Pork, Fennel, and Lemon Ragu with Pappardelle

Name: Pork, Fennel, and Lemon Ragu with Pappardelle
Yield: Serves 4 to 6
Cuisine: Europe, Italian
Ingredients: 4 ounces, pancetta, chopped; 1 , large onion, chopped fine; 1 large, fennel bulb, 2 tablespoons fronds chopped, stalks discarded, bulb halved, cored, and chopped fine, divided; 4 , garlic clove, minced; 1 1/2 teaspoons, table salt, plus salt for cooking pasta; 2 teaspoons, minced fresh thyme; 1 teaspoon, pepper; 1/3 cup, heavy cream; 1 (1½-pound), boneless pork butt roast, well trimmed and cut in half across grain; 1 1/2 teaspoons, grated lemon zest plus ¼ cup juice (2 lemons); 12 ounces, pappardelle; 2 ounces, Pecorino Romano cheese, grated (1 cup), plus extra for serving

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Appears in Cook's Illustrated January/February 2019, America's Test Kitchen TV

Main Courses

Europe

Italian

Pasta, Grains, Rice & Beans

Meat

Pasta

Pork

You already know ragu rosso, the king of ragu sauces. But perhaps you haven't met the queen: ragu bianco, which, in our version, trades the tomato for lemon and cream.

SERVES4 to 6

TIME2¾ hours

has video

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

Our white ragu skips tomatoes in favor of bright lemon and rich cream. We ensured plenty of savoriness by creating fond twice. We first browned finely chopped pancetta, onion, and fennel in a Dutch oven and then added water and a touch of c...

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