Pasta Modern (21 page)

Meanwhile, boil the pasta in salted water for 4 minutes less than the package directs. Drain and toss into the sauce. Cook it all over low heat, adding a bit of the liquid from the mussels, if needed, until the pasta is al dente. Remove it from the heat, and add Parmesan to taste, stirring until it is melted. Divide the pasta between two plates, and garnish with parsley.

PORK RAGÙ WITH HINTS OF CHOCOLATE

{
Sciabbó
}

SERVES
4
|
REGION:
Sicily, the province of Enna

This specialty of Enna, a province in Sicily, is served in the winter, especially during the Christmas holidays. The touches of chocolate and cinnamon add aroma and richness and the dash of dessert wine imparts a deep mellow sweetness to this remarkable ragù.

This dish, which dates to the 1700s, is traditionally made with pretty curly-edged noodles called
lasagne ricce
, which look like the ruffles that were popular on men’s shirts back then. The name of the dish,
sciabbó
, is in fact a Sicilian corruption of
jabot
, the French word for those shirts.

Olive oil

1 large yellow onion, minced

8 ounces (225 g) lean pork loin, finely diced

½ cup (120 ml) dessert wine like vin santo or Marsala

1 (28-ounce/800-g) can tomato puree

1 (2-inch/5-cm) cinnamon stick

2 ounces (60 g) dark chocolate, chopped, preferably Perugina brand

1 to 2 tablespoons sugar

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 pound (455 g)
lasagne ricce, lasagnotte
, or any thick ribbon pasta

In a large saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté until it is soft, about 12 minutes. Add the pork and cook until it is browned, about 5 more minutes. Add the wine, turn down the heat to medium-low, and simmer for several minutes to burn off the alcohol. Stir in the tomato puree, cinnamon, chocolate, and sugar to taste. Season with salt and pepper, cover, and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until the pork is tender. Remove the cinnamon stick.

Boil the pasta in salted water until it is al dente. Drain and toss into the sauce until well combined. This pasta is not traditionally topped with grated cheese.

SAVORY CHOCOLATE

Recipes for savory dishes with chocolate were published in Italy as far back as 1680 and included lasagne in anchovy-almond-chocolate sauce; pappardelle in rabbit-chocolate sauce; fried liver accented with dark chocolate; and polenta topped with chocolate, breadcrumbs, almonds, and cinnamon. It was such common practice to season foods with chocolate that Francesco Arisi, in his 1736 poem “Il Cioccolato,” pokes fun at chefs who overuse it.

SPAGHETTI WITH ROSEMARY & CACAO NIBS

{
Spaghetti con fiori di rosmarino e fave di cacao
}

SERVES
4
|
REGION:
Northern and central Italy

This stunning, aromatic dish is so simple you barely need a recipe. Spaghetti tossed with a bit of butter, Parmesan cheese, and rosemary is topped with cacao nibs. Nibs, little broken-up bits of toasted cacao beans, are chocolate in its purest state: no sugar or other flavorings, just fabulous 100 percent chocolate with a pleasing bitterness and nutty rich taste.

Dubious about the combo? Do a quick taste-test. Put a pinch of Parmesan in the palm of your hand. Add a few cacao nibs and a tiny bit of fresh rosemary. Pop it all into your mouth and chew … see what I mean? Now, hurry—go start the water boiling!

1 pound (455 g) spaghetti or any long pasta

Salt

8 tablespoons (115 g) butter

3 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves, plus flowers if available

Grated Parmesan cheese

Freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons cacao nibs

Boil the spaghetti in salted water for 2 minutes less than package directs. Drain, reserving some of the cooking liquid, and return the pasta to the pot. Stir in the butter, half of the rosemary and flowers, and Parmesan to taste. Toss until the butter melts, adding a little cooking liquid until the sauce is creamy.

Serve the pasta topped with pepper, a sprinkle of cacao nibs, and the remaining rosemary.

