Bucatini with tomato, pancetta and vegetables, “Marchigiana” style

[Luca Lazzari]

Hi friends, I found this fine recipe in one of my cookbooks, La pasta delle nonne (Grandmothers’ pasta). It’s basically one of the 375 billions variations of an Italian tomato+vegs+cured pork pasta sauce. It comes from the Marche region, a beautiful and small region in central Italy, on the Adriatic sea.
So, this morning I’ll go out for some basic shopping and I’ll have it for dinner. It looks like a good recipe, with good sound ingredients, easy to make. More comfy than showy, IMO. We’ll see.

Now let’s take a look at the recipe.

Ingredients serving 4
150 g pancetta coppata, diced (substitute with pancetta, or prosciutto crudo, but not with other cold cuts, or you would change too much the intended flavor and texture)
1 onion, medium size
1 small carrot
1 celery stick
3 tablespoons EVOO
1 glass red wine
450 g canned chopped peeled tomatoes (not a runny bottled tomato sauce, because we need some texture here)
Fine grounded salt and black pepper
2 tablespoons coarse salt
450 g bucatini (or other long shaped pasta, like spaghetti, trenette, etc.)
1 cup grated pecorino cheese (or parmigiano reggiano)

How to make Bucatini alla Marchigiana
1-- Prepare the vegs: finely chop together onion, carrot and celery. Dice the pancetta: you don’t need too large meat cubes, I cut them about 1/2 cm.
Warm EVOO in a saucepan on medium heat, add the pancetta and sautée for about 3/5 minutes. You don’t want to cook it for too long, because it will cook again in the tomato sauce, and you want to transfer its “porky” flavor to the sauce. Add and sautée the minced vegs, stirring with a wooden spoon about 4 minutes. Pour in the glass of red wine and let it dry.
2-- In the meantime, bring a large pot of water (about 4 or 5 l water) to a rolling boil, then add about 2 tablespoons of coarse salt.
3-- Add the chopped tomatoes to the saucepan, stir well, cook about 5 minutes, taste it and add grounded salt and black pepper. Cook about 15 minutes on low/medium heat, and check it again before the end to see if it’s savory enough for you.
4-- Add the pasta to the boiling water, stir it and cook it for the time printed on the label. Drain your pasta, put it in the saucepan on high heat and mix it with the sauce very quickly, because you don’t wont to overcook it.
Transfer your pasta in a large bowl, stir well, add grated cheese, stir again and serve at once.

Buon appetito!

[CWS4322]

Luca--I have everything to try this as well--but, do you saute the "trinity" (carrot, onion, celery) first and then add it or ?
I'm tempted to add some sauteed eggplant--have eggplant. I am also tempted to add some artichoke (in my case, those would be canned) and a smidgen of anchovie paste. Oh-oh--I'm on my way to making a new dish....

I'm thinking it would be nice garnished with some diced olives and capers as well as the grated cheese and chopped Italian parsley or fresh basil.

I will not be making it with "commercial" tomatoes--at this time of year, I have tomatoes up my ying-yang.

Maybe this weekend.

[Luca Lazzari]

Originally Posted by CWS4322

Luca--I have everything to try this as well--but, do you saute the "trinity" (carrot, onion, celery) first and then add it or ?
I'm tempted to add some sauteed eggplant--have eggplant.

I'm thinking it would be nice garnished with some diced olives and capers as well as the grated cheese and chopped Italian parsley or fresh basil.

I will not be making it with "commercial" tomatoes--at this time of year, I have tomatoes up my ying-yang.

Hi CWS4322, when I use pancetta or things like that, I usually first sauté the meat, then add the soffritto trinity to the pan and go on sautéing the mix. That way, the vegs cook in the fat melting out from the meat, if any.
Don't know about eggplants, I like them only fried and/or battered!
And if you have your own sauce made with your ripe and flavorsome tomato, obviously you can greatly increase the overall fragrance of the sauce.
About garnishing, I'm somewhat a brute I'm always afraid to add garnishing which could interfere with the flavor of a recipe; for example, I like basil, but I would not add basil leaves to this dish. And I hate adding chopped parsley

Ciao
Luca

[PrincessFiona60]

Luca, that sounds wonderful! Gives me an excuse to buy pancetta!

