Skinny Italian: Eat It and Enjoy It (13 page)
Read Skinny Italian: Eat It and Enjoy It Online
Authors: Teresa Giudice,Heather Maclean
Tags: #food.cookbooks
MAKES 6 SERVINGS
This pasta is one of the most popular dishes in Italy, especially in Rome, although it comes from the town of Amatrice in central Italy. It’s a variation of an old shepherds’ dish, and like most of the food that was originally eaten by working people on the go, it’s simple, filling, and sooo delicious!
If you can’t find bucatini, you can use perciatelli or a really thick spaghetti instead.
1 pound bucatini or perciatelli pasta
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 ounces thick-sliced guanciale or pancetta,
cut into ½-inch pieces
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 ripe plum tomatoes, seeded and cut into ½-inch dice
½ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper
½ cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano
1.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the bucatini and cook according to the package directions until almost al dente, but slightly undercooked. Time the pasta so it is done at about the same time as the sauce.
2.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the guanciale and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the meat to paper towels to drain, leaving the fat in the skillet.
3.
Add the onion to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, salt, and hot pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have given off their juices, about 5 minutes. Return the guanciale to the skillet, remove from the heat, and cover to keep warm.
4.
Drain the pasta. Return the pasta to the pot and add the sauce. Cook over low heat, stirring often, until the pasta is coated with sauce and just al dente, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat, add the cheese, and toss. Serve hot.
MAKES 6 SERVINGS
My kids love this dish because it’s so pretty: butterflies (farfalle) and peas (piselli) in a creamy sauce. Yes, we are using cream here, but it’s less than one tablespoon per serving, so you get a lot of flavor for a minimal amount of fat and calories.
1 pound farfalle pasta
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 cup cooked fresh or thawed frozen peas
1/3 cup light cream
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the farfalle and cook according to the package directions until just tender. Time the pasta so it is done at about the same time as the sauce.
2.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add the peas, cream, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.
3.
Drain the pasta well. Return the pasta to the pot. Add the sauce and toss well. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve hot.
MAKES 6 SERVINGS
I love this recipe because it’s classically Italian: simple, just a few ingredients, the pasta isn’t drowning in a sauce, and it’s so filling. Cacio is cheese (and this recipe is only made with Pecorino Romano) and pepe is black pepper. My dad is allergic to black pepper, so when he’s over, we substitute hot pepper flakes. Just as good, but a little spicier!
1 pound spaghetti
2 cups (8 ounces) freshly grated Pecorino Romano
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the spaghetti and cook according to the package directions until al dente. Drain well, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water.
2.
Return the pasta to the pot. Add the cheese, salt, and pepper. Toss the pasta, gradually adding enough of the pasta water to make a smooth sauce. Serve hot.
When in Rome . . .
Cacio = CACH-oh
P
ENNE WITH
P
ORTOBELLO
M
USHROOM
S
AUCE
MAKES 6 SERVINGS
I love portobello mushrooms, and this dish is great on cold nights; even its earthy brown color just makes you feel all warm inside. The longer you cook the mushrooms, the more taste you will get out of them.
3 large portobello mushrooms
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 small red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into ½-inch dice
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup red wine vinegar
1 pound penne
½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1.
Rinse the mushrooms well. Trim off any hard parts. Cut off the stems and cut them into ½-inch dice. Slice the caps in half crosswise, then into ¼-inch-thick strips.
2.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and half of the minced garlic. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are tender, about 20 minutes. Stir in the bell pepper, remaining garlic, salt, and black pepper. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the bell pepper is tender, about 8 minutes more. Stir in the vinegar and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.
3.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the spaghetti and cook according to the package directions until al dente. Drain well, reserving ½ cup of the pasta water.
4.
Return the pasta to the pot. Add the mushroom mixture and toss, adding enough of the pasta water to make a slightly moist sauce. Sprinkle with the cheese, toss again, and serve hot.
If there’s one thing I love, it’s the
top
: over-the-top, top-shelf, top-rated, top-selling . . . everything is yummiest when it’s on the top. (And I know you know what I mean.)
It’s the dressing that makes salad come alive. Strawberries turn magical when covered with Sambuca. And a cappuccino without the foam is just a plain old cup of coffee.
The same is true of Italian sauces. A good sauce would make a leather shoe taste delicious. Every Italian cook worth her salt needs to have at the very least one homemade sauce in her repertoire. And since tomatoes are a nutritious “superfood,” good for your heart, skin, and mind, let’s start with a tomato sauce.
The Chef Boyardee Problem
Too many Americans think “tomato sauce” is the finished product you throw over spaghetti.
uffa
! Tomato sauce is the base you need to prepare dozens of other tomato-based Italian sauces (also commonly called “red sauces”).
Italian red sauces have two or three parts: the
soffrito
(or the light frying of vegetables in olive oil), the tomato sauce, and the (optional) meat.
T
eresa’s
T • I • P
Using pasta from a box instead of making it from scratch is perfectly fine, but there is no excuse for using tomato sauce from the store. If you use a store-bought sauce, you’re not only robbing yourself of most of the natural antioxidants (and adding unnecessary chemicals into your body), but you are ruining your taste buds (and, quite possibly, your reputation).
And do I even have to say it? Pasta doesn’t come in a can. Never, ever, ever.
Homemade Tomato Sauce Recipe
Once a year, I make jars and jars of homemade tomato sauce so I always have some sitting around, ready to be used in an exquisite red sauce, at a moment’s notice. Canning ahead of time isn’t that hard (I’ll teach you how in Chapter 9), but it’s also not a requirement to serve a quick, delicious dinner. You can easily whip up a homemade tomato sauce in a matter of minutes. In fact, the recipe is so simple, I call it “The Quickie.” You’ll make this first, then set it aside, and add it to the other recipes whenever they need a Quickie.
Breaking Tomatoes
For any red sauce, you have to first break up the tomatoes into pieces or they won’t melt into a sauce. What size pieces? About the size of a big stuffed olive. And I always include the juices in the can because they add flavor and moisture to any dish.
There are a few ways to break your tomatoes. (One way not to do it is to chop the tomatoes on your chopping board—what a freakin’ mess!) You could pulse the contents of the can in a food processor until the tomatoes are coarsely chopped. Or, you can insert clean kitchen scissors into the can and snip the tomatoes into chunks.
But the easiest way is the time-honored, hands-on method. With one hand, hold the can right over the saucepan, so when the juices squirt, they hit the sides of the pan and not you. Reach your other (clean) hand right into the can (make sure there aren’t any sharp edges from removing the lid), and as you pour the tomatoes and the juices into the saucepan, squish and squeeze the chunks as they slide out.
