Italian Winter Greens with Pear-Walnut Dressing<\/a> recipe in the Salad section of this cookbook.<\/p>\nFor the Neapolitan Ragu:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- Extra-virgin olive oil<\/span><\/li>\n
- 8<\/span>Ultimate Meatballs (recipe follows)<\/span><\/li>\n
- 2<\/span>TBS kosher salt, plus more for seasoning<\/span><\/li>\n
- 1<\/span>TBS black peppercorns, plus freshly ground black pepper for seasoning<\/span><\/li>\n
- 2<\/span>TBS fennel seeds<\/span><\/li>\n
- 1<\/span>rack 8 pork spare ribs, cut into 2 to 3-rib pieces<\/span><\/li>\n
- 1<\/span>(2 lb) boneless pork shoulder, cut into 2 pieces (so it cooks at the same time as the ribs\/meatballs)<\/span><\/li>\n
- 4<\/span>sprigs fresh thyme<\/span><\/li>\n
- 4<\/span>sprigs fresh oregano<\/span><\/li>\n
- 4<\/span>medium carrots, roughly chopped<\/span><\/li>\n
- 1<\/span>large onion, roughly chopped<\/span><\/li>\n
- 2<\/span>ribs celery, roughly chopped<\/span><\/li>\n
- 2<\/span>cups dry red wine<\/span><\/li>\n
- 3<\/span>(28-oz) cans tomatoes (San Marzano)<\/span><\/li>\n
- 2<\/span>TBS tomato paste<\/span><\/li>\n
- 2<\/span>lb spaghetti, cooked al dente in salted water<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
For the Topping:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- 1<\/span>cup roughly chopped raisins<\/span><\/li>\n
- 1<\/span>cup toasted pine nuts, roughly chopped<\/span><\/li>\n
- 1<\/span>cup roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Heat the oven to 350\u00b0F.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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\u00b0F. oven for 10 to 15 minutes while you brown the shoulder pieces in the pot.<\/p>\n
Remove the shoulder pieces and ribs to the meatball plate and let rest.<\/p>\n
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 \u00bd hours.<\/p>\n
Topping: Combine the chopped raisins, toasted pine nuts and parsley in a small bowl.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n