Fantastic food! I always buy pork shanks to get all the flavour from the bone. The pork shank is a very economical piece of meat and slow cooking with sweet wine takes it to another level. It literally falls off the bone. I mix it with noodles and my hungry teenagers don’t leave a bite… and neither do I, of course.
Braised pork shanks with “hylopittes” (Greek egg-pasta)
Fantastic food! I always buy pork shanks to get all the flavour from the bone. The pork shank is a very economical piece of meat and slow cooking with sweet wine takes it to another level. It literally falls off the bone. I mix it with noodles and my hungry teenagers don't leave a bite… and neither do I, of course.
Ingredients
- 2 kg pork shanks, (4 shanks divided in half)
- ½ cup of all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 Tbsp butter, unsalted
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 carrot, diced
- 1 sprig of celery, diced
- 500 grams Portobello mushrooms, sliced
- 1 cup “Mavrodafne”, sweet wine or port
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 sprig of rosemary
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- Salt as needed
- 500 grams egg pasta or pappardelle to serve
- Grated halloumi or parmesan to serve
Instructions
- Season the meat with salt and pepper on all sides. Sprinkle with flour and shake lightly to remove excess.
- In a large pot, add the olive oil and butter over high heat. Transfer the shanks to the pot (do this in 2 batches if your pot is small) and cook until golden on all sides. Remove from pot and set aside until needed.
- Add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic to the pot. Season lightly with salt and sauté until they soften and the onion starts to brown a little. Add the mushrooms and sauté for 1 minute. Season with black pepper.
- Return the shanks back to the pot. Pour over the “Mavrodafni” or port and the balsamic vinegar. Mix the tomato paste with the broth and pour it into the pot. Add the rosemary and bay leaves. Add a little water if necessary so that the meat is almost covered with liquid. Cover the pot and simmer for 2-2 1/2 hours until the meat is very tender and falling off the bone.
- Remove the meat from the pot with a slotted spoon into a bowl. Allow the sauce to simmer over high heat for 5 minutes to make it a little thicker, being careful not to burn at the bottom
- Boil the egg-pasta in boiling water for 1 minute (see note). Drain them well and mix them with the sauce from the pot (reserve a little sauce to pour over the meat when serving). Pull half of the meat off the bones and mix with the pasta.
- Serve the noodles on a large platter with the rest of the pork shanks, topped with the reserved sauce. Serve with some grated halloumi if you like.
Notes
Note: “Hylopittes” is a Greek kind of pasta made with semolina, eggs and milk. They come in different shapes, thick like pappardelle or cut in small squares. The smaller shape doesn’t need pre-boiling. Just add it directly to the sauce and mix until they are just cooked.
You can also use pappardelle or any other commercial pasta. In this case, boil pasta in plenty of salted water, 2 minutes less than the time indicated on the package. Drain and add to the sauce. Mix and het through until pasta is cooked al dente.
