Rigatoni with White Ragu
One summer, I met my friend Gabby in Italy to celebrate her thirtieth birthday. While visiting Florence, we escaped the heat in a quaint wine bar near the Pitti Palace. I struck up a conversation with the owner and cook, Giuseppe. His eyes lit up as he described the ragu bianco his nonna cooked on Christmas Eve. As a child, he would peek into the pot of sauce as it simmered on the stove, wafting aromas of fennel and oranges. When I begged him for the entire recipe, he replied, “There is no recipe. It’s made from the heart.”
Months later, Gabby and I spotted ragu bianco on a menu in the States. We ordered it, imagining it was similar to the one made by Giuseppe’s nonna, although we’d never had the pleasure of tasting hers. I began making my own adaptation, including fresh sage leaves and wild mushrooms when they were available, and it has become one of my family’s favorite dishes. For a lighter version, I sometimes thin the sauce with extra broth to make a hearty soup. And although I’ve never prepared it on Christmas Eve, I think it’s time to do so.
Ingredients
Serves 8
Rigatoni with White Ragu:
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided in half
1 white onion, chopped
1 fennel bulb, core removed and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper
2 pounds ground pork
6 ounces white mushrooms, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh sage leaves, chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup orange juice
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup cream
zest of one orange
4 ounces freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
1 pound rigatoni pasta
Process
Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a medium (10-inch) skillet over medium- high heat. Add the onion, fennel, 1⁄2 teaspoon salt, and 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper and cook until softened, about 12 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute, until fragrant.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large (12-inch) skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until it cooks through but doesn’t brown, about 15 minutes.
Add the onion mixture to the pork and stir to combine. Add the mushrooms and cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the sage, stock, wine, and orange juice and cook, uncovered for 30 minutes, until the liquid has reduced and the sauce has thickened. You may need to cook a few minutes longer to reduce it enough. Stir in the cream, orange zest, and Parmesan.
Meanwhile, in a large pot, bring 8 cups of water to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons of salt, or enough to make the water taste like the sea. Add the pasta and stir. Cook until the pasta is al dente (not mushy, but still a bit firm), about 12 minutes, or according to package instructions. Reserve 1⁄2 cup of the pasta water and drain the pasta. Add pasta to the sauce and stir, adding in the reserved pasta water if needed to make it sauce-y. Garnish with more Parmesan and sage, if desired.
