You’ll find more than house-made biscuits, pastries and desserts at The Bakeshop in Boyd, a Saturday-only pop-up. Owner/chef Kraig Thome and wife Letty regularly sell out their limited menu of casseroles, soups and popular family-size meals. Preordering is encouraged and ensures you won’t be disappointed if someone has dibs on 60 pot pies or that last pan of focaccia is sold just before you walk in. Comfort-food favorites include Kraig’s Sunday Gravy. This Italian-American pasta sauce is home cooking at its best: rich, hearty and simmered until chunks of pork butt are meltingly tender. Serve over your favorite pasta—we like rigatoni—with extra cheese on the side.
Makes 4 quarts
Pork butt (5 pounds), cut into 2-inch chunks
Salt, pepper, granulated garlic
¼ cup olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
¼ cup minced garlic
1 bay leaf
3 cans (28 ounces each) minus
½ cup (10 cups total) ground
Italian tomatoes (see Note)
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups grated Romano cheese
½ cup chopped fresh basil
Salt and pepper to taste
Sugar, optional
Note For ground tomatoes, you can substitute crushed tomatoes or whirl whole peeled tomatoes in a blender until you get the right consistency (a little chunkier than a puree).
Preheat oven to 425°F. Spread pork evenly on a roasting pan; sprinkle with salt, pepper and granulated garlic. Roast until meat is slightly browned, about 20-25 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large stockpot over medium heat, place olive oil and sweat the onions and celery for 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 2 more minutes.
Add roasted pork, including juice, to the stockpot. Stir well. Add bay leaves, tomatoes and chicken stock. Simmer for as long as necessary for the pork to become fall-apart tender. Remove from heat. Stir in Romano cheese and basil. Season to taste with salt and pepper; if desired, add a bit of sugar to balance the flavor.
Find The Bakeshop at 8-11 a.m. Saturday only. Preorder menu typically goes online (social media and website) the Saturday before. 118 W. Rock Island Ave., Boyd, bakeshopboyd.com, IG @thebakeshopboyd
