heritage pork

A low, steady simmer makes this braise a great pork ragù to pour over your cavatelli.

Cavatelli with Pork Ragù

pork

salt and black pepper

olive oil,

½ medium onion, finely chopped

carrot, peeled, finely chopped

celery stalk, finely chopped

garlic clove, finely chopped

rosemary

oregano

bay leaf

tomatoes

dry red wine

black peppercorns

nutmeg

cloves

pasta

currants

Tuscan kale, ribs and stems removed, torn into 2” pieces

¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter

Parmesan,

Bon Appétit

Season pork with salt and pepper. Heat ¼ cup 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 currants, if using, and kale to ragù; cook until kale 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.

For a real taste of Joffrey’s gamey pigeon pie, use squab instead of chicken. Have a sword handy for slicing into it! Also check out <a href="http://www.bonappetit.com/entertaining-style/pop-culture/article/game-of-thrones-party-menu">our other <em>GoT</em>-inspired recipes</a>.

Ceremonial "Pigeon" Pie

olive oil

onions,

Kosher salt, black pepper

Fresno chile

garlic cloves, finely grated

thyme

apple cider vinegar

brown sugar

parsley

sage

mace

allspice

ginger

chicken

all-purpose flour

salt

shortening

prosciutto, divided

dried apricots, chopped, divided

Whole grain mustard, cherry tomatoes, cornichon, pickled onion, stilton cheese, clothbound cheddar (optional; for serving)

For a real taste of Joffrey’s gamey pigeon pie, use squab instead of chicken. Have a sword handy for slicing into it! Also check out our other GoT-inspired recipes.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium. Add onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion begins to soften, 5–7 minutes. Stir in chiles, garlic, and thyme, scraping up browned bits from bottom and sides of pan, and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion begins to stick to bottom of pan, about 20 minutes. Add vinegar and raw sugar and cook, stirring and scraping up any browned bits, until liquid is evaporated and onion is very soft and golden brown, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Let cool; set aside until ready to use.

Meanwhile, mix pork, parsley, sage, thyme, mace, allspice, ginger, cloves, if using, 1 Tbsp. salt, and ½ tsp. pepper in a large bowl. Chill until ready to use.

Toss chicken with 2 tsp. salt and ¼ tsp. pepper in another large bowl. Chill until ready to use.

Whisk flour and salt in a large bowl; make a well in the center. Bring schmaltz and 1¼ cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan and immediately pour into well. Mix with a wooden spoon until dough comes together. Using your hands, knead until no lumps of flour remain (dough will seem wet and oily but not sticky; that’s okay). Let sit 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400°. Place 2 large pieces of parchment, slightly overlapping, on a clean work surface. Transfer dough to parchment. Using a bench scraper or knife, cut off one-third of dough; wrap in plastic and cover with a towel to keep warm. Roll out remaining dough to a 17" round. Using parchment, transfer dough to springform pan, lifting up edges to allow dough to slump down into pan. Press evenly into sides and bottom edge of pan. Trim dough, leaving a 1" overhang; reserve scraps for decorating.

Evenly arrange one-third of prosciutto over bottom of crust. Place a clean piece of parchment on work surface. Divide chilled pork mixture into thirds, then roll into balls. Flatten 1 pork ball to an 8" disk. Using parchment, invert pork mixture onto prosciutto. Press down to flatten and cover surface completely (this is key for a cleanly defined visible layer in finished pie). Top with half of the chicken in an even layer, then cover with half of the onion mixture. Top evenly with half of the apricots. Repeat process, starting with prosciutto and ending with apricots. Top apricots with remaining pork mixture and cover with remaining prosciutto.

Place a clean piece of parchment on work surface. Roll out reserved dough to an 11" round. Using parchment, carefully drape round over filling. Trim edges, leaving a 1" overhang; reserve scraps for decorating. Fold overhang of top crust underneath overhang of bottom crust and press to seal. Crimp as desired. Cut 6 slits in the center (forming a star) to vent. Beat egg with 1 Tbsp. water in a small bowl. Brush top crust with egg wash. Roll out scraps to a ¼" thickness and decorate pie, if desired. Brush decorations with egg wash.

Transfer pan to a rimmed baking sheet to catch any drips and bake 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325° and continue to bake until crust is deep golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the pie registers 150° (the temperature will continue to rise after pie comes out of the oven), 2–2½ hours.

