Pasta alla Napoletana
I
n the interest of full disclosure, I feel compelled to say, I've never been to Naples. I've been close, but somehow, never made it those few last miles to the city limits. Nevertheless, when I ordered Pasta alla Napoletana at a trattoria in Salerno, for example, I felt enough kinship with the Napoletani, that I felt I would be getting the real McCoy.I learned about Pasta alla Napoletana, pasta with sausage and peppers in tomato sauce, from two wonderful folks who probably showed up on Public Television just a year or two before their time: Franco and Margaret Romagnoli. Their TV show, "The Romagnoli's Table," gave me my first insight into Italian regional cuisines, and provided the notion that I could indeed produce great Italian meals with my hand-me-down Revereware pots; given the right ingredients. Over time, Pasta alla Napoletana has been among those dishes.
Note: I had an epiphany yesterday when I cooked the peppers for this dish. I've written and published recipes for roasted peppers in which I've described roasting them under a broiler, but in fact, I probably haven't cooked them that way for fifteen years. Well, due to circumstances like needing propane, and having a ceramic cooktop, I could neither grill them, nor char them over a gas flame on the stove as I have in the past. So I did indeed cook them under the broiler. They were fabulous.
I want to write more about this, but for now, I'm going to hold it in abeyance for another blog post. For this recipe though, I'll include instructions for roasting peppers under the broiler.
Pasta alla Napoletana
Pasta with Sausage and Peppers in Tomato Sauce
Ingredients:
3 Large bell peppers
4 Cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
2 - 3 Tbs. Extra-virgin olive oil
1 28 oz. Can Italian plum tomatoes (Preferably San Marzano)
2 Tbs. Fresh oregano, finely chopped
4 Tbs. Fresh basil, finely chopped
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
Approximately 1 1/2 Lb. Italian sausages, cut into bite-sized pieces
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 Lb. Rigatoni
4 Tbs. Flat-leaf Italian parsley, finely chopped
Parmesan
Preparation:
Set one of your oven racks high enough to allow the peppers to roast approximately six inches away from the heat.
Preheat the broiler.
Place the peppers on a sheetpan, and put the sheetpan in the oven. Watch very closely—checking, literally once every minute or so—as the peppers' skin begins to blacken. Turn the peppers to expose the uncooked portions to the heat as their skins become charred.
As the peppers become blackened all around (this may not happen to all of them at the same time), remove them from the oven and seal them in a paper bag. Use only paper, as the paper will absorb moisture exuded by the peppers as they cool. Plastic or aluminum foil will hold moisture, and cause the peppers to become soggy.
Leave the peppers sealed in the bag for approximately fifteen minutes, then remove them and peel the charred skins. You can remove any uncooked portions of skin with a vegetable peeler. Remove the cores and seeds, cut the peppers into rough squares, and reserve.
Note: You can do this step well in advance, and simply have the peppers available at cooking time.
Heat a four quart saucepan over medium heat, then add the olive oil. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for approximately one minute.
Remove the pan from the heat and add the tomatoes, breaking them up with the back of a fork as they go in. Add the oregano, basil, and pepper flakes and bring the sauce to a simmer.
Add the sausages and peppers, season with salt and pepper, and regulate the heat so the sauce barely simmers. Cook for approximately one half hour.
Approximately 15 minutes before serving, bring a large pot of water (at least six quarts) to a full, rolling boil and add the pasta. Cook until just al dente. Drain in a colander, and pour the pasta out onto a serving platter.
Spoon the sausages and peppers over the pasta, then pour the remaining sauce over all. Garnish with the parsley, and serve family-style at the table. Pass the Parmesan separately.
Serves four.
Technorati tags: Pasta, Italian Food, Skip Lombardi
Labels: Italian recipes, Pasta