Pasta e Ceci

A new recipe for me, and this one is a keeper.  I’ve had me eye on this for a while (it was published by Cook’s Illustrated in November 2015) and finally made it last night.  It is delicious, and will make a regular appearance on our table.  It is a hearty, flavorful dish, that is both inexpensive and quick to prepare. Real winter comfort food.  

I used tubetti pasta rather than the ditalini in the recipe, since I couldn’t find that shape here in Kentucky.  Cook's suggested orzo pasta as another substitute.  I think any small pasta shape will do. Cook's Illustrated seems to think this will take about 30 minutes to put together and with ingredients in your pantry.  It took me a bit longer than 30 minutes, and I had most, but not all, of the ingredients in my pantry.   

Changes to the original recipe:

I suggest you keep the juices drained from the tomatoes and use it to make up part of the two cups of water.  Why throw away that flavor?

Serves 4 generously

Ingredients:

• 2 ounces pancetta, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 small carrot, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 small celery rib, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 onion, halved and cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 (14 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, drained
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
• 1 anchovy fillet, rinsed and patted dry (I think a squirt of anchovy paste will work here too)
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 teaspoons minced rosemary
• 2 (15 ounce) cans of chickpeas (do not drain) I suggest Goya brand
• 2 cups water (add the tomato juice here if desired)
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 pound ditalini
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (I used the juice from 1/2 lemon)
• 1 tablespoon minced parsley
• 1 ounce (1/2 cup) grated Parmesan cheese
  

Directions:

1. Process pancetta in a food processor until ground to a paste, about 30 seconds, scraping down side of bowl as needed.
   
2. Add carrot, celery, and garlic and pulse until finely chopped, 8-10 pulses.
   
3. Add onion and pulse until onion is cut into 1/8 inch pieces, 8-10 pulses.
   
4. Transfer mixture to a Dutch oven.
5. Pulse tomatoes in now-empty food processor until coarsely chopped, 8-10 pulses, and set aside.
   
6. Add oil to pancetta mixture and cook over medium high heat, stirring frequently, until fond begins to form on the bottom of the pot, about 5 minutes.
   
7. Add anchovy, pepper flakes, and rosemary and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
   
8. Stir in reserved tomatoes, chickpeas, and their liquid, water and 1 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits.
   
9. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 10 minutes.
   
10. Add pasta and cook, stirring frequently, until tender, 10-12 minutes.
    
11. Stir in lemon juice and parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper.
    
    
    
    
12. Serve, passing Parmesan and extra oil separately.

Bucatini All'Amatriciana

Once I could find guanciale (cured pork jowl) this become a favorite.  This version is from Anne Burrell in her book Cook Like a Rock Star.  Red Hog Butcher has guanciale regularly, I used the spicy version in this batch.  

Ingredients:

• Extra virgin olive oil
• 8 ounces guanciale, cut into 1/4 inch dice
• 2 large onions- diced
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• Kosher salt
• 2 28-ounce cans San Marzano tomatoes, passed through a food mill or chopped in a food processor or blender
• 1 pound bucatini
• 1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano, plus extra for garnish
  

Directions:

1.  Coat a large saucepan with olive oil and add guanciale and cook over low to medium low heat until it is brown and crispy, about 10-15 minutes.  Remove to a paper towel line plate and set aside.

2.  Increase the heat to medium and add the onions and red pepper flakes, and season with salt.  Cook until the onions are soft and aromatic, 8 to 10 minutes.

3.  Add the tomatoes and two thirds of the guanciale and simmer for about one hour, tasting and adjusting the salt as necessary.

4.  Cook pasta according to package directions in well-salted water one minutes less than the instructions on the package suggest.  It should be almost al dente.
5.  Ladle about 2 cups of the sauce into a bowl and set aside.  

6.  Drain the pasta and add it to the pan of sauce.  Cook the pasta in the sauce, adding more sauce as needed, for another 1-2 minutes.  Off the heat, add the cheese and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

7.  Serve topped with the reserve one third of the guanciale and more cheese.

Kale Spaghetti

I did not like kale until I read Molly Wizenberg's article in the August 2009 Bon Appetit titled How I Learned to Love Kale, and made her Spaghetti with Braised Kale recipe.  Then I discovered I love kale. 

I made some minor changes to her recipe.  I cook the kale longer.  I add some red pepper flakes to give it a little heat and add a little chicken stock rather than water to help steam the kale.  I have added hot Italian sausage on occasion to make a heartier dish, kind of a riff on broccoli di rape with sausage recipes.  It also works served along side sausages as I've done here.  The kale may be cooled and frozen after step 6.

Serves 2 as a main course. 4 as a side or first course

Ingredients:

• 2 bunches lacinato kale, large center ribs removed, cut crosswise into 1/2 inch slices and rinsed
• 3 T. olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup chicken stock or water
• 1/4 t. red pepper flakes (or to taste)
• 1/2 pound spaghetti, regular or whole wheat
• Kosher salt
• Lemon juice, grated Parmesan cheese, and additional 1 T. extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

1.  Heat olive oil in a large dutch oven (I use a Le Creuset #24) over medium heat.
2.  Add chopped onion and a bit of salt and cook until soft and translucent, stirring occasionally about 6 minutes.