Let cool in pan 2 hours. Remove outer ring, then chill pie, uncovered, 8 hours (this will help filling set and makes slicing easier). Transfer to a platter or board. Serve cold or at room temperature with mustard, tomatoes, cornichon, onion, stilton, and clothbound cheddar alongside, if desired.

Do Ahead: Pie can be made 3 days ahead. Wrap tightly in plastic and chill.

The traditional boozy honey glaze for this holiday ham is punched up in this rendition with molasses and brassy red chiles.

Honey-And-Rye-Glazed Ham

rye whiskey or bourbon or other whiskey

honey

¼ cup mild-flavored (light) molasses

red pepper flakes

black pepper

12–14-lb. cured smoked bone-in ham, skin removed if needed

The traditional boozy glaze is punched up in this rendition with honey, molasses, and brassy red chiles

Honey-and-Rye-Glazed Ham

Preheat oven to 350°. Whisk rye whiskey, honey, molasses, red pepper flakes, and black pepper in a medium bowl.

Set ham on a rack in a large roasting pan and pour in 2 cups water. Score fat in a crosshatch pattern, cutting about ½” deep. Brush ham with rye whiskey mixture and roast, basting every 20 minutes with pan juices and tenting with foil if browning too quickly, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of ham registers 135°, 1½–2 hours.

Transfer ham to a cutting board and let rest 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with pan juices.

This traditional homemade version of the Italian classic tastes as though it's been perfected over generations. It's pretty much the best lasagna ever.

Lasagna Bolognese

onion,

carrot, peeled, coarsely chopped

celery stalk,

beef chuck

pancetta (Italian bacon), finely chopped

dry white wine

milk

low-sodium chicken broth, divided

eggs, room temperature

unsalted butter

milk,

Kosher salt

Unsalted butter, room temperature (for dish)

Parmesan

pasta maker

This homemade version of the Italian classic tastes as though it's been perfected over generations.

Pulse onion, carrot, and celery in a food processor until finely chopped.

Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add beef, pork, pancetta, and vegetables; cook, breaking up meat with a spoon, until moisture is almost completely evaporated and meat is well browned, 25–30 minutes; season with salt and pepper.

Add wine to pot and bring to a boil, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pot, about 2 minutes. Add milk; bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until moisture is almost completely evaporated, 8–10 minutes. Add tomatoes and 2 cups broth; bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, adding water by ½-cupfuls if sauce looks dry, until flavors meld and sauce thickens, 2½–3 hours.

Let sauce cool, then cover and chill at least 12 hours or up to 2 days. (Letting the sauce sit will give it a deeper, richer flavor.)

DO AHEAD: Sauce can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill.

Whisk salt and 3 cups flour in a large bowl, make a well in the center, and crack eggs into well. Mix eggs with a fork, then slowly mix in flour until a shaggy dough forms. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead, dusting lightly with flour if sticky, until smooth, about 5 minutes (it will be fairly stiff). Wrap in plastic; let sit until dough holds an indentation when pressed, 1–2 hours.

Set pasta maker to thickest setting; dust lightly with flour. Divide dough into 4 pieces. Working with 1 piece at a time and keeping remaining dough wrapped in plastic as you work, flatten dough into a narrow rectangle (no wider than mouth of machine); pass through rollers. Fold dough as needed to fit and run through again. Repeat without folding, adjusting machine to thinner settings after every pass and dusting with flour if sticky, until pasta sheet is 1/16” thick (setting 8 on most machines). Place pasta sheets on a lightly floured surface and cut crosswise into 16 8”-long noodles.

DO AHEAD: Dough can be made 1 day ahead; chill. Bring to room temperature before rolling out, about 1 hour. Noodles can be made 1 day ahead. Stack on a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper between each layer. Cover with plastic wrap and chill.

Heat butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until foaming. Add flour and cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Whisk in warm milk, ½-cupful at a time. Bring sauce to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, whisking often, until the consistency of cream, 8–10 minutes; add nutmeg and season with salt. Remove from heat, transfer to a medium bowl, and press plastic wrap directly onto surface; let cool slightly.

DO AHEAD: Béchamel can be made 1 day ahead. Keep covered and chill.

