Mushroom Pork Ragout

I've been watching Dad more carefully than usual and trying not to let it show that I'm watching. There's a tremor in his right hand — subtle, intermittent, mostly visible when he's reaching for something or holding something still. I've been telling myself it could be anything. Fatigue, cold, a nerve issue in the shoulder he injured two winters ago. I've been telling myself this for two months and I'm running out of reasons to keep telling myself that.

Mom knows I've noticed. We haven't talked about it directly — there's a conversation happening in the gaps between the ones we're having. On Wednesday she said she'd made a doctor's appointment for him in March and I said good and she said he didn't know yet and I said I'd keep my mouth shut. That was enough said between us. We've always communicated that way. She manages the interior of the house and its people and I follow her lead on that management.

The farrier work and the therapeutic certification have given me an odd comfort this week. There's a kind of knowledge that comes from understanding bodies — horse bodies, but bodies — that isn't the same as medicine but isn't entirely separate from it either. I understand how structure deteriorates, how compensations develop, how an animal holds an injury even when it's not visible. I understand that bodies have their own intelligence and that intelligence doesn't always go where we want it.

Made beef short ribs Saturday — braised in the oven for four hours with tomatoes and carrots and a long list of aromatics. The kind of braise that transforms a tough cut into something that falls apart when you look at it. I've been making this in January for years because winter feels like the right season for the slowest cooking. The ribs came off the bone with a spoon. We ate in silence and that was the right way to eat them.

The short ribs that Saturday were less about dinner and more about having something to tend to — something that required hours and patience and rewarded both without asking anything complicated in return. This mushroom pork ragout follows the same logic: low heat, long time, a tough cut transformed. When I’m watching and waiting and not sure what I’m going to find out, I need the kitchen to give me a task that takes all afternoon and doesn’t rush. This is that recipe.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 1 hour 45 minutes | Total Time: 2 hours 5 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

2 lbs pork shoulder, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
12 oz cremini mushrooms, thickly sliced
1 medium yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium carrots, sliced into coins
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, drained
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 sprig fresh rosemary
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped, for serving

Instructions

Sear the pork. Pat the pork chunks dry and season all over with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Working in two batches to avoid crowding, sear the pork on all sides until deeply browned, about 3–4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Build the base. Reduce heat to medium. Add the butter to the pot. Add onion and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add tomato paste and stir to coat, cooking for 2 minutes until it darkens slightly.
Deglaze and add liquids. Pour in the white wine and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Let the wine reduce by half, about 3 minutes. Add the chicken broth, diced tomatoes, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves. Stir to combine.
Add mushrooms and return pork. Stir in the sliced mushrooms. Nestle the seared pork back into the pot along with any accumulated juices. The liquid should come roughly halfway up the pork; add a splash more broth if needed.
Braise low and slow. Bring the pot to a gentle simmer, then reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 1 hour 30 minutes, until the pork is very tender and beginning to break apart when pressed with a spoon. Check occasionally and adjust heat as needed to maintain a bare simmer.
Finish and serve. Remove the thyme sprigs, rosemary sprig, and bay leaves. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Spoon into shallow bowls over egg noodles, polenta, or mashed potatoes. Finish with chopped fresh parsley.

Nutrition (per serving)

Mushroom Pork Ragout — The Slow Cook That Holds Everything Together