Ragu Bianco: Food inspired by Messina 1347 Board Game

adapted by Zaida Marrero from ATK

Get ready to embark on a culinary journey to Messina, Sicily and take a step back in time to the year 1347. In this blog post, we invite you to indulge in a mouthwatering meal inspired by the board game Messina 1347 (by Vladimir Suchy and Fernandez Aparicio, RIO Grande Games). 

At a time where the New World was still “undiscovered”, crops like tomatoes and potatoes were hidden from the Italian Cuisine. We provide you a pasta dish meant for nobility and adapted by the gentry, the first ragu: Ragu Bianco. This pasta dish doesn’t use tomatoes and is made by braising a chunk of meat in aromatics found at the time, adding cheese and stirring pasta in the sauce. The resulting dish is an easy to make but luxurious pasta dish that you will want to make every time  you have guests over. Your guests will be impressed and more than ready to know more about the board game Messina 1347. 

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces pancetta or bacon, 
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• 1 fennel bulb chopped fine, stalks discarded, *or 2 celery stalks 
• 2 tablespoons fennel fronds chopped, *or celery leaves chopped fine
• 1 carrot chopped fine
• 4 medium garlic cloves,
• 1 teaspoons salt,
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme or ½ tsp of dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1⁄3 cup heavy cream
• 1 (1 1⁄2-pound) boneless pork butt roast, It’s important to remove extra fat or the dish will be very fatty, another meats can be used too
• 1 teaspoons grated lemon zest plus 1⁄4 cup juice (2 lemons)
• 12 ounces pappardelle  or fettuccine 
• 2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (1 cup), plus extra for serving 

Instructions:

1.  Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pancetta in Dutch  (or oven safe, deep pot) oven over medium  heat, stirring occasionally, until fond forms on bottom of pot. Add onion, fennel bulb (*or celery) and carrot  and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables soften and start to brown. Stir in minced garlic, salt, thyme, and pepper and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
2. Stir in cream and 2 cups water, scraping up any browned bits. Add pork and bring to boil over high heat. Cover, transfer to oven, and cook until pork is tender, about 11⁄2 hours.
3.  Transfer pork to large plate and let cool for 15 minutes. Stir in lemon zest and juice.
4. While pork cools, cook pasta to your taste. Using 2 forks, shred pork into bite-size pieces. Return pork and any juices to Dutch oven. Cover and keep warm.
5. When pasta is done, drain it  and add it to Dutch oven. Add Cheese  and a little bit of warm water if necessary, and stir until sauce is slightly thickened and cheese is fully melted.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle with fennel fronds (*or celery leaves). Serve immediately, passing extra cheese separately. 
6. Enjoy!

Game Night  Tips

• Listen to our podcast Messina 1347 Board Game Dinner Party to learn about our guest’s experience after playing the game
• Other recipes inspired by this game are: Keto Cassata Mini Cake, Orange Olive Salad, and Keto Foccacia.

Conclusion

It is very gratifying sharing drinks and  food with friends and family, and playing a game afterwards makes the experience even better. Give this recipe a try and share your experience and your inspirations too.