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1
Using the food processor with the metal blade, mince the bacon and garlic cloves together into a fine pestata (paste).
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2
Since you have the machine out, use it to chop the carrot, celery, and onions if you want (you dont need to wash the bowl).
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3
Process each vegetable separately.
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4
Cut the carrot and the celery stalk into chunks before chopping; pulse each to small bits.
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5
Chunk up the onions into 1-inch pieces, put them into the food-processor bowl in batches, and pulse them to 1/4-inch bits, not too fine.
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6
Put the onions in a big bowlyou will have 4 to 5 quarts of chopped onion when you are done.
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7
(Of course, you may shred and chop the vegetables by hand, or even mince the bacon-garlic paste with a heavy cleaver, as I did growing up.
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8
It takes longer but is quite satisfying.)
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9
Rinse and dry the pork, then sprinkle about 1/2 teaspoon salt lightly on all surfaces, patting it on.
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10
Pour the oil into the braising pan, and set it over medium heat.
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11
Before it gets hot, lay the pork in and brown itlightlyturning it after a minute or so on each side.
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12
While the meat is browning, scrape the pestata into the pan bottom; spread it out and let the bacon begin to render.
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13
Drop in peperoncino now, if you want some heat in the salsa; toast it on the pan bottom.
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14
After 3 minutes or so of browning the pork, drop the tomato paste into the fat; stir and caramelize a minute.
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15
Dump the shredded carrot and celery into the pan bottom; stir for a minute, just to get them cooking.
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16
(Keep turning the meat so it browns evenly and slowly.)
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17
Now scrape the chopped onions into the pan, all around the meat.
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18
Sprinkle the remaining coarse salt over the onions; raise the heat a bit, stirring the onions up from the bottom and mixing them with the oil, pestata, and tomato paste.
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19
Cook over medium-high heat, stirring, for about 5 minutes, until the onions are all hot and starting to sweat.
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20
Cover, and turn the heat to medium-low.
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21
The pork is now going to cook for about 3 hours.
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22
Leave it alone for the first 45 minutes, then uncover, turn the meat, and stir the onions.
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23
They should be wilting and releasing liquid; if there is any sign of burning, lower the heat.
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24
Cover, and cook for another 45 minutes, turn the meat, and stir the onions.
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25
They should be quite reduced in volume, in a thick, simmering sauce.
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26
Stir in 2 cups of hot broth, bringing the liquid higher around the pork.
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27
Cook, covered, for another 45 minutes, then stir.
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28
If the sauce level has dropped a lot and is beginning to stick, stir in another cup or two of broth.
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29
Taste, and add more salt if necessary.
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30
Cover, and cook another 1/2 hour to 45 minutes.
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31
Check the consistency of the onionsthey should be melting into the sauce, and the meat should be soft when pierced with a fork.
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32
If satisfactory, remove from the heat; otherwise, cook longer, adding more broth, or, if the sauce seems thin, uncover and cook to reduce it.
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33
As a primo, first course, for six: Remove 2 cups of the fresh onion sauce from the pot and put it in a large skillet.
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34
Cook 1 pound of rigatoni or other pasta, and toss it in the skillet with the simmering sauce.
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35
Finish with extra-virgin olive oil and freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano.
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36
As a secondo, main meat course, for six or more: Remove the pork from the braising pot and cut out the blade bone (just lift the cooked meat off it and remove the bone).
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37
Slice the pork against the grain in 1/3-inch-thick slices, and moisten with hot sauce from the pot.
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38
As a meaty sauce for pasta: Traditionally, the leftover meat and sauce from Sunday dinner were combined and served another day as a dressing for pasta, but you can dedicate any amount of Salsa Genovese to this marvelous mixture.
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39
If you want to make this with freshly braised meat and sauce, let cool briefly, then pull the meat apart with forks (or fingers) into shreds, about 1/2 inch wide or more, and toss with the sauce.
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40
Refrigerate or freeze for another day.
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41
To dress 1 pound of pasta with meaty sauce: Heat 2 cups of sauce in a large skillet; refresh and extend it with a bit of extravirgin olive oil and broth, and bring to a simmer.
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42
I like to serve this with rigatoni or ziti.
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43
Fresh garganelli or cavatappi would also be a fine pasta choice.
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44
Finish with more oil and freshly grated cheese.
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45
Youll notice that I put coarse salt, rather than granular salt, on large meat cuts and whole birds that roast or braise for a long time.
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46
At home, I use either coarse sel de mersea salt with crystals formed naturally in coastal flatsor kosher salt, which crystallizes in the manufacturing process.
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47
The crystal structure adheres to the meat better than ordinary salt; real sea-salt crystals, my favorite, have more flavor too.
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48
I also prefer coarse salt for finishingthat is, for sprinkling on hot foods after they come out of the pot or pan.
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49
I recommend that you have at least one of these coarse crystal salts in the kitchen.
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50
If a recipe calls for coarse salt but you have none, use ordinary granular salt but reduce the amount by a third or a half: since granular salt is smaller and more dense, a spoonful of it (or any measured amount) adds more saltiness than an equal measure of bigger, airier salt crystals.
