Pressure Cooker Pork Puttanesca Ragù

Pressure Cooker Pork Puttanesca Ragù
Con Poulos for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Rebecca Jurkevich.
Total Time
2¼ hours
Rating
4(1,023)
Comments
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Inspired by puttanesca sauce, this braised pork ragù combines rich pork shoulder with the bright flavors of capers, olives and tomato. Those wary of anchovies can relax; the finished dish doesn’t taste overtly fishy. The anchovies dissolve into the sauce, providing a subtly savory note. Tomato-based sauces can trigger the burn warning in some pressure cookers. To avoid that, this recipe calls for more liquid than you would typically need, and finishes with a quick simmer to reduce the sauce to a thicker consistency.

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Ingredients

Yield:6 to 8 servings
  • 3 to 3½pounds boneless, skinless pork shoulder
  • Kosher salt and black pepper
  • 2tablespoons olive oil
  • 8large garlic cloves, roughly chopped
  • 4anchovy fillets, finely chopped, or 1 tablespoon anchovy paste
  • 2(6-ounce) cans tomato paste
  • cup pitted kalamata olives
  • ¼cup drained capers
  • 1tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 2teaspoons red-pepper flakes, plus more to taste
  • 1teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1cup dry red wine
  • 1(15-ounce) can whole or crushed tomatoes, with their juices
  • 2tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from about ½ lemon)
  • 1cup lightly packed chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • Grated Parmesan, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

571 calories; 38 grams fat; 12 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 18 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 17 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 8 grams sugars; 36 grams protein; 802 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Using a sharp knife, trim and discard the large pieces of fat from the pork shoulder, then cut the meat into 4 or 5 large chunks. Place the pork in a bowl and season it generously with salt and pepper.

  2. Step 2

    Using the sauté setting, heat the olive oil in a 6- to 8-quart pressure cooker. Add the garlic and anchovies and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly and scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan, until fragrant and slightly darkened in color, about 2 minutes. (If it looks like it’s getting too dark, or you get a warning on the display, turn off the heat while cooking the tomato paste. Turn the heat back on when you add the wine.)

  3. Step 3

    Stir in the olives, capers, vinegar, red-pepper flakes, oregano and a generous amount of black pepper. (Do not add more salt at this point; anchovies, olives and capers can be quite salty.) Stir in the wine, 2 cups water and the tomatoes with their juices, crushing the tomatoes with your hands if using whole. Turn off the sauté setting and stir in the pork. Close the lid and cook on high pressure for 80 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    Let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes, then release the remaining pressure manually. Open the lid. Carefully transfer the pork to a medium bowl, and coarsely shred. Using the sauté setting, let the ragù simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened. Skim the excess fat, if desired. Add the shredded meat back to the pot, then add the lemon juice and parsley and gently stir to combine. Taste and add more red-pepper flakes or salt if necessary. Serve the ragù over polenta or sturdy pasta, like rigatoni or pappardelle. Top with Parmesan, to taste.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
1,023 user ratings
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Comments

This recipe seems to refer to an electric pressure cooker/Instantpot. Would the cooking time (80 mins) be the same for a stovetop pressure cooker?

80 minutes seems likes a long time, I made pulled pork last Sunday at 40 minutes and it shredded easily. I would like to know if the extra time is necessary

Seems like the pork should be browned first. I use boneless country ribs (actually shoulder) for recipes like this rather than getting a big hunk of shoulder. Costco usually has them.

Absolutely delicious and easy! We offered red pepper flakes to taste at the table rather than adding in since not everyone likes spicy. I also browned the chunks of pork before putting them in the instant pot.

Made as directed. None of us cared for it. The sauce was actually pretty good, although a little spicy, but the pork itself was dry and stringy. Cooked it in the instant pot for the specified time, so I don’t know why so unsatisfactory. Put the rest of the sauce over noodles, tossed the pork.

I followed the recipe exactly and it was delicious, though next time I’d double the amount of olives. The meat was super tender and juicy.

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