Pulled Pork Pasta With Almond Cream Sauce Recipes

PULLED PORK WITH MEXICAN ALMOND MOLE SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a casserole dish. Brown the pork for about 10 mins until golden all over, stir in the tomato purée and cook for 1 min. Pour over the chicken stock, then add the strips of orange zest and juice, cinnamon and thyme. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat, then cover and simmer for 1½ hrs.
• Meanwhile, make the sauce. Heat a non-stick frying pan and dry-fry the onions and whole garlic cloves for about 5 mins, turning often until softened and lightly charred all over. Tip into a blender. Add the tomatoes to the pan. Cook for 3 mins until starting to blister and char, then tip into the blender. Add 1 tbsp oil to the pan. Fry 1 of the tortillas for 1 min on each side until golden. Tear into pieces and tip into the blender. Adding more oil if you need, fry the almonds for 3 mins until golden. Add to the blender. Finally add the raisins, coriander and cumin to the pan and cook for 1-2 mins until the raisins are plump. Add these to the blender along with the chipotle paste and finely chopped chocolate. Whizz together until a rough paste forms.
• Using a slotted spoon, remove the meat from the pan to a board, leave to cool a little, then use forks or your fingers to tear into shreds. Remove the cinnamon, orange zest and thyme sprigs from the pan and discard. Pour a little of the cooking liquid into the blender, then carefully whizz together with the mole sauce. Tip sauce into the pan with the rest of the pork cooking juices. Simmer on the hob for 10-15 mins, then return the shredded pork to the pan and cook for 20 mins more. Season to taste. Can be made up to this point up to 2 days in advance and stored in the fridge or frozen for up to 3 months.
• Just before serving, microwave the tortillas for 1 min to warm them. Toss together all the salsa ingredients and season well. Set everything out on the table. To serve, spoon some of the pork mole onto a tortilla, top with some salsa, then roll up and eat.

CREAMY PULLED PORK PASTA WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS, MUSHROOMS AND ARUGULA

Steps:

• Cook pasta in salted water as directed on package. Reserve 1/4 cup pasta cooking liquid. Drain pasta thoroughly, then return to pan.
• Meanwhile, in 10-inch skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and salt and cook, stirring frequently, 5 to 7 minutes or until edges of onion slices are browned and soft. Add mushrooms; continue to cook 5 to 7 minutes or until mushrooms release juices, liquid evaporates and mushrooms brown. Add vinegar and stir, scraping up bits from bottom of pan until almost completely evaporated. Add pork, and stir to combine. Add cream and reserved pasta water, and continue to cook 2 to 3 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat.
• Add pork mixture to pasta in pan. Toss to coat. Fold in arugula, then continue to stir until arugula wilts. Divide among 8 bowls. Top each with cheese. Drizzle with a few more drops vinegar, if desired.

PULLED PORK PASTA WITH ALMOND CREAM SAUCE

Steps:

• Combine marinade ingredients, toss pork with marinade, cover and chill in fridge at least 30 minutes or up to overnight.
• Put pork and marinade in an oven-proof large dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high heat; sear pork on all sides until browned, seasoning with salt and pepper as you brown. Before garlic burns on, deglaze with wine, scraping pan with wooden spoon to dislodge brown bits.
• Continue cooking about 3 minutes until wine is mostly evaporated, then add carrot through fennel seeds.
• Pour in cold water to cover by 1 inch, cover and braise in 325F oven until pork is fork tender (1-1/2 to 2 hours).
• Meanwhile, make almond cream sauce: in a saucepan simmer almonds in cream over medium heat 30 minutes, stirring often, to infuse cream with almond flavor. Strain out almonds and discard. Continue simmering cream about 30 minutes until reduced and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Season with salt and pepper and keep hot.
• When pork is done, pour 1 cup of braising liquid into a small saucepan and simmer over medium heat until reduced by half (meanwhile keep meat in the rest of the braising fluid to keep moist).
• When meat is cool enough to handle, shred pork and keep warm covered in the (unreduced) jus.
• Meanwhile, cook pasta in boiling salted water 8-10 minutes until al dente.
• Drain pasta and toss it with 1/2 cup of almond cream sauce to coat; divide among 4 plates.
• Drain pork and top each plate of pasta with 1/4 of the pork, a drizzle of the reduced juice, 1/4 of the remaining almond cream sauce and parsley to garnish.