Reheat the sauces. Combine Bolognese sauce and remaining 1 cup broth in a large saucepan over medium heat, and heat until sauce is warmed through.

Meanwhile, if you made the béchamel ahead of time, heat in a medium saucepan over low heat just until warmed through (you don’t want to let it boil).

Working in batches, cook fresh lasagna noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water until just softened, about 10 seconds. Remove carefully with tongs and transfer to a large bowl of ice water; let cool. Drain noodles and stack on a baking sheet, with paper towels between each layer, making sure noodles don’t touch (they’ll stick together).

Preheat oven to 350°. Coat a 13x9” baking dish with butter.

Spread ¼ cup béchamel in the prepared baking dish. Top with a layer of noodles, spread over a scant ¾ cup Bolognese sauce, then ½ cup béchamel, and top with ¼ cup Parmesan. Repeat process 7 more times, starting with noodles and ending with Parmesan, for a total of 8 layers. Place baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet and bake lasagna until bubbling and beginning to brown on top, 50–60 minutes. Let lasagna sit 45 minutes before serving.

DO AHEAD: Lasagna can be assembled 12 hours ahead. Cover and chill. Let sit at room temperature 2 hours before baking. Cook, covered with foil until the last 20 minutes, then finish cooking uncovered.

Homemade pasta is great: It's rich and can be rolled very thin. But of course it's not your only option: Fresh store-bought: Available in the refrigerated section of specialty stores and Italian grocers. Usually a bit thicker than what our recipe calls for but still a good choice. Buy 1½ pounds. Sizes vary by shop; if needed, trim the noodles during assembly to fill the pan without much overlap. Dried: If you spot imported dried egg noodles, they're worth the splurge, but standard supermarket durum wheat will work just fine (avoid no-boil, though). Supermarket noodles are thicker, so make fewer layers. Cook 24 noodles (1–1½ boxes) per package instructions; divide sauces evenly among 6 layers. Trim noodles as needed.

Leftover sauce? Bring a pot of water to boil: It’s pasta night.

Pork Ragù over Creamy Polenta

vegetable oil

garlic cloves, finely chopped

tomato paste

red wine

bay leaves

polenta (not quick-cooking)

Parmesan (from

Olive oil (for drizzling)

Season pork with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium. Cook pork, turning often, until evenly browned, 10–12 minutes. Transfer to a platter and pour off pan drippings.

Wipe out any burned bits from pot, but leave the golden-brown pieces (doing this will keep the finished sauce from tasting bitter). Add onion and garlic to pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is starting to brown and caramelize, 12–15 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly darkened in color, 5–8 minutes.

Add wine and cook, scraping up any browned bits, until reduced by about half, 5–8 minutes.

Add tomatoes, crushing with your hands as you go, then add thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves; stir in 2 cups water. Add pork with any juices accumulated on the platter; season with salt and pepper.

Bring liquid to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until pork is falling-apart tender, sauce is thickened (it will be thicker than a typical pasta sauce), and flavors have melded, 2½–3 hours.

Using 2 forks, break up pork into pieces or shred it (your choice!); taste and season with salt and pepper.

Pork can be cooked 5 days ahead. Let cool; cover and chill in sauce.

Bring 6 cups salted water to a boil in a large pot. Whisking constantly, gradually add polenta; reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, whisking often, until polenta is tender and creamy, 20–25 minutes (if polenta becomes too thick too soon, loosen mixture by adding more water and continue cooking). Add butter and ½ cup Parmesan to polenta and whisk until melted; season with salt and pepper.

Spoon polenta into bowls or onto a platter and top with pork. Scatter parsley and more Parmesan over top and drizzle with oil.

Once you’ve got the two racks tied together (and the lady apples halved), making this crown pork recipe is as simple as any other roast.

Crown Roast of Pork with Lady Apples and Shallots

(packed) light brown sugar

kosher salt (2 cups Diamond Crystal

thyme,

brown mustard seeds

Dijon mustard

olive oil, divided

bacon, chopped

apples,

shallots, peeled, halved lengthwise if large

dry hard cider

Lay racks of pork flat on work surface, meaty side down (the inside of the ribs should be facing up). Use a knife to make 3 vertical 3"-long slits (about 1" deep) into the loins of each rack, 1 slit between every 2 ribs. Place each rack of pork into a 1-gal. resealable plastic bag and chill.

