Pages

Monday, April 7, 2014

Spicy Pancetta Red Sauce [Zack]

This pasta dish is perfect for a quick fix.  I was in a rush to cook dinner and was able to cook this start-to-finish in 30 minutes.  It's fresh, savory, and perfect after a long day at the office.

The simplicity of this recipe relies on the quality of the ingredients.  I was given some free homemade fresh pasta from the opening of the new Italian Specialties store Sette Piatti.  I found some quality pancetta in the fridge (I'm glad I'm a hoarder), and the rest fell into place.


Process:

Get a sauce pan going over medium heat and toss your pancetta in the pan.  While that is slowly crisping, set a pot of hot salted water over high heat.  Slice the red onions, garlic, and hot pepper and set aside.

I'm lazy and I hate grating cheese, so I just throw chunks of parmesan reggiano into my food processor.  Boom, grated cheese.  Set the cheese aside and add the 4 loosely chopped tomatoes and puree until chunky.

When the pancetta is nice and crispy, add the red onions and hot pepper into the pan.  Saute for 3 minutes.  Add the garlic, cook 1 additional minute, and then put the tomato puree into the pan.  Add the red wine and cook down for about 10 minutes.  You may need to add a dash of salt, but be careful as the pancetta will already add some salt.

Cook your pasta, toss it all together, and add reggiano like a madman.


Ingredients: (serves 2)
1/4 lb or 100g pancetta cut into matchsticks
1 clove garlic diced
2 red onions sliced
1/2 glass red wine
1 hot pepper sliced
4 large tomatoes
enough parmesan reggiano to make you feel like a king (aka to taste)

1/2 lb or 250g macaroni pasta (fresh if you can)

Song: St Paul and the Broken Bones - Don't Mean a Thing