By Florence Fabricant
- Total Time
- 2 hours 15 minutes
- Rating
- 4(66)
- Notes
- Read community notes
In assembling this rather straightforward pork ragout, my main question was how to produce a sauce with substantial consistency, considering I had not planned to use any flour or other thickener. I thought that finely diced apple, which would melt into the sauce, might do the trick. It did, though also mincing the shallots meant that they, too, would add body. Pork shoulder, called butt for some reason, is the best cut for slow-cooking. It will have fat, which is to its advantage in terms of flavor and texture, and is a component that can be trimmed and put to practical use to start the cooking.
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Ingredients
Yield:4 to 6 servings
- 2pounds pork shoulder (pork butt)
- 1teaspoon ground coriander
- 1teaspoon five-spice powder
- ½ teaspoon hot paprika, preferably Hungarian
- Ground black pepper
- Salt
- ½ cup minced shallots
- 1medium-size apple, peeled, cored and minced
- 2cloves garlic, finely chopped
- ½ cup oloroso or amontillado sherry
- 1½ cup chicken stock, more as needed
- 1pound medium-size white turnips (about 4), peeled and quartered
- 1½ tablespoons marjoram leaves
- ½ tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
446 calories; 28 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 13 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 16 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 8 grams sugars; 29 grams protein; 796 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Trim off excess fat from the pork; dice and reserve it. Cut the rest of the meat in 1½-inch chunks. Mix coriander, five-spice, paprika and ½ teaspoon pepper together in a large bowl. Add the pork and, using your hands, coat the meat with the spices.
Step
2
Heat a large sauté pan on medium, add the reserved pork fat and cook until it renders, 5 minutes or so. Increase the heat to medium-high, add the pork, toss in some salt, and sear until browned. Remove to a platter. Reduce heat to low. Add the shallots, sauté until soft, then add the apple and garlic, sauté briefly and add sherry. Cook a few minutes until reduced, add ¾ cup of the stock, stir, return the meat to the pan, season with salt, baste it, cover and cook on low 30 minutes.
Step
3
Add another ¾ cup of the stock and tuck in the turnips. Scatter 1 tablespoon of the marjoram and the thyme on top. Cover and simmer 45 minutes, adding a little more stock if needed; there should be sauce, but the meat should not swim. Check salt and pepper and serve, with the remaining marjoram strewn on top, or set aside and reheat, then serve.
Ratings
4
out of 5
66
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Cooking Notes
m.h.
Reconsider!
For turkey you should find another recipe.
Maggie
That would have been the problem. Pork loin is almost entirely lean, and braising it is usually a really bad idea.
Hunter
Great recipe. As always, thanks. I made a few modifications to allow for New Years Day black eyed peas. Super delish, healthy and flavorful. Yes - thanks!!
Kate
Really amazing! We pulled the last of the tiny turnips from the garden and threw them in, no peeling necessary. The only change is we added a good teaspoon of crushed red pepper.
Carol K.
Especially If you like root vegetables this is a very nice winter dish. I used Kohlrabi, which was I think even better than turnips because it is a bit more dense in texture and has a nice sweetness that goes along with the apple in the dish. We also had it over noodles as someone in another post suggested.
Rebecca Goodsell
So delicious. Had young turnips with greens Put turnips sans greens into casserole. Put torn turnip tops into serving bowl and poured stew onto them for wilting. Yum
Nancy
I couldn’t bring myself to leave the pork fat in this dish. I rendered the fat and removed the solids from the pan. Maybe if I had followed the recipe, I would have liked the ragout more. It was a pleasant main course for an autumn dinner, but not quite worth the effort.
Anon
Delicious comfort food with unusual subtly balanced flavors: marjoram & five spice, who knew?! Loved the marjoram focus, a wonderful less commonly used herb. Found apple-sized golden turnips, so cut them smaller; they started to break down creating a silky broth. Making again I would remove the cooked meat with a slotted spoon, rough chop, and re-add it for a ragu-like texture. As is, it was chunky like a pot roast. Served over egg noodles. Gave fabulous leftovers (sprinkled with more herb!).
Sandy
I used ground pork. It had enough fat and shortened the total cooking time to an hour. After eating I thought it would have been nice to also add some diced potatoes
naomi dagen bloom
Tasty--except for the turnips. Think we have to learn more about varieties--or maybe we got one that was bitter?
Trefoiles
The fragrance and taste are almost like a Chinese braise friends from Beijing made. I made about 1 1/2 times the recipe but used twice the spice rub, sherry and shallots and garlic because we like extra sauce. There was plenty without using all the stock. Pork became meltingly tender. Wonderful with rice!
TripleL
I thought it was too dry. But I used pork loin because that's all they had at Trader Joe's. Perhaps that was the problem.
Maggie
That would have been the problem. Pork loin is almost entirely lean, and braising it is usually a really bad idea.
Anne H
I am going to try this recipe with boneless turkey thigh meat, as we do not eat pork. What do other people think of this idea?
marmar
As I look at the other ingredients, I am thinking that turkey would be too low fat for this recipe. It's just kind of a feeling I have, for what it's worth!
m.h.
Reconsider!
For turkey you should find another recipe.
Michele
I agree about the turkey. It would be too dry. But lamb would be good and it's wonderful with Chinese flavors.
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