L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015 www.italoamericano.org 20 L'Italo-Americano I 'm trying to figure out why it t o o k m e s o l o n g t o m a k e g a r g a n e l l i . I t h i n k i t w a s because a cookbook I have said to make it on a clean men's hair comb, which just sounded like a bad idea. Once I found out you can easily make it with a butter b o a r d ( a l s o u s e d f o r m a k i n g gnocchi), I was on my way. To make garganelli, all you have to do is make a standard pasta dough and roll it out to a slightly thick sheet, cut it into 1 ½ inch squares, grab a pencil or thick skewer and your butter board and roll, baby, roll. More details follow below. Garganelli is traditionally prepared with Ragù Bolognese or other slow-cooked sauces. I used a speedy sausage and fennel sauce that grabbed on to the little ridges of the garganelli. This a great stick-to-your-ribs dinner for a cool autumn night. Take the time to try to make fresh garganelli. It's a really fun pasta shape. But you can always go with dried penne if you're in a hurry. Serves 4 first course servings. Ingredients and Directions: For the garganelli: • 10 ounces of "00" flour • 4 ounces of semolina flour • A pinch of salt • 5 large eggs For the sauce: • 2 ounces pancetta, finely diced • 2 tbsp unsalted butter 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 1 onion, medium-dice • 1 fennel bulb, core removed and medium dice • 4 sweet Italian sausages • 1 tbsp fennel seeds, crushed t o a p o w d e r i n a m o r t a r a n d pestle • 2 ounces tomato paste • 1 cup chicken stock • ½ cup ricotta cheese • A small amount of minced parsley • ½ c u p f r e s h l y g r a t e d Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese For the garganelli: A d d t h e f l o u r s a n d s a l t together. Pour out onto a board and make a well in the center. Break the eggs into the well and, Garganelli with sausage and fennel ragù JOSEPH BECCI using a fork, whisk the eggs together. Using the fork, begin to draw in the flour from the edges. Switch to your hands w h e n y o u h a v e a w e t p a s t e . Continue to combine in the flour u n t i l y o u h a v e d o u g h t h e consistency of "play dough". Add more flour if needed. The dough should not stick to the b o a r d . K n e e d f o r a b o u t 1 0 minutes. Wrap in plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 20 minutes. Divide the dough into 4 equal parts. Roll out the dough to #4 on your Kitchenaid stand mixer with the pasta sheet attachment. Roll one strip at a time. Flour both sides of the dough sheet w e l l a n d c u t i n t o 1 ½ - i n c h squares. U s i n g a b u t t e r b o a r d a n d thick skewer or clean pencil, place the square on the butter board in a diamond position. Place the skewer at the base of the diamond and roll the dough away from you, pressing gently to get the ridge pattern in the dough. Once you have the pasta w r a p p e d o n c e a r o u n d t h e skewer, use the skewer like a r o l l i n g p i n t o c o m p l e t e t h e rollup of the dough. Make sure the end is sealed. Place the pasta on sheet pans and use immediately or freeze. For the pasta sauce: In a skillet large enough to hold the cooked pasta, add the diced pancetta over medium-low heat and allow it to render the fat slowly, stirring occasionally. Cook the pancetta very slowly or you'll just seal in the fat; it should take about 10 minutes. Add the butter and olive oil. A d d t h e c h o p p e d o n i o n a n d f e n n e l ; s e a s o n w i t h s a l t a n d p e p p e r . C o o k u n t i l b o t h t h e onion and fennel are soft and translucent. Cut the sausage out of its casings and crumble it into the skillet. Add the crushed fennel seed. Using a wooden spoon, cook the sausage, breaking it up along the way. Cook until all the pink is gone in the sausage. Dissolve the tomato paste in the chicken broth and add to the skillet. Raise the heat until the mixture is bubbling and then reduce to low. Season with salt and pepper to taste and cover and simmer on low for about 1 hour. Season a final time with salt and pepper as needed. Prepare the pasta: Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. W i t h t h e p a s t a s a u c e simmering over low heat, add the ricotta and parsley and mix in, dissolving the ricotta. The sauce should be pretty "tight" at t h i s p o i n t – t h a t i s , n o t t o o w a t e r y . I f n e e d e d , s i m m e r a little longer to dry it out. D r o p t h e p a s t a i n t o t h e boiling water. Once the pasta rises to the surface, cook for one minute. Drain the pasta but retain a cup or so of the pasta water. Add the pasta to the sauce, add some pasta water and stir to incorporate. The sauce should b e c o m e l i k e a t h i c k s a l a d dressing. Cook for 30 seconds, stirring gently. Add more pasta water as needed. S t i r i n t h e P a r m i g i a n o - Reggiano cheese and serve. Joe and Michele Becci are a brother and sister team who love all things Italian. Together, from opposite coasts, they co-author the blog OurItalian Table.com. Garganelli with sausage and fennel ragù LA BUONA TAVOLA RECIPES COOKING TIPS SEASONAL DISHES Garganelli pasta

• Cover