Extra Virgin (12 page)
Authors: Gabriele Corcos
In an 8- to 12-quart pot, bring 6 quarts of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the pasta and use a wooden fork to stir the pasta so it won’t stick together. Cook until al dente. Drain and add to the sauce in the pan. Toss over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Add the ¾ cup Pecorino and toss for 1 more minute.
Garnish with grated Pecorino, a drop of extra virgin olive oil, and freshly ground black pepper.
PAPPARDELLE
with duck ragu
PAPPARDELLE ALLA RAGÙ DI ANATRA
SERVES 6
Ragus that cook for hours deserve fresh pasta, so we suggest making homemade pappardelle for this classic meat sauce. Duck isn’t one of the gamy birds, so even though the braising is a lengthy process, you’re left with a succulent pasta dish that will connect you instantly to the world of the Tuscan hunter. Be sure to use drumsticks and thighs, though: duck breast is drier than those pieces and won’t elicit as much flavor.
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
5 duck legs (drumsticks and thighs together)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1½ cups red wine
1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes (pelati), puréed in a blender
Handmade Pappardelle
or 1 pound store-bought fresh
Finely chopped fresh Italian parsley, for garnish
Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, for serving
In a large skillet or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until hot.
Season the duck with salt and pepper. Add the duck to the hot pan and cook for 10 to 11 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp. Transfer to a plate.
To the same pan, add the onion, celery, and carrot and sauté for 3 minutes, until soft. Add the thyme and garlic and sauté 1 minute more, until fragrant. Add the red wine and use a wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan: this will add to the flavor of the finished sauce. Cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper to taste. Reduce the heat to medium-low and bring to a light simmer.
Add the seared duck back to the pan and cover. Simmer gently for 1 hour 30 minutes, or until the duck is extremely tender and falling off the bone. Remove the pan from the heat.
Using tongs, carefully take the duck pieces from the ragu and place on a platter. Remove the skin and bones from the duck and discard. Chop the duck meat finely and
add back into the tomato sauce, adding ½ cup water if it looks dry. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 40 minutes.
In an 8- to 12-quart pot, bring 6 quarts of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the
Pappardelle and use a wooden fork to stir the pasta so it won’t stick together. Cook until al dente. Drain.
Serve the ragu over the pasta, drizzle with a little olive oil, and sprinkle with parsley and Parmesan.
SPAGHETTI ALLA CARBONARA
SERVES 4–6
Another relative of
Pasta alla Gricia’s
is this Roman-born staple, which is sometimes referred to as “coal miner’s spaghetti.” While the word carbonara makes obvious reference to carbon, it’s also an Italian term for “charcoal burner.” Imagine hungry, soot-encased miners getting a hot meal cooked over the very source they’re extracting from the earth. This Gricia variation—a favorite of our kids—adds protein by way of the egg. Cream is often used in American versions. The best way to get that rich, milky texture is to let the raw egg develop into a velvety consistency when added to the cooked pasta that has been loosened with a little bit of pasta water. Also, we suggest avoiding bacon as a substitute for guanciale: bacon’s smokiness would change the whole flavor profile.
Kosher salt
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
¼ pound guanciale, sliced (or diced pancetta or prosciutto)
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 pound spaghetti
1 large egg
3 large egg yolks
½ cup freshly grated Pecorino cheese
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, for serving
In an 8- to 12-quart pot, bring 6 quarts of salted water to a rolling boil.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the guanciale and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Add the garlic and sauté for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer with the rendered fat to a ceramic bowl to cool.
Add the spaghetti to the boiling water and use a wooden fork to stir the pasta so it won’t stick together. Cook until al dente. Ladle out ½ cup of the pasta water, then drain the pasta and put it in another large ceramic bowl.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the whole egg, egg yolks, Pecorino, and pepper. Whisk in the cooled guanciale. Add to the bowl of hot pasta and toss until completely mixed, adding some of the reserved pasta water for desired creaminess.
Serve immediately, sprinkled with Parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil.
IMPORTANTE!
Use the best, freshest possible organic eggs, since there are raw eggs in this recipe. The best way to check the freshness is to fill a deep bowl with water, then put the eggs in one at a time. If an egg sinks right away, it’s fresh—it indicates a minimum amount of air inside. If it floats, don’t use it.
BAKED PASTA IN EGGPLANT
PASTA INCACIATA
SERVES 8–12
G:
This wow-factor pasta cake wrapped in eggplant is an homage to my friend Nick Stellino, a wonderful Sicilian chef, author, and TV personality Deborah and I got to know when we lived in Los Angeles. He made this for me and I loved it so much I wanted to work on my own version. My Tuscan upbringing inspired me to use a traditional Tuscan meat sauce. Also, growing up in a kosher household I came to appreciate keeping meat and dairy separate—mainly because the two together can feel very heavy. So I cut the amount of mozzarella used and left out the besciamella that acted as a binding agent. If you want that sliced-cake experience though, whisk a couple of eggs and pour that into the pasta-sauce mixture when it’s in the springform pan. The eggs will cook and bind your “cake.”
Butter, softened, for greasing the pan
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons dried bread crumbs
4 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for topping
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more as needed for frying
1 pound ground pork
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
½ cup red wine, such as Chianti
4 cups
Red Sauce
1 pound ziti or penne
2 medium eggplants, cut lengthwise into ¼-inch-thick planks
1 pound fresh mozzarella cheese, shredded, plus more for sprinkling
Grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan with softened butter. In a small bowl, combine the ¼ cup bread crumbs with 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan. Use the mixture to evenly coat the insides of the springform. Shake out whatever doesn’t adhere to the butter and discard.
In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat until hot. Add the ground pork and season with salt and pepper to taste. Sauté for about 10 minutes, or until cooked through.
Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in the red wine and simmer until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the Red Sauce, bring the mixture back to a simmer, and cook for another 5 minutes to blend the flavors. Season the meat sauce with salt and pepper to taste.
In an 8- to 12-quart pot, bring 6 quarts of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the pasta to the boiling water and use a wooden fork to stir the pasta so it won’t stick together. Cook until al dente. Drain, then set aside in a large bowl.
Meanwhile, season the eggplants with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add the eggplant in batches of 7 or 8 slices, cooking about 3 minutes per side, until golden brown. Replenish the pan with 2 more tablespoons of olive oil before each new batch. Drain the eggplant on a paper towel–lined baking sheet.
Add the mozzarella and sauce to the bowl with the cooked pasta.
To assemble, line the bottom of the prepared springform pan with a single layer of eggplant, then line the sides vertically with the eggplant so each “plank” hangs over the outside. Fill the inside of the pan with the pasta mixture, pressing down gently. Fold the flaps of eggplant over the top of the pasta, using any remaining eggplant slices to cover the top. Cover with plastic wrap and weight it down with a plate. Refrigerate the pan for 3 to 4 hours, or even overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Remove the plastic and sprinkle mozzarella, the remaining 1 tablespoon Parmesan, and the remaining 2 tablespoons bread crumbs over the top. Cover loosely with foil, place the pan on a baking sheet, and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake an additional 15 minutes, until the top is golden brown and bubbling.
Remove from the oven and let rest for 15 to 20 minutes, so it can cool slightly. Open the pan’s latch and gently remove the pasta cake from the pan. Slice and serve.