“Italians take pasta seriously, it’s not an afterthought. We make almost all our own pasta at the restaurant; the pappardelle is always made here. It’s easy to make home made pasta once you learn the technique. It’s versatile and perfect for the holidays — for a big Christmas lunch or a late night New Year’s Eve snack.”
— Daniel Costa, corso 32
Christmas Eve
Ricotta gnocchi
Ricotta gnocchi are light and simple to make. Toss the cooked gnocchi with a simple tomato sauce, browned butter and sage, or fry in a little olive oil until crispy.
- 1 tub fresh ricotta, use sheep milk ricotta if possible (about 450 grams)
- 1 egg
- ¾ c flour
- ½ c pecorino romano cheese, finely grated
- 1 t nutmeg
- 1 t kosher salt
Place the ricotta in a fine strainer over a bowl, and allow to strain overnight.
In a large bowl, mix the ricotta, egg, cheese, nutmeg and salt until well combined. Add the flour and mix to combine. Place the dough on a floured work surface and knead for about 45 seconds to combine. Cover dough and allow to rest for 30 minutes.
Divide the dough into four. Roll each piece into 2 cm cylinders on a floured surface. Cut each cylinder into 2 cm pieces. Using your thumb or two fingers roll each piece of dough off the inside of a fork or a gnocchi board.
Set aside on a floured surface and cover so they won’t dry out.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil with a handful of salt. Gently add gnocchi to the boiling water. When the gnocchi float, allow to cook for an additional minute. Take off heat, drain and toss gnocchi in your preferred sauce.
Serves 4.
Christmas Day
Ziti with sugo alla napoletana
This is a southern Italian classic, especially on Sundays when you have to feed a ton of people. Both dishes are prepared in one pot and served across two courses, the pasta first with the sugo, and the meat second.
- 1 lb ziti
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 6 c canned San Marzano tomatoes, passed through a food mill
- 3 links Italian pork or lamb sausage
- 4 legs chicken to make the braciole
- 6 pieces beef or veal, pounded to ¼ inch thickness
- Pecorino romano, grated Italian parsley, roughly chopped
- fresh bread crumbs
- pepperoncini or hot chilies
- kosher salt
- extra virgin olive oil
Spread the cuts of beef on a work surface, season with a little salt. Sprinkle pecorino, bread crumbs, parsley and the peppers over each piece. Roll into cylinders and tie with butcher’s twine. Reserve.
To make the sauce
Heat the olive oil in a deep pot on high heat. Sear the sausage, chicken legs and braciole on all sides in batches and set aside. Drain some of the oil from the pot, add the onions and cook until translucent. Add the garlic and continue cooking another 2 minutes. Add the tomato and gently place the meat back in the pot. Simmer on low for 2 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Add a little water while the sauce is cooking if it becomes too dry.
Pasta
Add a generous handful of kosher salt (4 T) to 12 cups of water in a large pot and bring to a boil. Add pasta. Cook until al dente. Save 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. While the water is boiling, gently remove all the meat from the sauce. Cover and set aside as the second course to follow the pasta. Toss the pasta with enough sauce to coat all of the ziti. Serve immediately with a little pecorino and a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil on top.
A Quick Holiday Dinner
Bucatini all’amatriciana
This is one of my favourite dishes. For this recipe, try your best to find guanciale. The fat has a delicate flavour that is difficult to substitute. This will be easy, as the Italian Centre Shop has recently started carrying guanciale (frozen). You could also cure your own, as we do at Corso 32, but you will be waiting a few weeks.
- 450 gr bucatini
- 1 piece guanciale (about 350 grams)
- 4 cloves garlic, finely sliced
- 2 c canned San Marzano tomatoes, passed through a food mill
- 1 t hot chilies
- ¼ c Pecorino romano, grated
- 1 head Italian parsley, leaves picked
- extra virgin olive oil
- kosher salt
Sauce
Heat a little olive oil in a large pan. Add the sliced guanciale and fry until golden. Add the sliced garlic and cook until it just starts to turn golden. Add the pepperoncini, followed by the tomatoes. Simmer the sauce for 10 minutes stirring frequently.
Pasta
Add a generous handful of kosher salt (4 T) to 12 cups of water in a large pot and bring to a boil. Cook the pasta until al dente. Save 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Drain the pasta; add to the simmering sauce. Stir the bucatini into the sauce and add the pecorino and parsley. Add a little pasta water if needed.
