The Recipe

Source: The Splendid Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper

1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 medium carrot, minced
1/2 medium stalk celery, minced
1/2 medium onion, minced
2 ounces pancetta, minced
4 ounces mild Italian sausage (made without fennel)
12 ounces chicken thighs, skinned, boned, and cut into 1/4- to 1/2-inch dice
4 ounces turkey or chicken giblets, trimmed and finely chopped, or 4 ounces lean ground pork
4 ounces lean beef chuck, finely chopped
1 California bay laurel leaf
1/2 cup dry white wine
Generous pinch of ground cloves
1 1/4 cups poultry or meat stock
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 1/2 tablespoons imported Italian tomato paste
1/4 cup heavy cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Mincing the meats by hand makes for better browning and gives a silkier texture to the sauce. [Umm, I bought a bag of ground meat from the butcher shop.] In a 12-inch saute pan, heat the oil and butter over medium heat. Add the vegetables and pancetta. Leisurely saute, stirring often, until they begin to color, about 8 minutes. Add the sausage, chicken, giblets, beef, and bay leaf. Cook over high heat 8 more minutes, or until they begin to brown. Lower the heat to medium, and continue sauteing, stirring often with a wooden spatula, 10 minutes, or until the meat is rich dark brown. It should sizzle quietly in the pan, not violently pop and sputter. Slow browning protects the brown glaze forming on the bottom of the pan.

Drain off fat by tipping the browned meat into a large sieve and shaking it. Put the meat back into the pan, placing it over medium-high heat. Add the wine and cloves. Cook at a lively bubble 3 minutes, or until the wine has evaporated. As the wine bubbles, use a wooden spatula to scrape up the brown glaze from the bottom of the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and add 1/4 cup of the stock. Take about 3 minutes to cook it down to nothing. Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, and another 1/4 cup of stock; bubble it down to nothing again. Turn the mixture into a 2 1/2- to 3-quart saucepan.

Add the remaining stock to the saucepan and let it bubble slowly, uncovered, 30 to 45 minutes, or until the stock has reduced by about one third and the sauce is moist but not loose. Add the cream, and simmer 3 to 5 minutes. Season to taste. Allow the ragu to cool; cover and refrigerate. Defat the ragu when it is cold.

Toss the reheated ragu with cooked pasta as suggested above. Serve in heated bowls, passing freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese separately.

The Recipe

Source: From Biba’s Italian Kitchen by Biba Caggiano

For the spinach tagliatelle:

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3 extra-large eggs
2 tablespoons cooked, finely chopped fresh or frozen spinach, squeezed of all moisture

For the sauce:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup minced yellow onion
1/3 cup minced carrot
1/3 cup minced celery
1/4 pound prosciutto, cut into a 1/8-inch slice and then cut into thin strips
3 cups canned imported Italian plum tomatoes, with their juices, put through a food mill to remove the seeds
1/4 cup heavy cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Prepare the spinach dough as instructed on pages 48-49, using the flour and the eggs in this recipe.

Roll out the dough and cut it into tagliatelle as instructed on page 50.

Prepare the sauce: Heat the butter and oil in a medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery and cook, stirring, until vegetables are lightly golden and soft, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the prosciutto and cook 1 to 2 minutes, stirring a few times. Add the tomatoes and the cream and season with salt and just a touch of pepper. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, uncovered, until sauce has a medium-thick consistency, 10 to 15 minutes.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon of salt and the tagliatelle. Cook, uncovered, over high heat until the pasta is tender but still firm to the bite.

Drain the pasta and place it in a large, heated, serving bowl. Add the sauce and about 1/4 cup of the Parmigiano, and mix well. Serve at once with additional Parmigiano.

The Recipe

Source: La Cucina Italiana Magazine, May, 2010 Issue:

The Pasta

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
coarse sea salt

Artichokes and Shrimp

1/2 lemon
8 baby artichokes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus more for drizzling
16 large head-on shrimp, peeled and deveined
coarse sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 large bunch arugula, washed and thoroughly dried

Make the Pasta:

On a clean work surface, mound flour and form a well in the center. Add eggs and egg yolks to the well. Using a fork, gently break up yolks and slowly incorporate flour from inside rim of well. Continue until liquid is absorbed, then knead for 10 minutes. Wrap dough tightly in plastic and let rest for 30 minutes.

Divide dough into 3 pieces. Cover 2 pieces with plastic wrap. Flatten remaining dough piece so that it will fit through the rollers of a pasta machine.

