Pasta con le Regaglie

L

ast week, I came into possession of some turkey giblets. The whole deal had a surreptitious quality about it that I loved. A chef friend was going to prepare Turkey Divan, and had no use for them. But she extended the offer sotto voce, perhaps because she wasn't sure if I liked turkey giblets, and that added to the intrigue. This wasn't the first time I'd been involved in deals like this.

Several years ago, when I lived in Boston, my upstairs neighbor was a cook at the former Jasper's on Commercial Street. Jasper White had created a culinary niche cooking upscale versions of classic New England dishes. My neighbor would call me at work from time to time, and, using a conspiratorial tone of voice, would inform me that Jasper was making his lobster rolls that evening. So I'd make a bee line to Jasper's at the end of my workday, sit at his small bar, and practically inhale one of his lobster rolls. Jasper's lobster rolls were well worth being part of any kind of conspiracy; real or imagined.

But reflection on lobster rolls aside, turkey giblets are not the kind of foodstuffs that are readily available at the local megastore unless they come packaged in the turkey. So my little "score" was a particular treat. And for me anyway, the logical outcome to look forward to was Pasta con le Regaglie. (reh-GAHL-yay)

In the interest of full disclosure, I confess that my previous attempts at Pasta con le Regaglie have ranged from mediocre to dismal failure. In fact, I was feeling like Charlie Brown must have felt about kicking a football. Each time I tried it, I knew in my heart that it was going to be great. And each time, I wound up on my back.

The problem was a gristly texture that was about as appealing as chewing elastic bands. It seemed that no matter how thoroughly I dissected the giblets, or how diligent I was in removing connective tissue, I couldn't lose the gristle.

So I spent some time studying recipes on Italian web sites, and it seemed my problems related to the length of time I cooked the giblets. It turns out, this dish wants to be cooked for a long time. But I love Pasta con le Regaglie; sufficiently to try it one more time.

I discovered the dish many, many years ago, at a trattoria in Rome; I've been chasing it like some kind of Holy Grail ever since; and I believe with this recipe, I've caught it. The giblets help to create an intense, rustic, and earthy tomato sauce, while the livers lend a creaminess at the same time.

And despite the fact that Caterina de' Medici is said to have enjoyed giblet ragôut from time to time, this dish is a supreme example of la cucina dei poveri, the cooking of the poor.

Pasta con le Regaglie
Pasta with Giblets

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Lbs. Giblets (chicken or turkey)
2 Cloves garlic, peeled
1 Medium carrot, peeled and cut into chunks
1 Stalk celery, peeled and cut into chunks
1 Medium yellow onion, quartered
3 Tbs. Italian flat-leaf parsley, including stems
2 Oz. Pancetta, roughly chopped
2 Tbs. Extra-virgin olive oil
1 Cup dry white wine
1 14 Oz. Can low-sodium chicken broth
1 28 Oz. Can crushed or diced Italian plum tomatoes (preferably San Marzano)
1/2 tsp. Crushed red pepper flakes
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 Lb. Rigatoni
4 Tbs. Flat-leaf Italian parsley, finely chopped
Pecorino-Romano

Preparation:

Remove all connective tissue, visible fat, and silverskin from the hearts and gizzards. Chop into very fine dice, along with the livers, and reserve.

Place the garlic, carrot, celery, onion, parsley and pancetta in the bowl of a food processor and pulse ten or more times for about one second for each pulse. The resulting mixture is known as a batutto.

Heat a four quart pot over medium heat, then add the oil. Add the batutto, and cook for approximately ten minutes, until the vegetables have softened, and the pancetta has rendered its fat. Lower the heat if the vegetables begin to color.

Add the giblets to the pot, and continue cooking, shaking the pot from time to time, until the giblets have lost their pinkish color.

Raise the heat to high, and add the wine. Continue cooking over high heat until the wine has reduced to approximately 1/4 cup. Add the chicken broth, and cook over high heat until it has reduced by approximately half.

Lower the heat to medium-low, and add the tomatoes and the red pepper flakes. Adjust the heat so the sauce simmers gently. Season with salt and pepper, and simmer, uncovered, for approximately one hour, or until the sauce has thickened, and any extraneous liquid has cooked off.

Approximately fifteen minutes before the sauce should be done, bring a large pot with salted water (at least six quarts) to the boil. Add the rigatoni, and cook until the pasta has just reached the al dente state. Remove from the heat and drain in a colander.

To Serve:

Divide the pasta equally among four plates and add a dollop of sauce to each. Garnish with the parsley, and pass the Pecorino-Romano separately at the table.

Technorati tags: Giblets, Pasta, Italian Recipes, Skip Lombardi