Sweet Pork Ragu

Image by Robbie Guevarra

Sweet Pork Ragu

One of the most fulfilling things that can happen as an adult is finding joy in dishes you avoided as a kid. For me, Filipino spaghetti was that dish. It’s a version of bolognese, with ground beef and hot dogs, and is known for being more sweet than savory, featuring ingredients like banana ketchup and quite a bit of sugar. As I grew up and dug deep within to find out why I didn’t like it, I couldn’t sort it out. It was sweet, it had ground beef, and there’s pasta—what’s not to love? So, I set out to make my own version.

First, I tackled the meat. Instead of beef and hot dogs, I wanted to try Longanisa, a sweet pork sausage that can be found in local Asian markets and almost always at any Filipino market. It’s like a Filipino answer to chorizo or linguiça, typically eaten for breakfast with garlic rice and a fried egg. But, it’s versatile enough to go from casual breakfast meat to a star ingredient in a sophisticated pasta dish. Next, I addressed the sweetness. I immediately went to tomato paste for a sweet roundness and deep tomato flavor, plus simple frozen peas, the sweetest little veggie, which is a departure from the original but provides great texture, color, and flavor.

Because of all these radical transformations, this dish took a slow evolution to its final form. But now it’s become a key part of my dinner rotation. Here are a few reasons why:

• It’s sweet AND savory, featuring ingredients like fish sauce, parm, and red pepper flakes to add balance.

• It’s a quick cooking dish, meaning you can make the sauce in the time it takes to boil water.

• The measurements are user-friendly, using up the complete package of longanisa, the whole tube of tomato pasta, and the entire box of pasta.

(Serves 4 people comfortably or 2 people generously)

Sauce (makes 32 oz) 
1 (12 oz) package longanisa sausage
¾ cup water, plus an extra ¼ cup
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
6 large garlic cloves, grated
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
1 (4.5 oz) tube of tomato paste
½ cup dry white wine 
1½ tbsp fish sauce 
½ cup frozen peas

Pasta 
1 lb paccheri (De Cecco Semolina Pasta, Paccheri No.125 or any tube-shaped pasta)
1 cup reserved pasta water
1 cup freshly grated parmesan, plus extra for garnish
1 tbsp unsalted butter
Finishing olive oil, for garnish

Start with the longanisa in a medium pot with ¾ cup water. Set over medium-high heat, allowing the sausage and water to come to temperature together—this gentle method results in a tender texture. Cook uncovered while flipping the sausage occasionally until the internal temperature reads 155° on a meat thermometer (about 5-7 minutes). Once cooked, transfer the sausage to a cutting board and cool until manageable. Remove the casing and finely chop the sausage until you have consistent pieces the size of peas. 

This preparation of the longanisa is a little involved, but yields a ragu that is uniform in appearance and smoother in texture. For a faster preparation, remove the sausage from the casing, saute in a medium pot with 1 tbsp oil, and break up using a wooden spoon until you have pieces of sausage similar in size. 

Also, different brands of longanisa contain more/less oil than others. I prefer Manila's Ihawan, but if you are using a different brand, consider the amount of oil and butter you use. If you can’t find longanisa, use ground pork seasoned with dark brown sugar, plenty of grated garlic, a bit of paprika, and salt and pepper. Now, back to the recipe. 

In the same medium pot, prepare the sauce. Wipe the pot to remove any residual water in the pot and add oil. Over medium heat, add the sausage and stir while browning, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, and lightly season with salt. Add the entire tube of tomato paste and stir to combine into a cohesive mixture—cook this for another 3-5 minutes or until the tomato paste has deepened in color and begins to stick to the bottom of the pan. Deglaze with the wine for 1 minute and then add the remaining ¼ cup of water and the fish sauce. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the sauce has reduced by half, about 2-3 minutes. Add the peas just before adding the pasta. 

By this step, you’ll have an incredible, delicious sauce that you can marry with pasta or serve on a piece of crusty bread with a poached egg. 

For the complete dish, boil a large pot of water and season generously with salt (about 1 cup). Add pasta to the boiling water and cook 3 minutes short of the suggested cook time. Remove 1 cup of water water, then transfer the pasta directly into the sauce pot using a large slotted spoon. Over medium heat, stir constantly (vigorously enough while avoiding breaking the pasta) and rotate between adding pasta water and parmesan in three batches. Stir until the sauce has emulsified and coats the pasta. Turn off your heat, add butter and stir. Spoon into bowls and top with parmesan to finish.