This is the second version of a pasta dish I made from a pork ragu. I had bought a half pork shoulder, braised it in white wine and chicken stock with fennel, red onion, carrots, and celery, shredded the meat, and continued to braise for a total of about four hours. I only paid about $4 for the bone-in half shoulder, and it gave me eight or nine servings of ragu – enough for me to make two different versions from the base recipe.

I finished the first version with escarole and orange zest, to add bitter green and sweet citrus notes to the dish. This version, then, I finished with green olives and toasted almonds, a delicious combination used in parts of Italy where both of those are grown. Although I was happy with the escarole version, this one was my favorite, because the play of the nuttiness, crunch, and brininess of the almonds and olives against the rich, smooth ragu was so enjoyable.