When it comes to Sunday dinners, I prefer to keep things easy and stress-free. No elaborate preparations or mountains of dishes to wash! This week, I stumbled upon a recipe in the New York Times that perfectly fit my goal.
The best part? I had all the ingredients on hand! With homemade pappardelle noodles waiting in the freezer, this dish came together in just 30 minutes. (Although I did make a rookie mistake and forgot to add the ricotta at the end - oops!)
The only feedback from Chris was to dial back the crushed red pepper next time. Other than that, it was a hit! And since we were just two, halving the recipe was the perfect portion size.
Click here to see the original recipe. This is my version of the recipe.
- Ingredients-
- Kosher salt
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 oz cubed pancetta
- 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste, preferably double-concentrated
- 1/2 cup vodka
- 1/2 pound pasta
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 ounces Pecorino Romano or Parmesan, finely grated (1/2 cup)
- 1/2 cup whole-milk ricotta - OOPS!! FORGOT TO ADD THIS.. : (
- Method-
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Heat a large, high-sided skillet over medium-high. Add the oil and bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is crispy at the edges, about 5 minutes.
Carefully drain all but 3 tablespoons of the fat, reserving any excess for later.
Lower the heat to medium. Stir in the red-pepper flakes, and oregano and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, just a few seconds.
Add the onion, season generously with salt and pepper and cook over medium-high, stirring, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add more bacon fat if the pan dries out.
Add the tomato paste and stir constantly until slightly darker in color, about 3 minutes.
Turn off the heat and stir in the vodka.
Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to package instructions until 2 minutes shy of al dente.
While the pasta cooks, turn the heat under the sauce to high and cook, stirring constantly, until reduced by three-quarters, about 2 minutes.
Add the cream and bring to a simmer. Take off the heat.
Reserve 1 cups of the pasta water.
Drain the pasta and add to the pan with the sauce, along with 1 cup pasta water and most of the pecorino.
Cook over medium-high, stirring vigorously with one hand while moving the pan back and forth with the other, until the sauce glossily drapes the noodles, 5 to 7 minutes.
Add more pasta water if the sauce looks dry.
Taste and season with more salt and pepper, as desired.
