Luca’s Spaghetti with tomato, pancetta and vegs sauce – For Kathleen

[Luca Lazzari]

Since you are a rigatoni and spaghetti fan, Kathleen, here is one of my favorite recipes for the spaghetti. This recipe combines some of the most classic ingredients of Italian pastasciutta dishes, tomato and pancetta, with a tasty mix of vegetables and herbs, to produce a savory outcome.

Serves 4 | SAUCE: 3 tablespoons extravirgin olive oil | 400 g canned chopped tomatoes | 100 g pancetta | 1 carrot | 1 stick of celery | 1 onion | 2 shallots | 1 sprig of fresh rosemary | 1 cup of fresh parsley, chopped | ½ glass white dry wine | salt and black pepper to taste | PASTA: 400 g spaghetti (as always, you can reduce this quantity, if you’re not an Italian fatso like me ) | a handful of coarse salt | SERVING: 2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano cheese.

How to prepare your spaghetti
- Start heating a large pot of water for the pasta.
- Chop carrot, celery, onion, shallot and rosemary, mixing them. Finely chop the parsley and keep it for the final topping. Dice the pancetta.
- Warm the oil in a saucepan over medium heat, then add the mix of vegetable. Cook for around 5 minutes over medium heat, then add the pancetta, wait a couple of minutes and add the wine, over a high heat until it evaporates. Add the tomatoes, and cook over a medium heat for 15/20 minutes (or as long as you like, but not toooooooo much), stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, and add salt and black pepper to taste.
- Add the coarse salt to the boiling pot of water, wait a couple of minutes then put in the pasta. Fill with hot water a serving bowl large enough for all the pasta.
- Cook the spaghetti (look at the package for the cooking time and taste them a couple of minutes before the end).
- Empty and wipe the warmed bowl. Drain the pasta and pour it into the bowl. Add the sauce in the bowl, then add chopped parsley and grated cheese and stir well with a fork and a spoon.
- Using fork and spoon, put the pasta in 4 warm plates and serve.

What wine can you drink with this recipe? A good red wine should go well with this tomato pasta dish, like a Sangiovese di Romagna Doc, from Emilia-Romagna region.

[justplainbill]

3.5 ounces per person seems a modest portion unless they're a prima piatti.

[Luca Lazzari]

Originally Posted by justplainbill

3.5 ounces per person seems a modest portion unless they're a prima piatti.

You're right justplainbill, it's supposed to be a primo piatto in a meal with more servings. However I try never to eat more than 120 grams of pasta, even if it's the only serving of my meal.

From now on I'll add this "primo piatto" warning of yours to all my posted pasta recipes. Thanks!

[Josie1945]

Hi Luca,
I missed you. Glad you are back.
Thanks for the recipe I will definatly try it.

Josie

[Luca Lazzari]

Thanks Josie!
And now I have to focus more on the risotto side of the table...

[taxlady]

Originally Posted by justplainbill

3.5 ounces per person seems a modest portion unless they're a prima piatti.

What's prima piatti?

[Luca Lazzari]

Originally Posted by taxlady

What's prima piatti?

Hi taxlady, a "primo piatto", or as we call it in Italy a "primo" (meaning "first"; plural "primi", "primi piatti"), is one of the serving of an italian meal.

This is the structure of a typical full course Italian meal:

- Antipasto (antipasti): appetizer > Anything on earth and beyond, but usually some cold cuts, or grilled vegs, or some fish, but also bruschette and so on

- Primo: entrée, starter > pasta, risotto, soup

- Secondo: second course > meat, fish, eggs, anything BUT NOT pasta or risotto
- Contorno: the side dish for the second course > vegetables of any kind

- Frutta: fruit
- Dolce: dessert
- Caffè: espresso coffee
- Liquore, ammazzacaffè > a good strong drink to finish!

- And do not forget the inevitable bread and wine!

Buon appetito

[justplainbill]

Originally Posted by taxlady

What's prima piatti?

My bad Italian and gender for first plate(s).
Sorry, I have not been back to Italy for over 40 years.

[taxlady]

Originally Posted by Luca Lazzari

Hi taxlady, a "primo piatto", or as we call it in Italy a "primo" (meaning "first"; plural "primi", "primi piatti"), is one of the serving of an italian meal.

This is the structure of a typical full course Italian meal:

- Antipasto (antipasti): appetizer > Anything on earth and beyond, but usually some cold cuts, or grilled vegs, or some fish, but also bruschette and so on

- Primo: entrée, starter > pasta, risotto, soup

- Secondo: second course > meat, fish, eggs, anything BUT NOT pasta or risotto
- Contorno: the side dish for the second course > vegetables of any kind

- Frutta: fruit
- Dolce: dessert
- Caffè: espresso coffee
- Liquore, ammazzacaffè > a good strong drink to finish!

- And do not forget the inevitable bread and wine!

Buon appetito

Thanks for the primer. I feel like this post should be a "sticky" in the ethnic food section. It would be nice to be able to find it easily for reference.

How much of that is usually served for a regular, weeknight meal?

[Kathleen]

Again, that recipe sounds so good. I think that I will love the blend of veggies and herbs with pancetta! Do you think that I could use fresh tomatoes when they come in season or do the canned variety work better?

I also have a question about your typical Italian course, which sounds simply fantastic! If you have something like bruschetta as an appetizer, would you then have tomatoes featured elsewhere such as in a sauce? One of my favorite appetizers has to be the fresh mozzarella with fresh tomatoes and fresh basil! It's just so good.

Thank you so much for posting this recipe and the other one. They both sound amazing!