Pork ragu

Did I already tell you that I absolutely love my cast iron pot and that it's perfect for slow-cooked meals?

Isn't it the most beautiful pot you ever saw?

But now seriously people, if you don't have a cast iron pot, buy one. It's not expensive(it gets expensive if you want to buy the queen of cast iron pots, a pot from le creuset), you spend about 60 euros for a 24 cm pot and it lasts a lifetime. Why cast iron? Because it distributes heat evenly and once it gets hot, it stays hot, so a cast iron pan is also perfect for searing meat. 

I love to use my cast iron pot in the winter and make slow-cooked recipes, like stews in it. This recipe got very good reviews from my testers, one of them said it is the best pasta they ate that year.

Servings: 6
Difficulty: easy
Preparation time: 30 minutes preparation time + 2 hours cooking time

Ingredients:

• 700 g boneless pork shoulder, cut into 4 cm pieces
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 60 ml (¼ cup) olive oil, plus more
• ½ medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled, finely chopped
• 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1 sprig rosemary
• 1 sprig oregano
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 400 g can crushed tomatoes
• 120 ml(½ cup) dry red wine
• ¼ teaspoon black peppercorns
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 pound cavatelli or other small shell pasta
• 1 bunch spinach, ribs and stems removed, torn into  5 cm pieces
• 50 g unsalted butter
• 50 g (½ cup) grated Parmesan, plus more

Method:

• Season pork with salt and pepper. Heat 60 ml oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat.
• Working in batches, cook meat, turning occasionally, until browned, 10–15 minutes; transfer to a large plate.
• Drain all but 2 Tbsp. fat from pot. Reduce heat to medium and cook onion, carrot, celery, and garlic, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 8–10 minutes. 
• Tie rosemary, oregano, and bay leaf into a bundle with kitchen twine; add to pot along with pork, tomatoes, wine, peppercorns, nutmeg, and cloves. Add water just to cover meat and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer, adding more water as needed, until meat is very tender, 1–1½ hours.
• Discard herb bundle. Using 2 forks, shred meat in pot; cook, uncovered, over medium heat until sauce is thickened, 8–10 minutes.
• Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente; drain, reserving ½ cup pasta cooking liquid.
• Add spinach to ragù; cook until spinach is soft, about 4 minutes. 
• Add pasta; cook, adding reserved pasta cooking liquid as needed, until sauce coats pasta. 
• Mix in butter and ½ cup Parmesan; season with salt and pepper. 
• Serve pasta drizzled with oil and topped with more Parmesan.
• DO AHEAD: Pork can be cooked (do not shred) 2 days ahead. Let cool in braising liquid; cover and chill.