They say the simplest things in life give you the most pleasure. Pasta! this pasta as complex as it sounds is hearty, spicy and very satisfying. Calabrese cuisine from Calabria, the southern most region of Italy uses a lot of vegetables including tomatoes, eggplant, peppers. Its flavors are robust, flavorful and spicy. The Calabrian chillies is dominant in its cuisine, mild and flavorful.
The focus of this recipe is the ragù, with the addition of chillies, lots of san Marzano tomatoes, wild oregano makes it a delightful pasta dish. To keep it vegetarian use a medium eggplant, and a couple of zuhcinni instead of the chicken, its just as good. The recipe also calls for Italian sausage I skipped it and added a little extra spice to give it that sausage flavor. If you like sausages use one spicy or sweet Italian sausage case removed and chopped.
Serves 4- 5
- 1 medium onion finely diced
- 1 carrot chopped into small pieces
- 1 celery stick, diced
- 5-6 cloves medium sized garlic, use less if you’re not fond of garlic
- ½-1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon dried wild oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, optional
- 1 28 oz peeled canned tomatoes, San Marzano preferred
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs chopped into very small pieces, organic preferrred
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste or equal amounts of sundried tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8-10 oz pappardella or pasta of your choice
- 1/2 cup grand grana Padano or parmesan
Instructions
- In a food processor pulse together onions carrot, celery, garlic, oregano, pepper flakes, and fennel seeds until finely chopped. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- Heat olive in a large sauce pot. Add the chicken and on high heat sear the chicken pieces till evenly browned. Transfer to a plate.
- Warm the pan again and add the vegetable mixture. Season with salt and pepper and sauté for 8-10 minutes until the vegetables are golden and slightly caramelized.
- Stir in the tomatoes and tomato paste. With your spatula break down the tomatoes. Cook for 5-6 minutes till it starts to boil.
- Add the chicken pieces and bring it to a boil. Simmer and cook for 45 minutes to a hour till the tomatoes have reduced and chicken is cooked well.
- Meanwhile cook he pasta per the instruction on the package. Drain and reserve 1 cup of pasta liquid.
- Add about 1/4 cup of the liquid to the sauce and stir. Continue cooking for another 8 minutes adding more cooking liquid until thick enough to coat the pasta. Add the 1/2 the cheese and serve the rest table side.
- Divide the pappardelle in bowls topped with sauce and cheese.
- The ragù can be made ahead unto 2 days in the fridge or frozen uptown 2 months.
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