Get the Recipe:Pork Ragu Pizza with Ricotta Salata
A hearty pan pizza, perfect for sharing! This recipe makes a lot of pork ragu, so you'll have extra for another meal or two with it. Extras freeze well! Be sure to use a large pot for the ragu.
2lbboneless pork shoulder, cut in to 1 1/2-inch cubes
1lbpork sausage , (loose, or remove casing from links)
2-3Tbsp.olive oil
Salt and pepper
1/2cuponion, diced
7clovesgarlic, minced
1/4tsp.red pepper flakes
3Tbsp.tomato paste
1/2cupred wine
1cupchicken broth
2 28oz canswhole tomatoes , (preferably San Marzano), hand-crushed
Pizza dough:
4cupsall-purpose flour
2cupswater, at room temperature
1tspinstant yeast
1tbspolive oil
2tsp.fine sea salt
For the pizza:
Pizza Sauce
Pesto Sauce, optional
Ragu Sauce
Ricotta Salata, or substitute Parmesan or Pecorino
Arugula
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Instructions
For the Pork Ragu: In a large (at least 5.3 quarts!) Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot, heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil over medium-high heat. Add one-third of the pork shoulder cubes and cook, stirring, until cooked on all sides. Remove to a plate. Repeat with remaining pork pieces, adding more olive oil as necessary. Remove all to a plate. Add the pork sausage to the pot and cook until browned. Remove this to a plate as well.
In the same pot, heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil. Add the diced onion and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring, until softened. Add the minced garlic and red pepper flakes to the pot and cook, stirring, for 45 seconds or so. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for another 45 seconds or so. Deglaze the pan with the red wine and allow to cook until the alcohol burns off, 1-2 minutes. Add the chicken broth and tomatoes to the pot, along with the pork pieces and sausage. Stir well. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and allow to simmer 4-5 hours, stirring occasionally. Keep heat at a level that is a gentle simmer.
At the end of the simmering time, using a slotted spoon, remove the pork pieces to a cutting board and using two forks, shred the pork. Return to the pot and allow ragu to cook another 10 minutes or so. Taste and add salt and pepper, as needed. Allow to cool slightly, then place in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed.
For the Pizza Dough: In a large bowl of the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the kneading hook, combine the flour and water. Stir and let rest for 10 minutes. Add the yeast, olive oil and salt and mix for 2-3 minutes. Remove dough to a large greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes, then refrigerate overnight. Be sure to remove from the fridge 1 1/2 hours before you want to bake your pizza!
To assemble the pizza: Preheat oven to 465° F. with rack in the centre of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle some cornmeal over the parchment. Turn pizza dough out on to a well-floured surface. Coat in flour until it is not too sticky, then gently pat in to a rectangle shape. Remove to prepared baking sheet and gently press/stretch to fill the pan (you may need to let it rest a bit, if it keeps shrinking back). Spread dough with pizza sauce, then dot with some pesto sauce. Top with a generous layer of pork ragu.
Bake in pre-heated oven for 25-30 minutes. Check at 20 minutes or so and cover loosely with foil if top is browning too much. Note that the dough is thick, so do be sure it is cooked thoroughly (30 minutes or so), even if the edges looked cooked earlier than that.
Notes
Be sure to read the "Cook's Notes" in the original post, for more tips, options, substitutions and variations for this recipe!