Tender slow cooked pork shoulder with ribbons of fresh pasta.

I created this delicious dish with KitchenAid and their fabulous slow cooker and pasta maker!

PORK RAGU WITH FRESH PAPPARDELLE PASTA

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 brown onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
2 celery sticks, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 sprig of rosemary, leaves removed and stalk discarded
1 teaspoon dried oregano
800g pork shoulder, bones removed and cut into 3cm chunks
2 bay leaves
1 x 400g tin of tomatoes
2 cups chicken stock
½ cup red wine
Pinch nutmeg
Pinch ground cloves
2 teaspoons soft brown sugar
Cracked pepper
Sea salt
Parmesan and fresh parsley to serve

PASTA
400g 00 flour
4 eggs
Pinch salt

METHOD

Heat oil in a frying pan and cook the onions, carrot and celery until soft and just starting to colour. Add the garlic, rosemary and oregano and fry for a further 1 minute. Put the contents of the pan into the slow cooker and place the pan back on to the heat.

Fry the chunks of pork in batches until just starting to brown, then add to slow cooker. Add the bay leaves, tomatoes, stock, wine, nutmeg, cloves, brown sugar and cracked pepper. Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook for 4 to 5 hours on high or 6 to 7 hours on medium. Pork should be tender and falling apart.

Place the flour and salt in the bowl of your stand mixer, make a well in the centre and add the eggs. Using the dough hook attachment, mix until you have a smooth and shiny dough. Be patient the dough will come together on its own. Dust the ball of dough in flour, wrap in baking paper and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

On a floured surface, roll the dough out until around 1cm thick, cut into 4 even piece. Using your pasta attachment, feed your first piece of dough through the rollers on the widest setting (setting number 1). Fold the dough in half and then half again, turn it 90º and feed it through the rollers again. This will give you a tidier sheet of pasta. Work your way through the machine settings, I always like to roll the sheet twice through each setting, until you reach setting number 4. Dust the sheet of pasta with flour on both sides then cut into 2 long strips. Hang pasta over the back of a chair while you roll out remaining dough.

Once the pork is tender and cooked, using two forks, break apart the pieces of meat, not to the point where they are completely shredded, then season with salt and pepper.

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil, cook pasta for 2 - 3 minutes or until just cooked.

Serve pasta with a large spoonful of tender pork ragu, parmesan cheese and fresh parsley.