Salsa Genovese

Name: Salsa Genovese
Yield: serves 6 or more
Ingredients: 4 ounces bacon, cut in 1-inch pieces; 1/2 cup whole peeled garlic cloves; 1 small carrot, peeled and finely shredded or chopped; 1 stalk celery, finely shredded or chopped; 5 to 7 pounds onions, peeled and chopped into 1/4-inch pieces; 5-to-7-pound pork shoulder (butt) roast, bone-in; 1 tablespoon coarse sea salt or kosher crystal salt; 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil; 1/4 teaspoon peperoncino (hot red pepper flakes), or more to taste, or none; 2 tablespoons tomato paste; 4 cups, or more or less, hot Turkey Broth (page 80), Simple Vegetable Broth (page 288), or water; A food processor; A heavy-bottomed braising or saucepan, or Dutch-oven casserole, 8-quart capacity or larger, 10-inch diameter or larger, with a good cover

December 14, 2011

Pork shoulder is delicious braised as well as roasted. Salsa Genovese provides a wonderful sauce as well as a large amount of meat—indeed, this traditional Neapolitan Sunday dish gives you two options, for two different meals. In the custom of “Sunday sauces,” the freshly cooked pork and its braising sauce are served separately the first time: the sauce with the meat extracted is tossed with pasta for a first course, and the meat is sliced and served as a main course. (In Italian and Italian-American homes, these might be different courses or on the table at the same time.) Whatever sauce and meat are left from the first feast are then combined into a meaty sauce to dress pasta another day. A 5-pound pork shoulder cooked, in my recipe, with 5 pounds of chopped onions will give you plenty of meat and sauce to enjoy all these ways. Braise a bigger shoulder butt for even more leftovers—just be sure to buy plenty of onions: a 7-pound pork roast gets 7 pounds of onions!

Recipe notes

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