Dinner · Main Dishes
Slow-Baked Spicy Pork Rigatoni
- Serves
- 4 servings
Bring it to the table
About this recipe.
Rigatoni in a deep, slowly baked pork sauce with bacon, smoked paprika and Parmesan.
Before you start
Gather your ingredients.
Check your pantry before you begin. Full quantities and serving adjustments are in the recipe card below.
See the ingredient checklist
- 1 large dried shiitake mushroom (cut into 1-inch pieces)
- 1 1/2 cups boiling water (for soaking the mushroom; drained away)
- 2 medium onions (cut into 1-inch pieces)
- 6 garlic cloves
- 1 medium carrot (peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces)
- 8 oz bacon (finely chopped)
- 1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or 1/4 teaspoon Morton kosher salt, plus more to taste)
- 1/2 cup chicken livers (about 3–4; handle as raw poultry)
- 1 tablespoon Thai chile flakes (or 2 tablespoons crushed red pepper)
- 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 1/2 lb ground pork
- 1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 quart low-sodium chicken broth
- 1/4 cup fish sauce
- 1/4 oz finely grated Parmesan (plus more to serve)
- 1 lb rigatoni
- 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
A sauce for this dinner and the next
The long oven stage concentrates the sauce while occasional scraping folds the browned edges back in. Reserving half before adding the pasta gives you another portion of sauce without cooking a second pot.
At the table
Serve in warm bowls with a little extra grated Parmesan.
The cooking plan
How to make Slow-Baked Spicy Pork Rigatoni.
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Heat the oven to 350°F. Pour the boiling water over the dried mushroom and leave for 30 minutes. Drain and put the mushroom in a food processor with the onions, garlic and carrot. Pulse until the vegetables are nearly a paste.
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Cook the bacon in a large oven-safe Dutch oven over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until its edges begin to brown. Stir in the vegetable paste and measured salt. Cook for 6–8 minutes, stirring and scraping the bottom, until the paste softens and becomes translucent.
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Puree the raw chicken livers in the food processor and keep separate until needed. Clean the processor and any utensils that contacted raw poultry. Add the chile flakes, paprika and black pepper to the pot and stir constantly for 2–3 minutes, taking care not to scorch the paprika.
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Add the wine and simmer for about 2 minutes, until it has mostly evaporated. Stir in the ground pork, tomatoes, broth and pureed livers. Bring to a simmer, breaking up the pork.
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Bake uncovered for 2 1/2–4 hours, with a baking sheet on the rack below to catch spatters. Every 30 minutes, scrape the sides back into the sauce and break up larger pieces of pork. Continue until the sauce has darkened and thickened; because it contains poultry liver, it must reach at least 165°F. Remove and let stand for 20 minutes.
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Stir in the fish sauce and measured Parmesan. The batch makes about 2 quarts of sauce. Reserve 1 quart for another meal, cooling it promptly in a shallow container and refrigerating. Keep the remaining quart for this pasta.
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Cook the rigatoni in salted boiling water until about 2 minutes short of its package timing. Save 1 cup cooking water and drain. Add the pasta to the reserved quart of sauce with the butter and 1/2 cup cooking water. Toss over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes, adding more pasta water if needed, until the pasta is al dente and coated. Serve with extra Parmesan.
Let’s cook
The full recipe.
Check off ingredients as you get them ready.
Changing servings? The ingredient list scales automatically. Adjust quantities named in the steps to match, and choose pans and cooking times for your batch.
Slow-Baked Spicy Pork Rigatoni
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Ingredients
- 1 large dried shiitake mushroom cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 ½ cups boiling water for soaking the mushroom; drained away
- 2 medium onion cut into 1-inch pieces
- 6 garlic cloves
- 1 medium carrots peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
8 oz bacon finely chopped- ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt or 1/4 teaspoon Morton kosher salt, plus more to taste
- ½ cup chicken livers about 3–4; handle as raw poultry
- 1 tablespoon Thai chile flakes or 2 tablespoons crushed red pepper
- 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1 ½ lb ground pork
- 1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 quart low-sodium chicken broth
- ¼ cup fish sauce
- ¼ oz finely grated Parmesan plus more to serve
- 1 lb rigatoni
- 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
Equipment
Equipment images are illustrative. Exact products may vary.
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F. Pour the boiling water over the dried mushroom and leave for 30 minutes. Drain and put the mushroom in a food processor with the onions, garlic and carrot. Pulse until the vegetables are nearly a paste.
- Cook the bacon in a large oven-safe Dutch oven over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until its edges begin to brown. Stir in the vegetable paste and measured salt. Cook for 6–8 minutes, stirring and scraping the bottom, until the paste softens and becomes translucent.
- Puree the raw chicken livers in the food processor and keep separate until needed. Clean the processor and any utensils that contacted raw poultry. Add the chile flakes, paprika and black pepper to the pot and stir constantly for 2–3 minutes, taking care not to scorch the paprika.
- Add the wine and simmer for about 2 minutes, until it has mostly evaporated. Stir in the ground pork, tomatoes, broth and pureed livers. Bring to a simmer, breaking up the pork.
- Bake uncovered for 2 1/2–4 hours, with a baking sheet on the rack below to catch spatters. Every 30 minutes, scrape the sides back into the sauce and break up larger pieces of pork. Continue until the sauce has darkened and thickened; because it contains poultry liver, it must reach at least 165°F. Remove and let stand for 20 minutes.
- Stir in the fish sauce and measured Parmesan. The batch makes about 2 quarts of sauce. Reserve 1 quart for another meal, cooling it promptly in a shallow container and refrigerating. Keep the remaining quart for this pasta.
- Cook the rigatoni in salted boiling water until about 2 minutes short of its package timing. Save 1 cup cooking water and drain. Add the pasta to the reserved quart of sauce with the butter and 1/2 cup cooking water. Toss over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes, adding more pasta water if needed, until the pasta is al dente and coated. Serve with extra Parmesan.
Notes
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