A penne for your thoughts? Sunday lunch gone by

“If you want my gravy, pepper my ragu.Spice it up for Mama....she’ll get hot for you.”                                        — Matron Mama Morton: Chicago, Kander and Ebb

If you’re trying to use up a whole mess of leftover pulled pork from something else, you’re in the right place! and if you've never thought of putting pulled pork and pasta together, prepare yourself for a hearty, heavenly plate of  left over perfection.Pulled pork ragu is one of those deliciously comforting, slow-cooked hearty meals that warms you up from the inside out. It makes all the dreary wearies go away,and brings back memories of sunday lunches gone by. The only drawback? It takes like forever to cook. At least 4 hours. But by using leftover pulled pork, you can pull together a fast and comforting meal in just about 45 minutes, making it perfectly doable when you need a bit of savoury comfort for a weeknight supper.Obviously if you have the time a longer slower cook will bring more tenderness.
Those with Nonnas will know the aroma well, recipes vary from family to family, but the tradition is the same.The choice of pasta is yours.There is no more perfect union in all gastronomy than the marriage of Bolognese ragù with home made tagliatelle and for me
ragù is irreproacable with such boxed,dry pastas as rigatoni,conghiglie or fusilli.Take heed,meat sauce in Bologna is never served over spaghetti.Spaghetti bolognese is entirely the invention of Britain and the countries that constitute the commonwealth.
To make this recipe you’ll need a casserole or other heavy bottomed pan. You’ll start by sautéing some onions in your fat of choice, and then adding in a little garlic. Add a few glugs of dry white wine for complexity, and then add the leftover pulled pork along with some crushed tomatoes, tomato purée herbs, and some soya sauce. Simmer, simmer, simmer…’bout 45 minutes should do it. 
Pulled pork ragù
tbsp olive oil
25g butter
1 onion chopped
I large carrot
1 stick celery
2 cloves garlic ,minced
125ml dry white wine
500g San marzano/Roma tomatoes,skinned,deseeded,chopped
2 tbsp tomato passata
2 cups cooked, shredded pulled pork,from shoulder tenderloin or ribs
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp torn basil
2 tbsp soya sauce
Put the oil,butter and chopped onion in the casserole,turn the heat to medium and sautée the onion until it becomes translucent.Add the garlic,carrot and celery and a large pinch of salt.Cook for about 2 minutes,stirring the vegetables to coat them well.Add the wine,let it simmer gently,stirring frequently,until it has evaporated,then add the tomatoes,passata,herbs and shredded pork.Stir thoroughly to coat all the ingredients well.When the mixture starts to bubble,turn the heat right down so the sauce cooks at the laziest of simmers,with just an intermittent bubble breaking through to the surface Cook uncovered for at least 45 minutes ,then check the consistency.If you have the time the longer you cook it down the more intensity of flavour. While the sauce is cooking,you are likely to find that it begins to dry out.To keep it from sticking,continue the cooking adding a little water when necessary.At the end you are looking for a thick consistency with no water at all left.stir through the soya sauce,taste and correct for salt.
to serve toss with the cooked pasta and serve with freshly grated parmesan on the side.