SPAGHETTI WITH ONIONS, ANISE & ESPRESSO

{
Spaghetti con crema di cipolle, anice stellato, e caffé
}

MAKES
4
appetizer portions
|
REGION:
Veneto

Espresso with a shot of anise-flavored Sambuca liqueur is a classic Italian flavor combination. But star anise and coffee with pasta?

Surprising as it sounds, three–Michelin star chef Massimiliano Alajmo makes the combination work amazingly well. It’s elegantly simple, with caramelized onions pureed with Parmesan to create a savory-sweet sauce that is drizzled with espresso–star anise syrup to add a mouthwatering licorice-like aroma and nutty roasted richness. It’s especially delicious served with hearty whole-grain farro pasta. As the flavors are fairly intense, this is best served in small portions as the starter course.

4 whole star anise

Salt

1 teaspoon sugar

½ teaspoon cornstarch

1 shot, about 2 ounces (60 ml), freshly brewed espresso

8 ounces (225 g) farro or whole-wheat spaghetti

Olive oil

1 red onion, very thinly sliced

Freshly ground black pepper

Grated Parmesan cheese, preferably aged 24 months

In a very small saucepan, combine the star anise, a pinch of salt, and ½ cup (120 ml) cold water. Simmer over very low heat until the liquid is reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the sugar and cornstarch until dissolved. Tilting the saucepan (there isn’t much liquid so it needs to be concentrated in one spot), return it to the heat and simmer until the remaining liquid is thick, about 30 seconds. Remove it from the heat and stir in the espresso until well combined. Transfer everything to an espresso cup or other small container, cover with plastic wrap, and reserve.

In a skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over very low heat. Add the onions and sauté until they are very soft, about 15 minutes. Using a small food processor or an immersion blender, puree the onions with an additional 2 to 3 tablespoons oil, and salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, boil the pasta in salted water until it is al dente.

Spread 1 tablespoon of the onion puree onto the center of each serving plate. Drain the pasta and toss it with the rest of the puree and ¼ cup (30 g) of Parmesan. With a large fork, twirl a portion of pasta into a nest shape on each plate, top with the remaining onion mixture, and drizzle the syrup on the pasta and around the plate. Garnish each plate with a star anise from the syrup.

{
Chitarra al caffè e capperi
}

SERVES
4
to
6
|
REGION:
Veneto

Creamy Parmesan and briny capers pair marvelously with coffee’s rich, earthy aroma—it’s like savory cappuccino on a fork!

Not convinced? Try tasting a caper and then a sip of coffee. Chef Heinz Beck, in his book
L’ingrediente Segreto
, writes about this pairing, “You’ll be amazed by the lovely rich aftertaste of roasted hazelnuts, surprisingly pleasing.” This seemingly bizarre combination of ingredients results in one of my favorite recipes. A must-try for any coffee lover!

¼ cup (35 g) salted capers, preferably large and Sicilian

3 tablespoons butter

1 ½ tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup (240 ml) whole milk, warmed

2 tablespoons freshly brewed hot espresso or strong coffee

Grated Parmesan cheese

Salt and white pepper

1 pound (455 g) whole-wheat
maccheroni alla chitarra
or other pasta

Rinse the capers, removing all the salt, and squash them with the back of a wooden spoon. Set aside.

In a pan large enough to later toss the pasta, melt the butter over medium heat. Sprinkle in the flour, stirring until smooth, then slowly add in the milk, a little at a time, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until smooth. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes on low, until the mixture is thickened; add the espresso to taste, and stir until well combined. Remove from the heat, add ½ cup (60 g) of Parmesan, and stir until the cheese is melted. Season with salt and white pepper.

Meanwhile, boil the pasta in salted water until it is al dente. Drain and toss into the sauce until well combined, adding a little of the cooking liquid if needed. Garnish with the capers.

PASTA WITH SEA URCHINS & COFFEE

{
Tagliatelle con ricci di mare e caffè
}

SERVES
4
|
REGION:
Lombardy