Heat brown sugar, salt, and 4 cups water in a large saucepan over medium, stirring until sugar and salt are dissolved, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add vinegar and 4 cups ice water. Chill brine until cold, about 1 hour.

Divide brine between bags with pork and seal, squeezing out excess air; chill pork 8–24 hours.

Remove pork from bags and pat dry. Place on a large rimmed baking sheet; let sit 2 hours to bring to room temperature.

Preheat oven to 300°. Mix garlic, chopped thyme, mustard seeds, pepper, ¼ cup mustard, and 2 Tbsp. oil in a small bowl. Smear all over pork, working into slits; tuck thyme sprigs into slits. Upend both racks so they’re parallel to one another with bones facing up and slits facing out. Curve racks toward each other so they meet at both ends to form a crown (call a friend to help with this part). Holding pork in place, encircle racks with string and tie securely in 2 places: around rib bones and around thickest part of loin. If desired, wrap tops of bones individually with foil to keep them from burning.

Heat remaining 2 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium. Cook bacon, stirring often, until fat is rendered and edges are crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer bacon to a roasting pan with a slotted spoon.

Working in 2–3 batches, add apples, cut side down, and shallots to same skillet and cook over medium-high heat (undisturbed) until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer apples to roasting pan; turn shallots and cook until golden brown on the other side, about 3 minutes. Transfer to roasting pan.

Remove skillet from heat and carefully add cider, stirring and scraping up any browned bits. Pour liquid into roasting pan and place pork in the center, pushing apples and shallots to the edges; reserve skillet. Roast pork until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of loin registers 135°, 1¾–2¼ hours.

Remove roast from oven and transfer apples and shallots to a platter; tent with foil. Increase oven temperature to 500°. Transfer pork to a cutting board and pour pan juices into reserved skillet. Return pork to roasting pan; roast until browned and crisp all over, 5–10 minutes. Transfer roast back to cutting board and let rest 30–45 minutes before cutting into chops.

Just before serving, whisk remaining 2 Tbsp. mustard into pan juices in skillet and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook, whisking often, until sauce is reduced to about 1 cup, 7–10 minutes.

Transfer pork chops to platter with apples and shallots; spoon sauce over.

The effort-to-impressiveness ratio doesn’t get much better than this, people. Go ahead and double (Triple! Quadruple!) this recipe and you’ve got hostess gifts, emergency entertaining fodder, and quick, decadent snacks for days.

Rustic Pork Rillette

lemon juice

bread (for

wide-mouth pint jars

Preheat oven to 275°. Place pork shoulder and belly and skin in a large saucepan. Tuck in thyme and bay leaves and add ½ cup water. Cover and braise, stirring occasionally, until meat is falling-apart tender and fat is soft, 2 ½–3 hours. Remove from oven, pluck out thyme and bay leaves and let meat rest until cool enough to handle.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer meat and skin to a large bowl; pour fat and any cooking liquid in pot into a heatproof measuring cup (you should have about 1 cup).

Shred meat with a potato masher; do not hold back. Pour in ¾ cup fat and mash meat a little bit more—mixture should look and feel almost pasty (but in a good way). Season with salt, nutmeg, and a splash of lemon juice, which will temper the richness of the meat. Taste and adjust as necessary (err on the side of too salty—it will mellow as it cools).

Pack rillette mixture into jars, pushing out any air bubbles. Top each with a few spoonfuls of reserved fat and chill until set, at least 2 hours.

Do ahead: Rillette can be made 1 week ahead; cover and chill. Let sit at room temperature 2 hours before serving.

Top 7 heritage pork recipes from across the web

The most viewed heritage pork recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

Top Tags

Cavatelli with Pork Ragù

Ceremonial "Pigeon" Pie

Honey-And-Rye-Glazed Ham

Lasagna Bolognese

Pork Ragù over Creamy Polenta

Crown Roast of Pork with Lady Apple...

Rustic Pork Rillette

Top 7 heritage pork recipes from across the web

The most viewed heritage pork recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Cavatelli with Pork Ragù

Ceremonial "Pigeon" Pie

Honey-And-Rye-Glazed Ham

Lasagna Bolognese

Pork Ragù over Creamy Polenta

Crown Roast of Pork with Lady Apple...

Rustic Pork Rillette

The most viewed heritage pork recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine