Udon Pork Ragu

I got this recipe from a Williams Sonoma catalog (you can find the original here: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/udon-pork-ragu.html). We made it yesterday and liked it enough that we'll do it again. I used ground pork that we bought from a local farm. The recipe calls for fresh udon noodles but our local grocery store didn't have any udon (fresh or dried), so I decided to make my own noodles following a recipe like this one (no pasta-making tools required). After all that, though, I think we'll just use spaghetti next time.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground pork
• 2 yellow onions, diced
• 2 tsp. roasted garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. smoked coarse ground pepper
• 5 lb. heirloom tomatoes, cored, seeded and cut into 1-inch dice
• Kosher salt, to taste
• 36 oz. fresh udon noodles
• 2 Tbs. finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 Tbs. julienned fresh basil
• Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for serving

Directions

Preheat a wok over high heat. Add the pork and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-high, add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic powder and smoked pepper and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and season with salt. Increase the heat to high and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook until the tomatoes begin to break down, about 8 minutes.

Uncover the wok and continue cooking, stirring the sauce occasionally, until it thickens, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the noodles and cook, stirring occasionally to untangle them, until they are warmed through, 2 to 3 minutes.

Transfer the noodles and sauce to warmed pasta bowls and garnish with the parsley and basil. Serve immediately and pass cheese at the table. Serves 6 to 8.