delvious

I was a bit skeptical about getting my daily dose of fruit from this savory pork, pear and mushroom ragu, but anything is worth making once.  And as it turned out, this pasta is certainly worth making twice.

Recipe

Ground pork is way underrated.  Did you realize that it is like (lower fat) sausage?  Just be sure to get it nicely browned at the start of the recipe, and I promise you will be happy with the results.  If meat isn’t your thing, though, omit the pork and use veggie stock.  I’m sure the pasta will still be delicious.


This recipe is also very flexible – I used extra mushrooms and thyme just because I had extra.  I also decided to add a beurre manié (equal parts flour and butter kneaded together) because I wanted to make the sauce richer.  Alternatively, try adding some of the starchy pasta cooking water to thicken it up at the end.


Alright, I know you just want to know how it tasted.  Since the sauce had simmered for an hour on the stove, all of the flavors melded together nicely.  The pears lent a subtle sweetness but had broken down such that my delvious dinner victims were surprised to learn that they were even on the ingredient list.  The nutty shaved parmigiano on top was perfect (but then, isn’t it always?).

Pork, Pear & Mushroom Ragu

Adapted from Serious Eats
Prep time + Cook time = 5 minutes + 60 minutes
Serves 6
Printable recipe

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 lb ground pork

2 large shallots, finely chopped

1 lb cremini or button mushrooms, quartered

2 medium pears, diced small

4 large garlic cloves, sliced

1/4 cup dry sherry

6 sprigs fresh thyme, plus more for garnish

1 1/2 cups chicken stock

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons butter, room temperature

2 tablespoons flour

1 lb short pasta

Salt and pepper

Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Directions

1.  Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large, high-sided sauté pan over medium-high heat.  Add the pork and cook until browned and crispy (about 8 minutes), breaking the meat into small pieces with a wooden spoon.  Add the shallots and sauté until softened (about 3 minutes).

2.  Add the rest of the olive oil and the mushrooms to the pan and sauté until the mushrooms begin to brown and soften (about 8 minutes).  Stir in the pear and garlic, and cook a few minutes until softening (about 3 minutes).

3.  Pour in the sherry and scrape any bits from the bottom of the pan as the liquid sizzles.  Let the sherry reduce until nearly evaporated.  Add the thyme, broth and vinegar and bring to a simmer.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered, for 20 minutes.

4.  To thicken the sauce, mix together the flour and the butter forms a paste.  Stir into the sauce, and allow to simmer for 10 minutes.

5.  While the ragu simmers, cook pasta according to the package directions.  Strain the pasta and add to the pan of ragu, allowing it to soak in the sauce for several minutes.  Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

6.  Serve with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and fresh thyme leaves.

2 Comments | In: Fruit, Pasta, Pork | tags: ground pork, mushrooms, pear, shallots, thyme. | #

I’m going to take you on a short tour of some of the delvious treats I’ve enjoyed around the Mission in San Francisco.  Sit back, enjoy, and don’t forget wipe the drool off your chin at the end of the post.

Dynamo Donuts

As you walk down 24th Street, it’s easy to get distracted by colorful produce markets and burrito shops.  If you can keep your blinders on long enough to make it to the brown awning at 2760 24th, you will be rewarded with the perfect snack.  Dynamo Donuts offers a handful of their flavors each day, ranging from delvious Lemon Thyme and Saffron Chocolate to unusual yet mouthwatering flavors like Banana de Leche and Caramel de Sel.


Fortunately, I knew which donut I would be ordering before I was faced with the daily menu: the Maple Glazed Bacon Apple.  My friend chose a Coconut, and we walked back to a small park to enjoy the sunshine.  Texturewise, my Maple Bacon was light and soft with the crunch of the glaze and the bacon.  Tastewise, it was salty sweet perfection as with my peanut butter bacon cookies.

Humphry Slocombe

Next on my “to-eat” list was a cone from Humphry Slocombe, conveniently a few blocks away from Dynamo.  We got in long line, knowing the wait would be worthwhile.





Once we finally made it to the front of the line and got a clear look at the day’s flavors (click here for a full list of their flavors), the staff generously tolerated my sample requests:

• Blue Bottle Vietnamese Coffee – I started with this non-delvious flavor because I cannot resist Vietnamese coffee and Blue Bottle makes darn good coffee.  Incredibly tasty.
• McEvoy Olive Oil - I’ve heard good things about olive oil gelato so I’ve been curious to give it a try.  Its smooth and fruity flavor was addicting enough that a scoop nearly ended up in my bowl.
• Salt and Pepper – Since I was here for delvious reasons, I obviously had to get a taste of the peppercorn-flecked white ice cream.  The salt hit me pretty hard at first, but the flavor mellowed out to a subtly spicy sweetness that was quite pleasant.  While it was infinitely better than I could have imagined, I couldn’t have polished off a whole scoop.

I was hoping to try the famous Boccalone Prosciutto ice cream to keep with the bacon theme, but it wasn’t an option that day.  The Boccalone Lard Caramels were in stock so I picked one of those up instead.





After a few agonizing moments of decision-making, I decided on two of Humphry Slocombe’s most well-known flavors – Secret Breakfast (bourbon with cornflakes) and Jesus Juice (red wine and coke sorbet).  The bourbon in the Secret Breakfast was potent but creamy, and my mouth waters when I think about the candied cornflakes embedded within it.  It was getting to be a hot day, so the refreshing Jesus Juice hit the spot.  Wine and coke are the ingredients in a popular Spanish drink called Kalimoxto, which really should be more common in the United States.


The Boccalone caramel was not as porky as I was expecting but the bacon-y flavor was definitely present in the soft buttery brown sugary candy.





I got to snag a few more tastes from my friends’ ice creams.  I highly recommend the Balsamic Caramel and Peanut Butter Curry flavors as well.





Even though I was stuffed with sweets, I was sad to see the bottom of my bowl.  I will be standing in that Humphry Slocombe line again soon.  Very soon.


Does anyone have any great restaurant/cafe/bakery/etc suggestions for future Delvious reports?

4 Comments | In: Ice cream, Restaurants | tags: Bacon, donuts, dynamo donuts, Humphry Slocombe, Ice cream. | #