3.  Add sliced garlic and cook until onion is golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 5-8 minutes.
4.  Add chicken stock or water and scrape up any brown bits

5.  Add kale and a bit more salt.  Stir, then lower heat and cover pot.  Cook stirring occasionally about 40-50 minutes until kale is very soft, adding more liquid as necessary if pot seems dry.

6.  When kale is done, uncover and raise heat to boil off remaining liquid, if any.  Taste and adjust seasoning.  The kale may be cooled and frozen at this step to eat another day.

7.  Cook spaghetti in salted water according to package directions for Al dente.
8.  Drain, reserving 1/4 cup of cooking liquid.
9.  Add spaghetti to kale and toss to combine, adding pasta water if dry.

10.  Toss in lemon juice and serve drizzled with additional extra virgin olive oil and grated Parmesan cheese.

Note:
The sausage pictured came from Hudson Valley Foie Gras, spicy smoked duck sausage - yum!.  I have shopped with them for many years, discovering them when I was on the hunt for duck confit.  

Rigatoni Bolognese

This is how I always serve Bolognese Sauce.  The idea came from my sister (an excellent cook - and provider of many family standard recipes!) and is based upon Marcella Hazan's Baked Green Lasagna with Meat Sauce from The Classic Italian Cookbook.  It is much easier this way.  It is also a great do ahead - the Bolognese sauce can be made weeks ahead and frozen, and the pasta can be put together an hour or so ahead and kept in a warm oven.  This will serve 6 generously.

Ingredients:
1 quart Bolognese sauce
2 cups bechamel sauce (recipe follows)
1 pound rigatoni rigate  - my standard brand is DeCecco
1/2 to 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese to taste

Bechamel Sauce

Ingredients:
4 T. unsalted butter
4 T. flour
2 cups milk
pinch of grated nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

1.  Melt butter in a small sauce pan.

2.  Add flour and whisk until no lumps of flour remain.

3.  Add milk and bring a a simmer for about 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly until sauce thickens.

4.  Season to taste with nutmeg, salt and pepper.

Prepare rigatoni according to package directions for al dente.

Mix bolognese, bechamel and grated cheese with the pasta.

 
Serve immediately with additional Parmesan cheese, or pour into an oven proof baking dish and keep in a warm oven until ready to eat.

Bolognese Sauce

This ragu is standard winter fare for us.  It is based upon the recipe for Meat Sauce, Bolognese Style written by Marcella Hazan in The Classic Italian Cook Book.  When I first started making this sauce, I believed that there was only one way to make a bolognese sauce.  I have since learned there are as many ways to make this as there are nonnas in Italy.  Feel free to make any adjustments you like, and I will suggest some as well.  This sauce takes a lot of time (perfect for a cold winter Sunday) but most is unattended.  The original recipe makes one quart, but I figure if I am going to make something that takes a long time, I will make extra for the freezer!  I serve this sauce with rigatoni, see the recipe for Rigatoni Bolognese.  

Makes 3 quarts

Ingredients:
Extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic
1/4 pound pancetta chopped
1 medium onion - coarsely chopped
2 stalks of celery - coarsely chopped
1 carrot - coarsely chopped
1 pound ground veal
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef (I prefer 93% lean - and you may use all beef or a mixture of pork, veal and beef)
1 bottle dry white wine (may use red wine if you prefer)
1 1/2 cups milk 
2 28 ounce cans of tomatoes (some recipes use a large can of tomato paste and water)
Kosher salt
Red pepper flakes
2-3 teaspoons dried oregano - optional
1-2 tablespoons dried basil - optional
Parmesan cheese rind - optional

Equipment:
Food processor
5-6 quart dutch oven - I use a #26 Le Creuset

Directions:
1.  Coat the bottom of the pot with olive oil and heat over a medium heat.  
2.  Add garlic, pancetta, onions, celery and carrot in the food processor and puree to a coarse paste.  

3.  Add the pureed vegetables to the pan with a generous pinch of salt and cook over medium heat until the vegetables have softened and the liquid they have given off is evaporated, about 30 minutes.

4.  Turn the heat up to medium high.  Add the veal and beef to the pot and cook until no pink remains, about 10 minutes.

5.  Turn the heat up to high and add the bottle of wine.  cook, stirring occasionally, until the wine has evaporated, about one hour.

6.  Turn the heat back to medium and add the milk.  Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the milk has evaporated, about 30 minutes.

7.  Add the tomatoes to the food processor and chop coarsely.  Add the tomatoes to the pot along with the herbs.  Taste and adjust the seasoning for salt and pepper.

8.  Simmer the sauce over low to medium low heat with the sauce barely bubbling, stirring occasionally for 4-5 hours.