Peanut-Pork Ragu -

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Peanut-Pork Ragu

Prep Time15

Cook Time45

Total Time50

Course: Side, Snack

Cuisine: American, Asian

Keyword: stephanie izard

Servings:

Calories: 443kcal

Ingredients

1 pound (16 ounces) ground pork
1-2 cloves garlic minced (1 ½ tablespoons)
1 medium shallot minced (1 tablespoon) or ⅓ red onion, minced
1 ⅓ cup chicken stock
1 ½ cups (225 grams) halved cherry tomatoes about 1 pint
¼ cup roasted peanuts* chopped
2-3 tablespoons tamarind paste or ¼ cup tamarind pulp
2 tablespoons white miso
1 ½ tablespoons harissa paste**, homemade or store-bought or 2 teaspoons harissa spice powder** plus 2 teaspoons peanut oil
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 ½ tablespoons sugar granulated or brown
1 ½ tablespoons fresh lime juice from about 3 limes
kosher salt

Instructions

Heat a dry medium saucepan over medium-high heat, then add the ground pork and stir occasionally, breaking into bite-size pieces, until the pork has browned (about 6-8 minutes).
Do not drain the oil (even though it looks like a lot)! Add the garlic and shallot, then stir occasionally until softened, about 2-3 minutes.
Stir in the chicken stock, cherry tomatoes, peanuts, tamarind, miso, harissa, tomato paste, and sugar. Stir in the lime juice and season to taste with the kosher salt (you shouldn't need much - maybe ½ - 1 teaspoon).
Turn the heat down to low, then simmer, uncovered, until the ragu thickens considerably, about 30-40 minutes. Check the seasoning and adjust if necessary (with more lime juice, sugar, salt, or spice (in the form of harissa paste or chili flakes)). Serve immediately, over pasta, rice, roasted vegetables, zucchini noodles, freshly cooked corn, hearty baby greens (like kale and arugula) or with bread alongside for scooping the sauce up.

Notes

*preferably unsalted. If you use salted peanuts, skip adding some/all of kosher salt later (taste first, and decide based on your salt preferences).

**harissa paste and/or spice powder can be found in most grocery stores now. I use the harissa spice powder from the Savory Spice Shop, but you should be able to find something at most large supermarkets and definitely at natural foods stores.

Nutrition