PULLED PORK ITALIAN WAY with red wine and rosemary

Pulled Pork is one of my favorite American recipes! The meat cooked for hours at low temperature is tender and creamy, its flavor is intense and fragrant and it is really easy to do: it is a perfect dish for a party with friends in the winter nights! Today, I propose an Italian way to prepare the Pulled Pork: braised in red wine with juniper berries, mixed peppercorns and fresh rosemary. To recall even more Italian descent, I suggest to replace the classic bun with a creamy Polenta flavored with Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and white pepper: it's so tasty!

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• 5 lb (2,5 kg) whole pork shoulder
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 2 medium carrots
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 bottle (750 ml) good quality red wine
• 1 tbsp double concentrated tomato paste
• 2 springs of rosemary
• 3 cloves
• 1 tsp mixed peppercorn
• 1 tsp juniper berries
• to taste table salt

polenta:

• 1.2 lb (1 kg) polenta flour
• 4 qt (4 lt) water
• 1 oz (30 gr) Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
• 1 tsp white pepper
• 2 tbsp cooking salt

First steps

Cut the onion and the carrots into rings. In a large skillet, which may also contain the pork shoulder, saute the garlic cloves crushed until they are golden brown, then add the carrots and onion. Continue cooking until the vegetables will be soft. Finally, add the double concentrate tomato paste. Blend and pour it all into a food container.

Roast the shoulder

In the same skillet where we sauteed the vegetables, roast the whole pork shoulder, making sure that the entire surface of the meat will be gold brown. Now, raise the heat to high and add the wine immediately, cooking for a few minutes until the alcoholic part of the wine has evaporated.

Slow-cooker

Place the meat, the wine and the sauteed vegetables into a slow cooker. Add the spices and the rosemary, cover it and let it cook on low for 8-10 hours until the meat is extremely tender. During this operation never raise the lid, to not disperse the vapors.

Brown sauce and pulled pork

When the meat is well cooked and extremely tender, remove the pork shoulder from the crock pot and pull the meat with the help of two forks. When finished, keep the meat warm in the crock pot covered with the lid without returning it on the flame. Now, move the sauce and the vegetables and the spices into a mixer, mix it all and heat in a pot on low flame without lid. When the sauce is well thickened, add it on the meat, stirring until everything is well blended. If you want to prepare the pulled pork for the next day, stop here.

Polenta

While the sauce is  heating, prepare the Polenta as the side of the pulled pork. Pour the flour coveted rain in boiling water  with 2 tbsp of cooking salt. If the  Polenta flour is not pre-cooked, cook for about 40 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent lumps from forming, otherwise follow the instructions on the box. Pay (a big!) attention to possible vapor bubbles that bursting could burn yourself; to avoid disappointment, set the intensity of the flame and use a spatula or a wooden spoon with an handle very long! When the Polenta is ready, add the white pepper and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, blend and serve.

On your table!

Once the Polenta is ready, pour it on a large serving platter or in small single serving casseroles. Pour the hot pulled pork over polenta and serve immediately.

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TRADITIONAL ROMAN OXTAIL “ALLA VACCINARA” 

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