PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — In today’s the Dish, we’re making an easy meal perfect for fall entertaining that you can put on the table and enjoy right along with your company.
Barbuzzo’s pork ragu is a hearty, red gravy. We’re serving it with pasta, kale and and burrata on top for extra luxury and pizzazz.
Chef and owner Marcie Turney says the ragu is a labor of love, but the kind you can set up, let cook down for a few hours and then serve.
“Have some friends over, make a nice, big salad and here come your Sunday gravy,” she says. “It’s already done. You’re not cooking in the kitchen. You’re enjoying the time with your friends. Some wine, some bread.”
Barbuzzo is in the heart of Center City on 13th Street between Chestnut Street and Sansom Street.
“You know, 23 years on this block, we’ve done 15 businesses,” she says.
It started in 2002, when Turney and her partner in life and business, Valerie Safran, opened their retail shop Open House just across the street from Barbuzzo, on what was at the time a run-down 13th Street.
From there, they just kept going.
“We would just take the money we were making, because we were working our tails off, and we would put it into the next one, and we put it in the next one,” Turney says.
They added Bud & Marilyn’s, Little Nonna’s, Darling Jack’s Tavern and others to the collection. One by one, Turney and Safran have populated this little pocket of Center City.
“And then, a couple of years into it, we’re like, ‘Alright. This is exciting.’ Then it becomes kind of addictive,” she says.
Turney and Safran also became mothers, adding two daughters to the mix. They were also just featured in Out magazine’s 2025 Out100 list of innovators.
“I mean, it’s such an honor,” Turney says.
Their next venture takes them to East Passyunk, for a store called Red Gravy Goods.
“It’s a little retail store and it’s everything Philly,” she says. “It’s apparel, custom designed Phillies and Eagles stuff. It’s a nod to that neighborhood, Italian American, with little trinkets and things you would find in a little home store or a gift shop.”
It’s set to open soon!
Back to their pork ragu – it’s a large batch recipe meant for a crowd. They say they like to make it in a large pot and freeze the leftover gravy in quart containers.
“It’s a labor of love, but what I did – I did this last night. I got home, and it’s super easy to do at home, because you can start it on your stovetop,” says Turney.
If you’re looking to make it for a smaller group, you can divide the recipe in half.
Turney says the process takes about three to four hours and you’ll know when it’s ready.
“Every two hours, check on it,” she says. “You do it until you take a piece of that pork, two forks and it pulls apart tender.”
To complete the meal, Turney is adding some kale to the mix. Just sauté it quickly in a pan, then add your ragu and some cooked pasta. Toss in a little basil and mix.
Once the meal hits the bowl, top with some grated cheese and some fresh burrata on top!
To really add some extra delicious flavor, add some cracked black pepper and sea salt and more extra virgin olive oil on top of the burrata to season that as well and finish with some toasted bread crumbs.
Pasta with pork ragu, Tuscan kale and burrata from Barbuzzo
Pork Ragu recipe
Recipe makes 7 quarts
Ingredients:
– 4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
– 1 white onion, diced small
– 6 garlic cloves, minced
– 1 tbsp. pepperoncini
– 1 tbsp. kosher salt
– 1 tsp. fresh cracked black pepper
– 1 cup white wine
– 102 oz. (about 4 large cans) whole peeled tomatoes and the juice – crush the tomatoes with your hands as you empty the can!
– 12 sprigs thyme tied in a cheesecloth
– 3 oz. piece of pancetta or 4 pieces of bacon tied in a cheesecloth
– 3 lbs. pork shoulder, cut into 3 inch cubes
Directions:
1. Preheat an oven to 325 degrees
2. Heat a large 8-10 quart dutch oven over medium high heat
3. Add the extra virgin olive oil and diced white onion to the pot and stir with a wooden spoon
4. As soon as the onion begins to slightly caramelize, add the minced garlic, pepperoncini, salt and pepper and stir with the wooden spoon for 1 minute longer
5. Deglaze with the white wine and let reduce for 1 minute
6. Add the hand crushed tomatoes and their juice to the pot
7. Add the fresh thyme and the pancetta or bacon to the cheesecloth, tie with butchers twine and submerge into the pot
8. Add the cubed pork shoulder and submerge into the tomatoes
9. Place the dutch oven on a sheet tray and place in the middle rack of your oven. The sheet tray will protect your oven from any red gravy bubbling over
10. Set a timer for 90 minutes and check on the red gravy to see if the pork can begin to be easily pulled apart. Most likely it will need another 60-90 minutes
11. Once the pork is easily pull apart tender, remove from the oven
12. Taste the red gravy, and add more sand and pepper as needed (you don’t want to overseason in the beginning and risk the ragu reducing while being overly seasoned)
13. Let the red gravy come to room temperature and remove the cheesecloth of thyme and pancetta/bacon and discard
14. Remove the cubes of pork and shred with two forks, then remove any fat and discard
15. Add the shredded pork back into the sauce
Note: Pack leftovers in quart containers and freeze if not using in the next 2 days.
Paccheri (pasta) with pork ragu, Tuscan kale and burrata
Recipe makes 4 portions
Ingredients:
– 1 lb. dried paccheri pasta or any pasta of your choice
– 7 quarts water
– 3 tbsp. kosher salt
– 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
– 1 tbsp. garlic, sliced paper thin
– 1 cup Tuscan kale torn into 2″ pieces
– 1/2 cup reserved pasta water
– 2 cups pork ragu
– 6 leaves fresh basil
– 4 each of 2 ounce pieces burrata
– 4 tbsp. olive oil bread crumbs
– Parmigiano Reggiano to grate on top
– kosher salt + fresh cracked black pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Bring the 7 quarts of water and 3 tablespoons salt to a boil in a pot
2. Add the dried pasta and follow package directions to cook al dente, reserving 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of pasta water
3. In a sauté pan over medium heat, add the extra virgin olive oil, sliced garlic and the kale and stir quickly.
4. When the garlic becomes brown on the edges, add the pork ragu sauce and the pasta water and swirl to combine
5. When the pasta is al dente, use a perforated scoop to remove pasta and place directly into the sauce. Season with salt and cracked black pepper, add the torn basil and toss well
6. Divide among 4 bowls and garnish each with olive oil bread crumbs, and grated Parmigiano Reggiano on top
7. Add 1 ball of burrata to the top of each dish and drizzle with evoo, salt and cracked black pepper
Mangia!
Copyright © 2025 WPVI-TV. All Rights Reserved.
Dining and Cooking