Tagliatelle with Braised Pork, Fennel, and Leeks
This recipe from San Francisco’s Flour and Water is easy to execute and delivers big flavors.
Servings Prep Time
4people 30minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
2 hours 2hours
Servings Prep Time
4people 30minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
2 hours 2hours
Ingredients
Fennel-Anise Salt
  • 1tablespoon finely ground fennel seeds
  • 1teaspoon finely ground star anise
  • 3tablespoons kosher salt
Braised Pork Shoulder
  • 2lbs pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 2tablespoons fennel-anise salt
  • 1tablespoon fennel seeds, toasted
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1lb leeks, cut into 1/2 inch dice
  • 1 fennel bulb, cut into 1/2 inch dice
  • 7cloves garlic, minced
  • 1cup white wine
  • 4cups chicken stock
To Finish the Dish
  • 3/4lb chard or spinach, chopped
  • 10 oz fresh tagliatelle (or other pasta)
  • 1/2cup unsalted butter
  • 2tablespoons creme fraiche
  • juice of 1/2 lemon
  • freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for finishing
  • cheese cloth and kitchen stringfor fennel seed sachet
Instructions
for the Fennel-Anise Salt
  1. grind the fennel seeds and star anise in a spice grinder. In a small bowl combine it with the salt.
for the Pork Shoulder
  1. If possible, season the pork shoulder the night before with the fennel anise salt (note: I didn’t do this and it was still delicious). Preheat the oven to 325. Toast the fennel seeds in a small pan for about 1 minute until they are fragrant. Wrap them in cheese cloth with the bay leaves and tie together with kitchen string to make a sachet. Heat a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and heat until just smoking. Sear the pork in batches until golden brown all over. Remove the pork to a plate. Decrease the heat to medium and add the leeks and fennel and cook until soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the white wine and reduce until the pan is almost dry. Add the chicken stock and the sachet and return the pork to the pan. Bring to a boil then lower to a simmer, cover, and place in the oven for about 2 hours. The pork should be fork tender when you are finished. Discard the sachet.
To finish the dish
  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add enough salt so that it is almost as salty as the ocean. Remove about half of the pork-fennel sauce to a separate container to be stored or frozen for later use. Drop the pasta in the boiling water and stir well with tongs. Meanwhile, bring the pork-fennel sauce to a simmer and add the chard. When the pasta is ready, transfer it with tongs to the sauce. Add the butter and creme fraiche and mix aggressively. If the sauce seems too thick add a few ladles of pasta water. Finish by mixing in a squeeze of lemon juice. Transfer the pasta to plates or bowls and finish with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
Recipe Notes

I ended up with way more sauce than I needed so I took out about half of it before I added the pasta. It will freeze well.