Pork and Brisket Pasta

We had lots of left over Pulled Pork and Brisket from July 4^th and Cathy found this recipe for Macaroni with Hidden Asset Meal Sauce On Top ofSpaghetti by Killeen and Germon. The recipe uses left over meats. It was a perfect use of the leftovers.

Serves 12 to 16 as a main course or 8 to 12 as a main course

Italian women    and some men, too    are legendary for seeing the hidden assets in leftovers. They are kitchen wizards who can transform the surplus of yesterday into an exquisite sauces, crostini topping, antipasto, risotto, or filling for pasta. Nothing edible is ever thrown away: Something appetizing can always be made from a leftover roast, a piece of chicken, or some vegetables.

After a few days of entertaining guests at home, our refrigerator is filled with odds and ends of braises and roasts    mementos of delicious meals we have shared    presenting an opportunity to be as creative as our Italian friends.

This recipe makes a large quantity, hut it can be halved or quartered according to the cache of goodies you have. If you have a small amount of meat, chop it by hand. We use a food processor for larger quantities by pulsing on and off until the meat is in little pieces. This should be done in small hatches so the morsels are not reduced to a paste, food processors do their work so quickly it is easy to blink an eye and end up with mush.

We use one of several treasured terra-cotta casseroles (from George's previous life as a production potter) for ragu making, kept on moderate heal with a flame tamer, the ceramic pots are unparalleled for even heat distribution and slow cooking. An enamel-coated cast-iron casserole, Dutch oven, or a good, sturdy heavy-bottomed pot will do a Fine job, too.

Although spaghetti (thick or thin) and macaroni (rigatoni or penne) work equally well with this sauce, we suggest the sturdier macaroni if you are cooking more than a pound of pasta. It is easier to manage and is more forgoing. Large quantities of spaghetti can become too soft in the time it takes to sauce and serve them to a crowd.

2         tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2/3      cup chopped onions

¼        cup chopped celery

½        teaspoon sea salt

3         cups chopped cooked meat
¼        cup dry red wine

¾        cup braising liquid from the meat or homemade chicken

1         cup tomato juice, preferably organic

4         cups chopped canned tomatoes and their juice

2         pounds dried rigatoni, penne, or fusilli

8         tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-sized chunks

Freshly grated nutmeg

Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

1.   Put the olive oil, onions, celery, and salt in a large pot. Cook over low to moderate heat until the vegetables are translucent and soft without I browning, about 20 minutes.

2.   Add the meat and continue to cook, stirring often, until steaming hot, 5 to 10 minutes.

3.   Add the wine, bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 40 to 50 minutes, stirring every so often, until most of the alcohol evaporates and the taste of the wine mellows.

4.   Add the braising liquid or chicken stock and tomato juice, bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 15 minutes.

5.   Add the chopped tomatoes and juice, bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 minutes.

6.   To serve, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Generously salt the water and drop in the pasta. Cook, stirring often, until al dente. Drain the pasta and transfer to a heated serving bowl or individual heated bowls. Ladle on some of the sauce, dot with butter, grate some nutmeg on top, and serve right away with Parmigiano-Reggiano and more sauce passed at the table.