Timpano Ragu
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and quartered
1 stalk celery, washed and roughly chopped
1 medium carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled
2 oz. pancetta
4 tablespoons flat-leaf Italian parsley
2 tablespoons Olive oil
1 pound "Country-style" pork spare ribs
3 cups dry red wine
1 4 Oz. Can tomato paste
1 28 Oz. Can Italian plum tomatoes
4 Sweet Italian sausages
Put the onion, celery, carrot, garlic, pancetta and parsley in a food processor and pulse about ten times for one second each pulse. Heat a large pot over medium heat, add the olive oil, then the chopped vegetables. Lower the heat and saute the mixture-- known as a batutto--for ten or fifteen minutes or until they soften and brown very lightly.
Add the pork ribs, cover the pot and cook over low heat for one hour. At the end of the hour, uncover the pot, raise the heat to high and add the wine. Allow the wine to boil for a minute or two in order to burn off the alcohol. Lower the heat and allow the mixture to simmer gently for about an hour, or until the wine has reduced to about 1 cup. Remove the ribs and reserve them for another purpose, like spuntature e fagioli, pork ribs and beans.
Whisk in the tomato paste, then add the plum tomatoes. Stir,
breaking up the tomatoes, to combine with the wine reduction and tomato paste. Add the sausages, cover the pot and cook over low heat for one more hour. At the end of the hour, remove the sausages, cool, cut them in fourths and reserve.
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