Extra Virgin (9 page)

I remember these books from when I was growing up that allowed the reader to make decisions in the middle of the story that could take you in different directions. If you opted to open one door as opposed to another, you turned to a specific page to see what happened. Soffrittos are similar, in that when you start with, say, olive oil and garlic, you have a wide range of possibilities for your dish. But as soon as you add hot red pepper flakes, you’ve narrowed it down to pastas, not stews. If you added anchovies though, you might be headed in the direction of a chicken cacciatore. With each ingredient, the adventure gets more specific, and your recipe starts to come together to form that unique, one-of-a-kind dish.

The soffritto is the base, in other words, and it’s important enough of a concept that if you realize you’ve burned the garlic, or let the onions discolor, don’t get upset. Just start again, and give it the attention it deserves. Better to restart a soffritto than let compromised flavors affect the dish later. You’ll become a more confident kitchen maestro, your home will come alive with fantastic aromas, and the ending to your multiple-ingredient story will be apparent in the happy faces of the people you’re cooking for.

Soffritto mainstays (keep these ingredients well-stocked!): extra virgin olive oil, garlic, carrots, celery, onion, shallots, hot red pepper flakes, pancetta, and guanciale.

HANDMADE PAPPARDELLE

PAPPARDELLE FATTE IN CASA

MAKES 1 POUND

One of the big draws of making your own pasta is the feeling you get working with your hands, which is why Gabriele’s grandmother didn’t like to use a pasta machine. She liked how that marble pin felt as she crafted her exquisite batches of pasta. So we suggest you skip the pasta machine part and roll the dough on a big surface until you achieve the thickness you want. You might surprise yourself with how much you enjoy making your own fresh pasta! Serve the pappardelle with either a delicious
Duck Ragu
or hearty
“Fake” Sauce
.

3½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling

¾ teaspoon salt, plus more for the pasta pot

4 large eggs, preferably farm fresh, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

Semolina flour, for dusting

Add the flour and salt to the center of a large wooden board. Use your hands and make a well in the center of the mound. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs and olive oil and pour into the well. Use a fork to slowly mix the eggs into the flour until they are completely incorporated.

Knead the pasta dough for about 8 minutes, adding flour in small increments if the board gets sticky. If the dough feels too dry, add 1 teaspoon of water occasionally as you go. The dough should feel elastic and smooth. Shape the pasta dough into a ball and cover it in plastic wrap. Let rest for at least 30 minutes at room temperature to let the gluten relax. This will make the rolling easier.

Set your pasta machine to the widest setting. Divide the dough into 4 pieces. Roll each piece through the machine, from the widest setting to the thinnest. Hand-cut the pasta into pappardelle—strips about ¾ inch wide and 10 inches long.

Gather the pappardelle in your hands and shake them loose so the strands don’t stick together. Toss with some semolina flour. Divide into separate serving portions on a baking sheet. (This also helps to prevent the pasta from sticking together.)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook for 3 minutes, or until al dente. Drain.

IMPORTANTE!  
Fresh pasta is best enjoyed the same day you make it. If you’ve made the pappardelle in the morning, you can keep it divided into serving portions on a baking sheet covered with a kitchen towel, preferably in a cool area, before cooking it for lunch or dinner. Although not ideal, if you intend to eat it the next day, keep it in the refrigerator overnight on a baking sheet dusted with semolina flour.

RED SAUCE

SUGO DI POMODORO

MAKES 2 CUPS
(ENOUGH FOR 1 POUND OF PASTA)

D:
When I was a child, my grandmother became a great Italian cook partly because she had a Sicilian boyfriend. Naturally, she had a killer red sauce, but when I first made it for my new Tuscan beau, Gabriele, it was obviously the kind he didn’t grow up with: heavy on garlic, and loaded with everything from carrots to beef to pork sausage, plus tomato paste to thicken it. It even had sugar, and if we felt like making it creamy, we’d add ricotta cheese on top. I quickly learned from the horrified expression on Gabriele’s face that this more Southern-Italian version wasn’t what he considered a sauce.

Gabriele’s grandmother, meanwhile, was making something much simpler and fresher, the result of tomatoes picked from the garden, run through the mill, cooked for hours, and then jarred for use over months and months. When Gabriele introduced me to his family red sauce recipe, it was like heaven had arrived. When done right, a red sauce like this can make you feel alive.

1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes (pelati)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

¹⁄³ red onion, medium diced

3 garlic cloves, cut into chunks

Pinch of hot red pepper flakes (optional)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons torn fresh basil

In a food processor, or using an immersion blender, purée the tomatoes to a smooth creamy consistency. (If you like a more country feel, you can wait and break them up in the pan later with a wooden spoon.)

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add the onion and sauté 5 to 6 minutes, or until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until you see the color start changing. If you’d like to make the sauce spicy, add the red pepper flakes.

Add the tomatoes and season with salt and black pepper to taste. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 30 minutes. (If you did not purée the tomatoes, use a wooden spoon to break them into pieces while they cook.) Strive for balance in the consistency of the sauce. It has to be fluid, but it should not look overly wet. Add the basil and remove from the heat.

Pici All’Aglione

PICI ALL’AGLIONE

SERVES 4–6

D:
Aglione is a garlic-loaded red sauce—ideally your garlic count is one clove per person. It’s wonderful with pici, a traditional hand-rolled spaghetti from Siena, and if you look online you should be able to buy it. But thick spaghetti works just as well.

Kosher salt

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

4 to 6 garlic cloves (1 per person!)

1 fresh chile, such as red serrano, sliced, or more to taste

1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes (pelati), crushed by hand

Freshly ground black pepper

1 pound pici or thick spaghetti

Fresh basil leaves, for garnish

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add the garlic and chile(s). When the garlic becomes fragrant, after 3 to 5 minutes, add the crushed tomatoes and cook for 20 minutes until reduced to a sauce. Season with salt and black pepper to taste and remove from the heat.

Add the pici 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.

Add the pasta to the sauce, toss together, and cook over medium heat for 1 minute. Add pasta water as needed to make the sauce slightly loose and glossy.

Serve immediately with the basil, and make sure each bowl gets its own garlic clove.

SPAGHETTI AGLIO E OLIO

SERVES 4–6

D:
Light, spicy, quick, and sexy, this is something to make late at night with your loved one. Sometimes we’ll come back from a night out, with the kids already in bed, and Gabriele will whip this up just for us. It’s the food equivalent of an all-black-with-heels look in fashion: simple, but with a bold kick.