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Pasta Ragu
Served with garlic bread & a big green salad
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Serves 4
Prep time: 15 minutes Total time: 40 minutes |
- 1 rib celery
- 1 medium carrot
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 1 shallot
- 1 head lettuce, such as escarole or curly endive
- One 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
- 1 lb. great quality fettuccine
- 7oz. Prosciutto or other air-cured ham
- 1 bottle dry white wine such as Frascati
- 2 baguettes or 2 big ciabatta
Shopping List
- Balsamic vinegar
- Black pepper
- Dijon mustard
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 6 garlic cloves
- Hot paprika
- Sea salt
Pantry Items
- Bread knife
- Chef’s knife
- Large stockpot or pasta pot
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Medium saucepan
- Mixing bowls
- Paring knife
- Salad spinner
- Sheet pan
- Spatula
- Strainer
- Vegetable peeler
- Whisk
- Wooden spoons
Tools
- Wine: Try an Italian tonight – Albana di Romagna
- Dessert: Sorbet
- Make lots of extra garlic bread – leftovers are even good for breakfast
Suggestions
- When you walk in the door
- Fill the pasta pot 2/3 with water, add 2 tbsps. salt
- Preheat the the broiler, adjust the rack
- Get out Pantry Items
- Get out Tools
- Assemble the ingredients
- Open the wine and pour yourself a glass
- Prep
- Trim and peel the celery stalk. Mince the celery.
- Trim and peel the carrot. Mince the carrot.
- Peel and mince the onion.
- Trim and thinly slice the shallot.
- Discard any damaged lettuce leaves.
- Remove the leaves from the head, rinse and spin dry.
- Tear the lettuce into large, bite-size pieces.
- Peel and mince 6 cloves garlic.
- Cut the Prosciutto into tiny dice.
- Measure out ½ cup dry white wine.
- Cut the baguette or the ciabatta in half, lengthwise, then in half horizontally.
- Start Cooking
- Put the pasta pot over medium-high heat.
- Heat 1 tbsp. olive oil in the medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the celery, the carrot, the onion, and the prosciutto and stir.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook, covered, until the vegetables soften, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- While the vegetables are cooking, open up the tomatoes, and set the table.
- When the vegetables are tender, add the ½ cup wine, ½ cup water and the tomatoes and stir.
- Increase the heat to medium-high and when the liquid comes to a boil, reduce the heat so the sauce is simmering. Cook until it has thickened, for about 20 minutes.
- Time to make the garlic bread. Brush the bread on the cut sides liberally with olive oil.
- Spread the cut sides with the minced garlic. If you need more, mince more.
- If you like your garlic bread spicy, sprinkle it lightly with hot paprika.
- Put the garlic bread on the sheet pan.
- Make the vinaigrette now. Put 1 tbsp. vinegar in a large bowl. Whisk in 1 tsp. mustard, the shallot, and a pinch of salt, then whisk in 1/4 cup olive oil. Taste.
- Stir the pasta into the boiling water and cook it for 7-12 minutes, until it is al dente.
- Check the sauce. If it’s very, very soupy, just keep cooking it. If it’s thick, remove it from the heat. Season it to taste and keep it warm.
- Put the garlic bread under the broiler. Broil it until it is golden, 5 minutes or so. If it’s browning on top before the bread gets nice and hot through, you may want to move the rack further from the heating element.
- When the bread is golden and crisp, turn off the broiler. Leave the bread in the oven so it stays warm.
- When the pasta is cooked, drain it but save some of the cooking liquid. Put the pasta in a large serving dish, and pour a tbsp. cooking liquid over it. Pour the sauce on top.
- Quickly whisk the vinaigrette, add the lettuce and toss, toss, toss. Put the garlic bread in a basket.
- Dinner is ready! Take everything to the table.
