Wednesday, May 11, 2005

Pasta alla Caruso

W
hile I've recovered from the little virus I had over the weekend, I'm still licking my emotional wounds over missing that 50 to 1 longshot in the Kentucky Derby. After all, he was named in honor of my favorite opera composer, Giacomo Puccini. Alas, when it comes to the bangtails, I spend far too much time trying to quantify a race's outcome with mathematics, rather than hunches. And I remain squeamish at the notion of parting with $2.00 on a horse with post time odds of 50 to 1.

Nevertheless, the whole experience caused me to think about opera, which in turn, led to thoughts about one of my favorite pasta dishes, named in behalf of one of the greatest tenors in the history of opera: Pasta alla Caruso. So if I had a Jones for Pasta alla Caruso on Saturday, by the time I felt up to cooking pasta yesterday, I had a serious Jones. I rarely go more than two days without eating pasta.

Enrico Caruso's passion for food—and cooking—nearly equaled his passion for opera. During his tenure at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York, he sponsored the citizenship of more than a dozen chefs from his home town, Naples; possibly to repair his deprivation of the Napoletano cuisine he missed. Further, he helped them to open restaurants and pizzerias in Little Italy, and on evenings when he wasn't singing, he would spend time working in their kitchens.

But here's where the story of Pasta alla Caruso becomes muddy. Some food historians say he invented the dish and named it for himself; others say one of his Napoletano friends in New York invented it and named it in his honor. Still others say it was a chef in Naples who invented it and named it for one of Naples' favorite sons.

No matter. The combination of chicken livers, mushrooms, and a rich tomato sauce makes for a soul-satisfying primo piatto, first course. The chicken livers provide a creamy richness, the mushrooms, an earthiness, and the tomato sauce, a sweet acidity. The whole thing comes together like an aria from La Boheme.

Note: if you are indeed serving Pasta alla Caruso as a first course, make smaller portions than you ordinarily would with other recipes. The chicken livers make this a richer dish than, say, pasta alla marina.

Pasta alla Caruso
Pasta with Chicken Livers and Mushrooms in a Red Wine Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

2 Tbs. Olive Oil
1 Cup Flour, seasoned with salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 Lb. Chicken Livers, separated into individual lobes, all visible fat removed
2 Tbs. Extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbs. Unsalted butter
1 Lb. Assorted mushrooms, Portobello, Crimini, White button, sliced thinly
1 Cup dry red wine
1 28 Oz. Can, peeled Tomatoes (preferably San Marzano)
2 Tbs. Flat-leafed Italian Parsley, finely chopped
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 Lb. Spaghetti or Perciatelli
Parmigiano

Preparation:

Flour the chicken livers, shaking off any excess and reserve on a plate.

Heat a sauté pan over high heat, then add the olive oil. Add the chicken livers and sauté until they are slightly browned and firm. Remove from the, pan and reserve.

Pour off the olive oil, then add the two tablespoons of butter. When the butter has foamed and the foam begins to subside, add the mushrooms, tossing to coat with the butter. Cook for four or five minutes, until the mushrooms begin to give off some of their juices.

Add the wine all at once, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any caramelized bits of liver and mushroom from the bottom. Continue, cooking over high heat until the wine has reduced by about half. Lower the heat, puree the tomatoes through a food mill, or in a food processor, then add to the mushrooms and wine. Adjust the heat so the mixture barely simmers.

Slice the chicken livers crosswise into half-inch rounds and add them, with any of their accumulated juices, to the tomato sauce. Taste for seasoning, add salt and pepper if necessary, then cook over low heat for about thirty minutes, or until the extraneous juices have evaporated.

In the meantime, bring a large pot with about six quarts of water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente.

Drain the pasta, divide equally among four (or six) plates, top with the sauce, and garnish with the chopped parsley. Pass the Parmigiano separately at the table.

Oh, and try not to act surprised when one of your dinner guests suddenly discovers a long-hidden talent for Italian opera.

Serves four as an entrée, six as a first course.


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