Serve pasta immediately. Top with a little more pecorino and pepperoncini. Serves 4
Late night New Year’s Eve
Spaghetti caccio e peppe
The best quick pastas come from in and around Rome. These include aglio eolio, carbonara, and all’Amatriciana. Cacio e pepe (cheese and pepper) is served with many different shapes of pasta but I really enjoy it with spaghetti. With this dish, remember that its simplicity is bold and flavourful.
- 1 pkg spaghetti
- 3 T whole black peppercorns
- 1 c pecorino romano, grated
- 3 T unsalted butter
- 3 T extra virgin olive oil
Add a generous handful of kosher salt (4 T) to 12 cups of water in a large pot and bring to a boil. Place the peppercorns in a mortar and crush to a course texture. Begin cooking the spaghetti. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the crushed peppercorns and lightly toast for 30 seconds. Add a small ladle of the pasta cooking water to the pan and remove from the heat. Save 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. When the pasta is al dente drain and add to the pan of pepper and oil. Add the butter, cheese, and a few splashes of pasta cooking water. Toss or stir with a wooden spoon until completely mixed and creamy. Serve immediately.
New Years Day
(Or dinner with the in-laws)
Rotolo with ricotta and swiss chard
Rotolo is a rolled stuffed pasta poached in boiling water, then cut into pieces to serve. We make this recipe at Corso 32, however we fry the rotolo in butter and top with a raw egg yolk. You can do the same if you are up for the challenge. This recipe takes time but the results are amazing. Remember to work quickly once the pasta is rolled, as you do not want it to dry and crack.
- 200 grams fresh pasta
- 1 tub (about 500 grams) fresh ricotta
- ½ head (about 5-6 large leaves) Swiss chard, washed and roughly chopped, stems and leaves separated
- ½ yellow onion, diced
- 1 clove garlic, finely sliced
- ¼ c pecorino romano, grated
- ½ t nutmeg
- 1 egg, beaten for egg wash
- kosher salt
- pepper
- 1/3 c unsalted butter
- 8 leaves sage
Filling
Heat butter over medium heat. Saute onions on medium-high heat until translucent. Add garlic, and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Season.
Add chopped swiss chard stems and cook for about 5 minutes. Add leaves and cook for another 10 minutes, or until tender. Season. Set the pan aside to cool.
Place the ricotta, nutmeg, pecorino and cooked Swiss chard in a large mixing bowl. Mix together
with your hands. Season, and add more pecorino if needed.
Assembling the pasta
Roll the pasta dough into a 16 x 20 inch rectangle and to the thickness of thin cardboard.
Place a large tea towel on a work surface, put the pasta sheet in the middle of the tea towel. Spread the ricotta filling evenly on the pasta sheet, leaving a ½ inch border. Brush a little beaten egg on the top border of the pasta sheet.
Using the tea towel as a support, roll the rectangle up like a jelly roll. Wrap the rotolo tightly in the tea towel. Using butcher’s twine, tie knots on both ends and wrap at three intervals evenly down the middle. Bring a fish kettle or large pot of salted water to a boil. Gently place the wrapped and tied rotolo in the boiling water and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Carefully remove and allow to rest.
While the rotolo is resting, heat the remaining butter in a sauté pan over high heat. When the butter begins to bubble, add the sage leaves and continue cooking until the butter begins to brown. Add a splash of water to stop the cooking process and remove from heat. Cut the twine, unwrap the rotolo and cut into even pieces. Spoon a little sage butter and grate Parmigiano over. Serves 4-6.
Glossary
Al dente: The perfect pasta, cooked but still firm to the bite. Interestingly, pasta cooked al dente has a lower glycemic index than pasta that is cooked soft, probably due to less complete conversion of starch to sugar.
Braciole: Thin cuts of meat rolled with cheese and bread crumbs. This preparation style is also called involtini, and rouladen in other parts of Europe.
Guanciale (gwahnCHIAleh): A bacon made from pork jowl that is cured with salt, and red and black pepper, but not smoked. Guanciale has a stronger flavour, yet more delicate texture than other Italian unsmoked bacons, but pancetta can be used in a pinch. It is a specialty of central Italy, particularly Umbria and Lazio.
Pepperoncini: are slightly hot, mildly bitter peppers, sold pickled in jars.