Set rollers of pasta machine at the widest setting, then feed pasta through rollers 3 or 4 times, folding and turning pasta until it is smooth and the width of the machine.

Roll pasta through machine, decreasing the setting, one notch at a time (do not fold or turn pasta), until pasta sheet is scant 1/16 inch thick.

Cut sheet in half crosswise; dust both sides of sheets with flour. Layer sheets between floured pieces of parchment or wax paper. Cover with paper and repeat with remaining dough.

Loosely fold 1 pasta sheet in half so short ends meet. Fold again in half. Cut folded sheet crosswise into scant 1/4-inch-wide tagliatelle. Unfold tagliatelle strips and lightly dust with flour; spread on a lightly floured baking sheet. Repeat with remaining pasta sheets.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, prepare artichokes and shrimp.

Prepare the Artichokes and Shrimp:

Fill a large bowl with cold water. Squeeze juice from lemon half into water in bowl, then add lemon half.

Peel artichoke stems. Cut off top 1/2 inch of 1 artichoke with a serrated knife. Bend outer leaves backward until they snap off close to base, then discard several more layers of leaves in same manner until you reach pale yellow leaves with pale green tips. Cut off green tips. Trim dark green fibrous parts from base and sides of artichoke with a small shard knife, then cut in half lengthwise and thinly slice; put slices in lemon water. Repeat with remaining artichokes.

In a large skillet, heat oil until hot but not smoking. Add shrimp; cook, turning occasionally, until opaque and cooked through, about 3 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.

Drain artichoke slices. Cook pasta in the boiling water until tender, about 3 minutes. Reserving 1/4 cup pasta cooking liquid, drain pasta and transfer to a bowl. Immediately toss with pasta cooking liquid, arugula and half of the artichoke slices. Divide remaining half of the artichoke slices onto serving plates, and fan out toward rim. Divide pasta among plates, top with shrimp, drizzle with oil, season with salt and serve immediately.

The Recipe

Source: Pasta Improvvisata : How to Improvise in Classic Italian Style by
Erica De Mane

about 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
a few tablespoons olive oil
4 large, ripe red bell peppers, charred over a flame until black, peeled, seeded, and roughly chopped [or roasted in the oven - see here]
2 or 3 thyme sprigs
salt
cayenne pepper
4 or 5 heads of roasted garlic, cloves squeezed into a bowl
1 pound green pasta, cut for tagliatelle
a handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
a few tarragon sprigs, leaves chopped

In a large skillet, heat the butter and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the roasted peppers and thyme sprigs (butter lends a sweet taste to red peppers, which can sometimes be bitter). Season with salt and a pinch of cayenne and cook until very soft, about 10 minutes. Remove the thyme sprigs and puree the peppers in a food processor until smooth. Add the roasted garlic and blend until very smooth. If the sauce seems stiff, add a bit of olive oil (you can also add cream or pasta cooking water to thin it out).

Cook the tagliatelle until tender. Drain, leaving a bit of water clinging to the pasta, and transfer it to a large bowl. Toss it well with the sauce, adding the parsley and tarragon. I like this dish without cheese, but a freshly grated sweet, mellow cheese like Parmigiano-Reggiano tastes very good on it.

The Recipe

Source: Pasta Improvvisata : How to Improvise in Classic Italian Style by Erica de Mane

2 pounds asparagus, tough ends trimmed, peeled if thick-skinned, and cut in small pieces on the diagonal
about 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
about 15 ramps, cleaned and trimmed but left whole
zest of 1 large orange
salt
freshly ground black pepper
juice of 1 large orange
1/3 cup homemade chicken broth
½ cup heavy cream
a handful of basil leaves, chopped
a few savory sprigs, chopped
1 pound saffron pasta, cut for tagliatelle
freshly grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Set up a large pot of salted water to cook the pasta. Bring it to a boil and add the asparagus pieces. Boil until just tender, about 2 minutes. Lift the asparagus from the pot with a large strainer and run under cold water to stop the cooking and to preserve the bright green color. Drain.

In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the ramps and saute until just starting to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the asparagus and orange zest, season with salt and pepper, and saute 1 minute to blend the flavors. Add the orange juice and chicken broth and let the sauce simmer over medium heat for 2 or 3 minutes to blend the flavors. Add the cream, basil, and savory. Check the seasoning and simmer over low heat a few minutes longer.

Cook the tagliatelle until tender, drain well, and add to the pan. Saute briefly over very low heat, just to coat the pasta, adding a small handful of grated cheese. Transfer to a large serving bowl. Pass additional cheese at the table.