fennel Ragu is an authentic Italian pasta recipe I learned to make while working for La Cucina Italiana magazine. Most Bolognese or ragu sauces require hours of cooking, but by using ground pork that has some fat in the grind, and flavorful small diced vegetables, you can make this delicious recipe in only 40 minutes.
Try out some new pasta shapes for fun.
While my pantry is always filled with the basic pasta shapes – spaghetti, linguine, fettuccine, penne, it is fun to branch out to some other pasta shapes like Cavatappi, which means corkscrew or Cellentani made by Barilla, which I did with the Pork and Fennel Ragu. Cavatappi and Cellentani are corkscrew shaped noodles, but with a hollow center like penne. The first time we made the Ragu in the La Cucina Italiana cooking class, we made it with Bucatini, which is a long noodle like spaghetti, but with a hollow center that was recommended in the recipe. Other times I use spaghetti, because that is what I have on hand, but the Italians would never use spaghetti for a ragu or Bolognese, which is traditionally served with a broad noodle like tagliatelle. In Italy, pasta shapes are chosen for a dish based on how the sauce will adhere to the noodle.
Cavatappi meaning corkscrew has lots of places for the ragu to hide in.
The Cavatappi is perfect for a ragu or Bolognese sauce because it has lots of places for the sauce to hide or adhere to the ridges on the outside of the noodle. Cavatappi is also fun to use, because it’s corkscrew shape…well, just makes me smile.
The flavor base of the Pork and Fennel Ragu is onion, carrot and celery.
The onion, carrot and celery are added as the pork cooks.
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. In a large fry pan or brazier, cook the ground pork in a bit of olive oil with a sprig of rosemary and sage on medium high heat, breaking up the meat as it cooks for a few minutes. Add small diced onion, carrot and celery and continue to cook, stirring occasionally.
Cook pork mixture together until vegetables soften.
Cook pork mixture until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
Sprinkle flour over the ragu mixture.
Sprinkle flour over the ragu mixture and stir to combine. It’s important that the flour gets coated by the oil in the mixture.
Use fennel bulb found in Sicily and in my Southern California garden.
Fennel grows wild in my southern California garden. In winter, the bottom part of the bulb forms and I harvest it, cut out the center fibrous portion and finely dice the remaining portion, small stems and some of the fennel fronds. Wash out any dirt that gets trapped between the layers. Fennel bulb is available in the produce department of most supermarkets.
Better than Bouillion is an easy way to make broth in a flash.
You will need 1 cup of vegetable broth for the Pork and Fennel Ragu. An easy way to make broth in a flash is to use a teaspoon of Better than Bouillion base mixed into 1 cup of water. You can use a vegetable, chicken or beef base.
Add the broth, wine and diced fennel.
Add the broth, wine and finely chopped fennel. Reduce heat to low and gently simmer the ragu for about 20 minutes or more.
After simmering the ragu for 20 minutes, it is ready.
Remove the sage and rosemary sprigs, taste and season with salt and pepper. In the last 10 minutes of simmering, cook the Cavatappi pasta until al dente, then drain.
Marry the Cavatappi pasta with the Pork and Fennel Ragu.
Add the Cavatappi pasta to the ragu. Toss to combine, marry the two together with the heat on for a couple minutes, then add half of the parmesan cheese and toss again. Remove from the heat. The parmesan cheese coats the cavatappi with extra flavor.
The Cavatappi with Pork and Fennel Ragu is ready to serve.
Add more cheese if desired and sprinkle with parsley and/or the fennel fronds.
The Cavatappi with Pork and Fennel Ragu is a beautiful and enticing meal.
Serve the Cavatappi with Pork and Fennel Ragu on individual plates and garnish with more parmesan and parsley and/or the fennel fronds. Your guests will smile when they enjoy this beautiful and enticing meal.
Cavatappi with Pork and Fennel Ragu
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 pound ground pork
1 sage sprig
1 rosemary sprig
1 small onion, small dice
1 large carrot, peeled and small dice
2 ribs celery, small dice
2 Tablespoons flour
1 cup vegetable, chicken or beef broth
1 medium fennel bulb, small dice
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 salt and pepper to taste
1 pound Cavatappi pasta or bucatini or spaghetti or penne
1 cup grated parmesan or Grano Padano cheese
3 Tablespoons chopped parsley or fennel fronds
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. In a large fry pan or brazier, cook the ground pork in a bit of olive oil with a sprig of rosemary and sage on medium high heat, breaking up the meat as it cooks for a few minutes. Add small diced onion, carrot and celery and continue to cook, stirring occasionally. Cook pork mixture until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
2. Sprinkle flour over the ragu mixture and stir to combine. It’s important that the flour gets coated by the oil in the mixture. Add the broth, wine and finely chopped fennel. Reduce heat to low and gently simmer the ragu for about 20 minutes or more. Remove the sage and rosemary sprigs, taste and season with salt and pepper.
3. In the last 10 minutes of simmering, cook the Cavatappi pasta until al dente, then drain.
4. Add the Cavatappi pasta to the ragu. Toss to combine, marry the two together with the heat on for a couple minutes, then add half of the parmesan cheese and toss again. Remove from the heat. Add more parmesan cheese if desired and sprinkle with parsley and/or the fennel fronds.
5. Serve the Cavatappi with Pork and Fennel Ragu on individual plates and garnish with more parmesan and parsley and/or the fennel fronds. Your guests will smile when they enjoy this beautiful and enticing meal.
Servings: 4 – 809 calories per serving
Cavatappi with Pork and Fennel Ragu
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 pound ground pork
- 1 sage sprig
- 1 rosemary sprig
- 1 small onion small dice
- 1 large carrot peeled and small dice
- 2 ribs celery small dice
- 2 Tablespoons flour
- 1 cup vegetable chicken or beef broth
- 1 medium fennel bulb small dice
- 1/2 cup dry red wine
- 1 salt and pepper to taste
- 1 pound Cavatappi pasta or bucatini or spaghetti or penne
- 1 cup grated parmesan or Grano Padano cheese
- 3 Tablespoons chopped parsley or fennel fronds
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. In a large fry pan or brazier, cook the ground pork in a bit of olive oil with a sprig of rosemary and sage on medium high heat, breaking up the meat as it cooks for a few minutes. Add small diced onion, carrot and celery and continue to cook, stirring occasionally. Cook pork mixture until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle flour over the ragu mixture and stir to combine. It’s important that the flour gets coated by the oil in the mixture. Add the broth, wine and finely chopped fennel. Reduce heat to low and gently simmer the ragu for about 20 minutes or more. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
- In the last 10 minutes of simmering, cook the Cavatappi pasta until al dente, then drain.
- Add the Cavatappi pasta to the ragu. Toss to combine, marry the two together with the heat on for a couple minutes, then add half of the parmesan cheese and toss again. Remove from the heat. Add more parmesan cheese if desired and sprinkle with parsley and/or the fennel fronds.
- Serve the Cavatappi with Pork and Fennel Ragu on individual plates and garnish with more parmesan and parsley and/or the fennel fronds. Your guests will smile when they enjoy this beautiful and enticing meal.
- ENJOY THIS RECIPE FROM FreshFoodinaFlash.com
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