With its tender pork braised in a red wine and tomato sauce seasoned with a hint of cinnamon and chocolate, Pappardelle with Sicilian Pork Ragu, aka Sciabbo or Sicilian Christmas pasta, may just be one of the coziest meals you’ll ever make.
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Sciabbó – not just for Christmas
The first time I ever made sciabbó, or Sicilian pork ragu, I was amazed! The combination of flavors from the cinnamon, cocoa, and shredded pork was out of this world good and truly one of the best ragus I’ve ever tasted. So good, in fact, that I would never limit this dish to one holiday, though it is known as Sicilian Christmas pasta.
No, this dish deserves to be enjoyed all year round, but is especially good when the weather cools down.
I love to serve this pasta with roasted broccoli, or broccolini, followed by a green salad.
Recipe Ingredients
All ingredients for this recipe are shown in the pic below and special notes are made in this bulleted list to assist you.
- Pork. I am using a boneless pork shoulder. This cut of meat takes a few hours to braise, yielding tender pork that shreds easily. If you’d like to make a quicker version of sciabbó, you can definitely use ground pork. If using ground pork, you can reduce the amount of wine to 1/2 cup and simmer on the stovetop for 30-45 minutes.
- Wine. Use a dry red wine, such as Cabernet, Chianti, or Merlot.
- Cinnamon. This warming spice is used to bring great flavor to this pasta, making it especially good for the holidays.
- Cocoa. I am a big fan of using cocoa powder and chocolate in savory dishes, like chili, and it’s also an ingredient in a similar Tuscan-style wild boar ragu. The richness of the cocoa perfectly complements the tender shreds of pork.
- Pasta. Pappardelle or tagliatelle are great with hearty ragus, but you can also use rigatoni or penne if desired.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
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How to make it
Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.
- Pat the pork dry, season well with salt and pepper, and sear in olive oil until brown on both sides in a large Dutch oven, then transfer to a plate and cover with tented foil.
- To the same pot, add the onion and a pinch of salt and saute until soft, then add the tomato paste and cook for 5 minutes. If the paste burns, lower the heat and add a splash of water.
- Add the wine and turn the heat to high and allow the wine to reduce by half, then add the tomatoes and bring the pot to a boil.
- Turn off the heat and add the pork back to the pot.
- Cover the pot and place in a 300°F oven to braise for 2 hours, then check for tenderness. If the pork isn’t tender yet, return to the oven for another 30 minutes or continue to braise until tender.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Remove the pork ragu from the oven and degrease the sauce if an excess amount of fat has risen to the top.
- Use a meat masher or wooden spoon to break the pork into small pieces, then add the cinnamon and cocoa powder. Taste test and season with salt and pepper if needed.
- Cook the pappardelle until 1 minute away from al dente, then place 4 cups of the pork ragu in a large pan and heat the pan to medium. Add the pasta to the pan and mix well to coat. If the pasta is dry, add a touch more ragu and pasta water. Once the pasta reaches al dente, turn off the heat and serve the pasta with extra ragu on the side and grated cheese. Enjoy!
Top tips
- Make ahead. Similar to my short rib ragu, Sicilian pork ragu is better when it’s made ahead. The extra time in the fridge not only allows the flavors to intensify, but it also allows for easier degreasing of the sauce.
- Use a Dutch oven. I strongly recommend using a large heavy Dutch oven or braiser with a tight-fitting lid. This is the optimal tool to use when making any braised meat dish and it transfers nicely from the stovetop to the oven.
- Serving. You can serve with grated cheese such as Pecorino Romano, but it’s quite good on its own. It’s also great with good quality grated dark (70% or higher) chocolate.
More hearty pasta recipes
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Sicilian Pork Ragu (Sciabbó)
Ingredients
- 1 pound pappardelle
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 pounds boneless pork shoulder trimmed of exterior skin and cut into large chunks
- 1 medium onion diced
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 1/2 cups dry red wine chianti, cabernet, etc
- 1 28-ounce can plum tomatoes hand crushed or blender pulsed
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- sugar optional, to taste
- 2 cups reserved pasta water will most likely not need all of it
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300°F and move racks to make enough room to accommodate a large Dutch oven pot in the middle of the oven.
- Heat a heavy pot or Dutch oven to medium heat with the olive oil. Pat the pork dry and season well with salt and pepper on all sides. Sear the pork until brown on all sides, then remove the pork to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm.
- Add the onion to the pot along with a pinch of salt and saute until soft. Add the tomato paste and cook for 5 minutes. Turn down the heat or add a splash of water if the paste starts to burn. Add the wine and turn the heat to high. Reduce by half then add the tomatoes to the pot and bring the sauce to a boil.
- Turn off the heat and add the pork back to the pot. Cover the pot and place in the oven for 2 hours. After 2 hours, check for tenderness. If the pork is near tender, return the pot back to the oven for another 30 minutes.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.
- Remove the ragu from the oven. Degrease the sauce if an excess amount of fat has risen to the top. Using a meat masher or wooden spoon, break the pork into smaller pieces. Mix in the cinnamon and cocoa powder. Taste test and season with more salt and pepper as required. Add a bit of sugar, if needed, to balance out the flavor.
- Cook the pasta to 1 minute less than al dente.
- Place 4 cups of the ragu into a large pan and turn the heat to medium. Add the pasta to the pan and mix well to coat. If the ragu is too dry, add more of the ragu and a bit of pasta water to loosen it up. Once the pasta reaches al dente, remove the pan from the heat. Serve with extra ragu on the side and with grated pecorino or parmesan. Enjoy!
Notes
- Servings. Makes 6 moderate or 4 large servings.
- Pork. For a quicker version, use ground pork and reduce the wine amount to only a 1/2 cup. The ragu only needs to be simmered on the stovetop for 30-45 minutes.
- Cocoa powder and cinnamon. Both of these ingredients can be overpowering so it’s best to start with the stated amounts and add more to your personal taste.
- Sugar. Sugar might be needed to balance out the rich flavor. Use a touch at a time until you are satisfied or omit completey.
- Make ahead. Making the pork ragu 24 hours in advance and refrigerating overnight will yield even better flavor. If doing so, you can remove some of the fat that will rise to the top with a spoon after being chilled.
- Leftovers. Sicilian pork ragu can be saved for up to 3 days and can be reheated in the microwave. The leftover ragu can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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