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Christening the Le Creuset with Pork Ragu

in Food

braised pork ragu

For last year’s birthday, I received a Le Creuset 5 1/2-quart French Oven. Except that it wasn’t an actual French oven, but an image of said oven printed on a small piece of paper and hand-delivered by my kids. I very much appreciated this gesture because we were knee deep in the kitchen renovation at the time, and D knew that I would need to weigh the pros and cons of every. single. color. available. to. me. (So many colors! Go Go Gadget Decision-Maker!)

With the renovation and the move, I honestly forgot about my present-to-be until a few weeks ago when we were traveling to Palm Springs for Easter. We noticed a Le Creuset outlet in Cabazon while driving home, so on the windiest day ever, we armed the kids with Auntie Anne’s pretzels (all little hands need to be preoccupied so they do NOT touch the merchandise), and dropped in for a bit. Well, that Caribbean blue shade was speaking my language, so we pulled the trigger.

Best part? The store was having a Easter holiday promotion, giving you the chance to choose a plastic egg from a bowl containing an additional discount. Since I don’t consider myself the luckiest, I had Wita choose for me, and man, did she deliver. An extra 30% off! I think we ended up paying $160.

She’s a beauty, right?

le creuset caribbean

I decided to christen her with the Braised Pork Ragu with Pappardelle recipe from Dinner: A Love Story.

Um, yeah, it was good. (Even Wito ate it. I’m still blinking my eyes in amazement.)

So, tell me, what else should I be making in this gorgeous piece of cookware?

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16 comments

  1. Rhi

    April 9, 2013 at 7:18 am

    Is the Le Creuset outlet not the best? We have gotten many bargains there. Bill made Tom Collichio’s short ribs in our French oven not too long ago and they were AMAZING.

    • whoorl

      April 9, 2013 at 7:27 am

      SHORT RIBS. YES.

      • Kay

        April 9, 2013 at 8:04 am

        I second short ribs… I don’t have a recipe though because my husband makes them.

  2. Mary

    April 9, 2013 at 7:43 am

    http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2007/10/arroz-con-pollo/

  3. Erica

    April 9, 2013 at 7:54 am

    Mine gets put to good use all summer making homemade baked beans. Amazing and far better than anything out of a can. I also use it all the time to make this (although it is more of a winter dish) – http://www.doorsixteen.com/2007/10/11/vegetarian-chili/

  4. Michelle

    April 9, 2013 at 8:06 am

    Crusty bread! Can you ever go wrong with crusty bread? http://www.simplysogood.com/2010/03/crusty-bread.html

    • Elizabeth

      April 9, 2013 at 8:07 pm

      Yes, this! Make the soup in it, put it aside, then make the bread in it. Then eat the soup with the bread. Or just the bread. I like bread, can you tell?

  5. court

    April 9, 2013 at 9:59 am

    That is one fine-looking pot! Loveee the color!

  6. Sadie

    April 9, 2013 at 11:13 am

    Love that color! You should make EVERYTHING in your new pot; I use mine constantly. It’s great for soups, of course, but I second the short ribs suggestion, and recommend this recipe which is one of my go-tos (I only use half the oranges called for):

    http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Braised-Orange-Ginger-Short-Ribs-with-Dried-Apricots-109167

  7. Rachel Rains

    April 9, 2013 at 11:27 am

    Le Creuset is always a great purchase! Their website has lots of great recipes, and the Pioneer Woman uses L C so she always has good ideas.

  8. Emily

    April 9, 2013 at 12:18 pm

    Beef stew and pork ribs are my favorite Dutch (French!) oven things. YUM.

  9. Kate @ Savour Fare

    April 9, 2013 at 1:52 pm

    Um, what SHOULDN’T you be making? I have four LC French ovens (and yes, they are breaking my kitchen shelves, why do you ask?) and I use them for everything. Bolognese, Beef Stew, Homemade Bread, Waterzooi, Chicken Cobbler Pot Pie … even caramel sauce, since the light bottom makes it really easy to judge the color.

  10. Abby - Bright Yellow World

    April 10, 2013 at 3:06 pm

    Do not pause, just order “All About Braising,” by Molly Stevens. It is, hands down, my favorite cookbook. In fact, I mentioned it in my post today – for probably the twelfth time in the history of my blog. It’s absolutely fantastic.

    http://www.amazon.com/All-About-Braising-Uncomplicated-Cooking/dp/0393052303/

    • whoorl

      April 10, 2013 at 3:15 pm

      Thanks, Abby!