[Luca Lazzari]

Originally Posted by PrincessFiona60

Luca, that sounds wonderful! Gives me an excuse to buy pancetta!

In my larder you'll always find, even in hard times, garlic, onions, celery, olive oil, pancetta, pasta, peperoncino and tomatoes!

[PrincessFiona60]

Originally Posted by Luca Lazzari

In my larder you'll always find, even in hard times, garlic, onions, celery, olive oil, pancetta, pasta, peperoncino and tomatoes!

Pancetta and prosciutto are quite expensive here in my corner of the world.

It is purchased and savored in small amounts.

[Luca Lazzari]

Originally Posted by PrincessFiona60

Pancetta and prosciutto are quite expensive here in my corner of the world.

It is purchased and savored in small amounts.

I'm sorry. I really need to work hard on the substitutions.
However, here you cannot find Mountain Dew

[PrincessFiona60]

Originally Posted by Luca Lazzari

I'm sorry. I really need to work hard on the substitutions.
However, here you cannot find Mountain Dew

Oh no! I will use the pancetta, like I said it gives me an excuse to buy some. And a chance to see what other delicacies I can be tempted to buy.

[Addie]

Bucatini is a fun pasta to try and eat. It like eating cooked straws. The only brand we can find that makes it here is Pastene. Pastene products are treated like a god in this part of the city. I am problably the only one who does not worship this product's name.

[Luca Lazzari]

Originally Posted by Addie

Bucatini is a fun pasta to try and eat. It like eating cooked straws. The only brand we can find that makes it here is Pastene. Pastene products are treated like a god in this part of the city. I am problably the only one who does not worship this product's name.

I'm a true pasta worshipper, but I have an ecumenical approach...

[Addie]

Originally Posted by Luca Lazzari

I'm a true pasta worshipper, but I have an ecumenical approach...

Do you think the Pope, being that he is from Germany, has learned to love pasta yet? I can hear the angels singing now.

[Luca Lazzari]

Originally Posted by Addie

Do you think the Pope, being that he is from Germany, has learned to love pasta yet? I can hear the angels singing now.

I firmly and respectfully believe that our beloved Holy Father, despite its northern origin, has been converted to the rituals of the Cucina Romana.
To be more specific, among the four Memores Domini which helps the Pope, Loredana rules the kitchen in the Pope apartment, buying and preparing food, helped by Carmela, which is specialized in cakes and desserts.

[Addie]

Originally Posted by Luca Lazzari

I firmly and respectfully believe that our beloved Holy Father, despite its northern origin, has been converted to the rituals of the Cucina Romana.
To be more specific, among the four Memores Domini which helps the Pope, Loredana rules the kitchen in the Pope apartment, buying and preparing food, helped by Carmela, which is specialized in cakes and desserts.

I firmly believe that those august and wise cardinals who choose the next Pope have gone outside the walls of Italy in the hopes of spreading the word of the Cucina Romana. First Poland and now Germany. I do think the next Pope should come from Scandinavia.

[taxlady]

Originally Posted by Addie

I firmly believe that those august and wise cardinals who choose the next Pope have gone outside the walls of Italy in the hopes of spreading the word of the Cucina Romana. First Poland and now Germany. I do think the next Pope should come from Scandinavia.

Scandinavia?!

They are mostly agnostic. Evangelical Lutheran is the state religion in Denmark and Sweden. As of some time this year, there is no longer a state religion in Norway, though Evangelical Lutheran was the state religion for over 500 years.

[Addie]

Originally Posted by taxlady

Scandinavia?!

They are mostly agnostic. Evangelical Lutheran is the state religion in Denmark and Sweden. As of some time this year, there is no longer a state religion in Norway, though Evangelical Lutheran was the state religion for over 500 years.

I know. But there has to be at least a few Catholics and a Cardinal in the whole area. the Catholic church could use an outside view.

In Tacoma, there is the Pacific Lutheran University. Each year, the reigning head alternates between Denmark and Sweden for graduation exercises. I don't think the university has heard about the agnostic side of things. Religion is mandatory for the full four years. Regardless of your own religion. And Lutheran is the religion taught.

[PrincessFiona60]

Wayyyyyy off topic in a recipe thread!

Let's get back to the recipe, Thanks!