Yield: 8 servings

Recipe from Tyler Florence, Tyler’s Ultimate

This is a major production, it’s a whole afternoons worth of cooking), but worth the effort. This needs a BIG Dutch oven. It won’t fit in my 5 qt Le Creuset. I had to split it between two pots.
Serve with spaghetti and Italian Winter Greens with Pear-Walnut Dressing recipe in the Salad section of this cookbook.

For the Neapolitan Ragu:

• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 8Ultimate Meatballs (recipe follows)
• 2TBS kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
• 1TBS black peppercorns, plus freshly ground black pepper for seasoning
• 2TBS fennel seeds
• 1rack 8 pork spare ribs, cut into 2 to 3-rib pieces
• 1(2 lb) boneless pork shoulder, cut into 2 pieces (so it cooks at the same time as the ribs/meatballs)
• 4sprigs fresh thyme
• 4sprigs fresh oregano
• 4medium carrots, roughly chopped
• 1large onion, roughly chopped
• 2ribs celery, roughly chopped
• 2cups dry red wine
• 3(28-oz) cans tomatoes (San Marzano)
• 2TBS tomato paste
• 2lb spaghetti, cooked al dente in salted water

For the Topping:

• 1cup roughly chopped raisins
• 1cup toasted pine nuts, roughly chopped
• 1cup roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley

Heat the oven to 350°F.

Set a large (7 qt) Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add about 3 TBS olive oil and gently brown the Ultimate Meatballs. (recipe follows) Meanwhile, with a mortar and pestle, grind the salt, black peppercorns and fennel seeds with some olive oil into a grainy paste. Rub the ribs and shoulder with the mixture.

Remove the meatballs with a slotted spoon and set aside on a paper towel-lined plate to drain. In the same pot, brown the shoulder pieces and ribs, in batches. Alternately to save time, roast the ribs in a preheated 500°F. oven for 10 to 15 minutes while you brown the shoulder pieces in the pot.

Remove the shoulder pieces and ribs to the meatball plate and let rest.

Add a little more olive oil to the pot and add the thyme, oregano, carrots, onion and celery. Stir it around and scrape up the bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Cook the vegetables until they are slightly softened and have some nice color. Add the wine, tomatoes and tomato paste and mix well, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom. Nestle the pork shoulder pieces back into the middle of the pot then arrange the ribs around the sauce. Finish by placing the meatballs in the gaps (some of the pieces will be sticking out from the sauce but that’s perfectly fine as it will roast and caramelize). Use a spoon to baste everything well, cover, then put the pot into the oven and roast until the pork is tender and the meat is just falling off the rib bones, about 1 to 1 ½ hours.

Topping: Combine the chopped raisins, toasted pine nuts and parsley in a small bowl.

Use a slotted spoon to remove the meatballs and ribs to a large platter. Remove the pork shoulder pieces from the pot and allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing into bite-size pieces and adding them to the platter. Puree the sauce in a food processor then add it back to the pot and set over medium heat. Reduce the sauce until it is rich and thick, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, if needed. When the spaghetti is cooked, drain and add to a medium bowl. Spoon a little sauce over the spaghetti and the remaining sauce over the platter of meat. Garnish the meat platter with the raisin mixture and serve.

Ultimate Meatballs:

Yield: 8 meatballs

Recipe from Tyler Florence, Tyler’s Ultimate

The recipe is for 8 meatballs, but you might want to make 16. They are at least tennis ball size when used for only 8 at over 6 oz each.

• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 1small to medium onion, chopped
• 2small garlic cloves, chopped
• 1½TBS finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 3thick slices firm white bread, crust removed, cut into cubes (about 2 cups)
• ¾cup milk
• 1½lb ground beef
• 1½lb ground pork
• 1large egg
• ¼cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving
• Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper

Heat 3 TBS oil in an ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and parsley and cook until the vegetables are soft but not colored, about 10 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and let the mixture cool.

Add the bread to a medium bowl and pour in the milk. Let the bread soak while the onions are cooling. Combine the meats in a large bowl. Add the egg and cheese and season generously with salt and pepper. Use your hands to squeeze the excess milk out of the bread and add it to the bowl along with the cooled onion mixture. Gently combine all the ingredients with your hands until just mixed together. Don’t overwork the mixture or the meatballs will be tough. Divide the mixture into 8 equal pieces and shape them into 8 nice looking meatballs. Refrigerate until ready to cook. (See previous recipe: Ultimate Sunday Gravy)