Ciccia e Patate al Forno alla Calabrese (Calabrian Baked Pork and Potatoes)

La storia di questo piatto

This is Calabria served in a single earthenware dish: humble pork shoulder and golden potatoes, set alight by the red, spreadable heat of 'nduja and the sun-dried sweetness of peppers. It is a home cook's dish, born of what the table of the South has always known how to do with little.

Ingredienti

• 800 g Pork shoulder, cut into pieces
• 600 g Yellow potatoes, cut into chunks
• 90 g Calabrian 'nduja
• 4 pieces Dried crusco peppers
• 1 medium White onion
• 3 cloves Garlic
• 5 tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil
• 300 ml Lukewarm meat broth
• 1 teaspoon Sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pinch Calabrian chili pepper
• 2 sprigs Fresh rosemary

Preparazione

1. Prepare the ingredients: cut the pork shoulder into pieces of about 4 cm and pat them thoroughly dry with kitchen paper. Peel the potatoes and cut them into 5-6 cm chunks, roughly chop the onion, lightly crush the garlic and crumble the 'nduja. Set aside the crusco peppers whole and dry: they must not be soaked, since their character lies in their crispness. Their aroma is sweet and toasted, like sun-dried pepper.
2. Heat 5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in the terracotta dish (or a wide oven-safe casserole) over medium-low heat, until the oil becomes glossy and fluid, without smoking. Add the onion and the crushed garlic and sweat for 6-8 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the onion is translucent and soft. Remove the garlic cloves as soon as they turn golden, before they darken and become bitter, and set them aside.
3. Raise the heat to medium-high, add the pork shoulder pieces and the rosemary sprigs, and distribute the meat evenly. Brown for 8-10 minutes without stirring too much, until a golden crust forms on all sides (the meat should release easily from the bottom). This step builds a deep flavor base.
4. Lower the heat slightly and add the crumbled 'nduja directly over the meat: its red fat will begin to melt, coloring and flavoring the bottom of the dish (the sauce will turn an intense red with a spicy aroma). Stir gently for 2 minutes, until the 'nduja blends in without disintegrating. Return the reserved garlic to the dish.
5. Pour in about 300 ml of lukewarm meat broth, just enough to cover the meat halfway (adjust the amount to the size of the dish: the liquid should not submerge it). Add the potatoes, sea salt, black pepper and the pinch of Calabrian chili. Stir carefully and bring to a gentle simmer: the liquid will bubble and the potatoes will rise to the surface as the spiced vapors rise.
6. Cover the dish with the lid or with aluminum foil and transfer to a preheated oven at 160°C: bake for 1 hour and 45 minutes, checking every 30 minutes and adding a ladle of hot broth if the bottom dries out. Cooking is complete when the meat is extremely tender (it falls apart with a spoon), the potatoes are soft but still whole, and the sauce is thick and glossy, a reddish-brown color.
7. While the dish rests, prepare the crusco peppers: heat a thin film of oil in a small saucepan and fry them whole for 10-15 seconds, until they puff up and become crisp, then drain on paper towels (alternatively, use them raw). Crumble them coarsely by hand.
8. Remove the dish from the oven (use gloves, the terracotta is very hot), take out the rosemary and let it rest for 5 minutes uncovered, so the vapors disperse and the flavors settle. Taste and adjust salt and chili if needed. Sprinkle with the crumbled crusco peppers just before serving, so they stay crisp, and bring the dish to the table directly in its baking dish.