The Best of Fine Cooking — Real Italian 2017

22 real italian 2017

amatriciana sauce

Sweet cherry tomatoes and salty

pancetta star in this tasty pan sauce.

It’s great for more than just pasta: Try

spooning it over polenta or seared pork

chops. serves 4 to 5

2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium red onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice

(to yield about 2 cups)

2 1/4-inch-thick slices pancetta, cut into

short strips (1/4 inch wide and 1/2 inch long)

11/2 lb. cherry tomatoes, rinsed and halved

1/8 tsp. cayenne

1 tsp. kosher salt; more to taste

in a 10- or 11-inch sauté pan, heat the oil and

onion over medium heat, stirring occasionally,

until the onion is softened but not browned,

4 to 5 minutes. add the pancetta and cook,

stirring, until the pancetta has begun to

render its fat and the onion and pancetta are

roughly the same muted shade of purple,

5 to 6 minutes. add the tomatoes, cayenne,

and salt. Simmer, stirring occasionally and

adjusting the heat to maintain a lively but not

too vigorous simmer, until the tomatoes have

been reduced to a thick, pulpy sauce, 15 to

20 minutes.

ragù alla bolognese

Gently toss fresh or dried pasta with this ragù the Italian

way, ladling it in gradually so it evenly coats the noodles but

doesn’t overwhelm or saturate them. Yields about 41/2 cups,

enough for 11/4 to 11/2 lb. of pasta; serves 6 to 8

2 Tbs. unsalted butter

2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil

1 small yellow onion,

finely diced

1/2 medium carrot, peeled and

finely diced

1 medium rib celery,

finely diced

1 lb. ground pork (preferably

from the shoulder)

1/4 lb. thickly sliced Prosciutto di

Parma, very finely diced

Kosher salt and freshly

ground black pepper to taste

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 28-oz. can italian plum

tomatoes with their juices,

passed through a food mill to

remove their seeds

1 cup homemade or lower-salt

canned chicken broth or

beef broth

1/2 cup hot milk

Heat the butter and oil in a small

Dutch oven or a wide, heavy-

based sauce pan over medium

heat. When the butter begins

to foam, add the onion, carrot,

and celery and cook, stirring

occasionally, until they’re lightly

golden and soft, 5 to 7 minutes.

raise the heat to high, add the

pork and prosciutto, and season

lightly with salt and pepper. Cook,

stirring and breaking up the pork

with a large spoon until the meat

loses its raw color, 3 to 5 minutes

(the meat won’t brown). add the

wine and cook, stirring, until it’s

almost completely reduced, 3 to

5 minutes. add the tomatoes and

the broth. as soon as the liquid

comes to a boil, reduce the heat

to low and cook the sauce at a

bare simmer for 2 hours. add the

hot milk and simmer half an hour

longer, stirring occasionally. at

this point, the sauce should have

a thick but saucy consistency

and a light reddish-brown color. if

the sauce has thickened before

the cooking time is up, cover the

pot. if the sauce is still too thin at

the end of cooking, continue to

simmer gently, uncovered, until

it’s thick. taste and adjust the

seasonings before serving tossed

with your favorite pasta.

classic sauces