Here, the Calabrian fashions a rough paste of flour, sea salt, and water and perhaps an egg and a spoonful of oil, rolling it out thin and cutting it into wide, uneven ribbons, calling it maccarruni i casa—maccheroni made at home. It is married to a well-made sauce flavored with some precious trimmings of pork and left to braise and plump in its liquors. The whole offering, pasta, meat, and sauce, is carried to table and eaten, one hopes, with the lush hunger it deserves. Here one uses a good piece rather than a few trimmings of pork. One might choose an acquisition from a good pasta shop or specialty grocery or make the good maccheroni alla mugnaia (page 37) for this dish.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 8
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
In a mortar with a pestle, grind the rosemary, ginger, chile pepper, garlic, and 1 tablespoon sea salt to a paste. With a short, sharp knife, make 1/2- by 1/2-inch slits over the surface of the pork. Rub the aromatic paste over the pork, pushing it into the slits. Cover the pork loosely with plastic wrap and permit it to absorb the paste for several hours at cool room temperature.
Step 2
In a very large terra-cotta or enameled cast-iron casserole over a lively flame, heat the olive oil and brown the pork, sealing and crusting it well on all sides, a task that takes at least 10 minutes. Remove the pork to a holding plate.
Step 3
Lower the flame a bit and add the wine to the casserole, stirring, scraping at the residue for 1 minute before adding the wine vinegar, the tomato puree, and the pork. Bring the mixture to a simmer, cover the casserole with a slightly skewed lid, and braise the roast gently.
Step 4
Cook the pasta in abundant, boiling, sea-salted water for 1 minute. Drain the pasta and set it aside. After the pork has been braising for 1 hour, test its readiness. If its flesh is fork-tender, it is braised properly. If not, let it simmer away for another 20 minutes.
Step 5
When the pork is cooked, add the pasta to the casserole, tossing it about to moisten it thoroughly with the braising liquors. Cover the casserole and continue a quiet braise for 5 minutes, permitting the pasta to finish cooking and absorb the good juices. Let the dish rest for 5 minutes before carrying it to table.
Step 6
Carve the roast into thick slices there, laying one over each serving of the pasta, with spoonfuls of the good sauce. Pass the just-grated pecorino.
