“Porchetta” Ragú
Serves 4-6 as a main
This pressure cooker Porchetta Ragu has all the delicious flavors of the complicated Italian dish, but without all the hassle. I usually serve it tossed with a pound of fresh pasta like pappardelle, but it would be great as a sandwich, or over polenta!
Ingredients
3-4 lbs boneless pork butt, trimmed of excess fat, and divided into 2 pieces
2 tsp whole fennel seed, toasted in pan then ground in a spice grinder
3 Tbsp of chopped fresh sage
3 Tbsp of chopped fresh rosemary
3 Tbsp of chopped fresh thyme
2 lemons or preserved lemons
1 tsp chili flakes
1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for cooking
1 small yellow onion, chopped finely
1 small fennel bulb, chopped finely
6 cloves garlic, peeled & smashed
3-4 anchovy filets, rinsed
1/2 cup dry white wine
Salt & Pepper to taste
1/4 cup fresh finely chopped parsley, plus more for serving
1/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for serving
Make the marinade:
In a small dry pan or skillet, toast fennel seed over medium-high heat, swirling the seeds around the pan constantly, so they do not burn. You’ll know they’re ready when they smell toasty and the color has gone from light green to a golden brown color. Ground into a powder in a spice grinder or mortar & pestle.
In a bowl or resealable zip top bag, combine the chopped herbs (rosemary, sage, and thyme) with the toasted-and-ground fennel seed. Add chilli flakes, 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper, a tablespoon of diamond kosher salt, 1/4 cup olive oil and mix together. Add pieces of pork, coating in marinade, and let marinate at least one hour, and up to 24 hrs in the fridge.
Make the Ragú:
Preheat an electric pressure cooker to SEAR/SAUTE on HIGH. Remove pork butt pieces from the marinade and gently pat dry. Sear pork butt pieces in batches on all sides until deeply golden brown. Set aside on a plate.
If needed, add more oil to sauté vegetables. With pressure cooker still on SEAR/SAUTE mode on HIGH, sauté fennel and onion until they become translucent, about 10 mins. Add in crushed garlic cloves, lemon zest and juice (or chopped preserved lemon, alternatively), anchovies, and white wine. There should be at least a 1/2 cup of liquid in the pot.
Cook on HIGH PRESSURE for 80 mins. Let pressure release naturally.
Once pressure has released, remove pork butt pieces to a bowl. Set Pressure cooker to SEAR/SAUTE on HIGH, and simmer the cooking liquid until it is reduced by half. While reducing the sauce, smash the garlic cloves and anchovies with the back of your spoon (if they haven't dissolved during cooking). Reduce heat to LOW or KEEP WARM.
Shred pork with two forks and return to pressure cooker pot. Stir in Pecorino Romano, fresh parsley, the zest and juice of the other lemon (or another chopped preserved lemon), if needed. Season with salt & pepper to taste.
If serving on pasta, reserve some pasta cooking water to toss with sauce. Top each bowl with additional pecorino, parsley, and flourish of nice olive oil. You did that!!
