No Reservation Required

I think I was predisposed to love all things Italian.

I grew up in North Edmonton, and my earliest childhood friend who lived right up the street was a good Catholic Italian girl, with a mom who provided me with an early taste for authentic Italian food. Then there was the elementary school Madonna obsession that I shared with my Italian BFF who actually owned an “Italians Do It Better” pin. I couldn’t disagree. The two of us spent hours in the basement learning every move in the “Papa Don’t Preach” video. I knew who Nonna e Nonno were from the time I was six, in my teen years I dated boys named Bruno and Marco, a certain Cicero boy threw rocks at my window late at night one too many times in high school, and I have watched Moonstruck more times than I can count on two hands. I’m pretty sure the movie explains everything you need to know about life in general.

The taste of home cooked pastas, fresh made pizzas, and simple salads never tasted like the Italian food found in Edmonton restaurants. The simple flavours of a few key ingredients that were never masked by too much garlic, fistfuls of oregano, or sauce from a can. The freshness of tomatoes from the garden, fresh basil, a generous amount of salt, and perfectly al dente pasta was the key. It ruined me.

Then one day, Rao’s was introduced to me. The illusive New York restaurant that no one can get a reservation at. A city institution where even the hippest celebrity would be hard pressed to get a table. You need to know someone….or get the cookbook. That seemed easier.

Since Cream alluded to the “perfect pappardelle main” in her True Blood tribute, I could hardly go without sharing it. The Rao’s Pappardelle with Hot Italian Sausage Sauce has since become a crowd favorite that has been served at many a dinner party in my home. One look at the back cover of the Rao’s cookbook, with Vincent and Anna Pellegrino Rao’s photograph in her big sunglasses and roller set hair, and you will fall in love with them and the recipes inside.

One key step that is so often missed when preparing pasta in our culture of “sauce from a can that serves as a topping”, is the process of combining the sauce with the freshly strained pasta over heat. This is a key step in any good pasta dish as it draws the sauce into the pasta. Add a little cheese to that and it pulls it all together. Too much sauce is never a good thing when it comes to authentic Italian food. It should just coat the pasta and then can be served on the side for those who desire more.

So heat up the hot rollers, break out the vintage Givenchy sunglasses, get to Spinelli’s and pick up some fresh basil, De Cecco Pappardelle, San Marzano tomatoes, Little Italy Italian Sausages, Pecorino Romano, grab a bottle of red and a bottle of white on the way home (or two), and invite some friends over. There’s plenty to go around.

Pappardelle with Hot Sausage Sauce

1 lb pappardelle

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 – 28 oz cans of San Marzano tomatoes (hand crushed)

6 hot or mild Italian sausages

3/4 cup chopped onion

1 1/2 cups dry white wine (I use a Pinot Grigio)

6 fresh basil leaves, torn

Pinch of dried oregano

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Salt to taste

3 Tbsp freshly grated Pecorino Romano

Remove casing from sausages and break meat up into chunks.  Heat  Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat.  Add onions and sauté for 3 minutes until just translucent.  Add sausage and sauté for about 5 minutes or until lightly browned.  Drain off excess fat.

Add wine and stir to combine.  Raise the heat and bring to a boil. Boil for about three minutes or until liquid has reduced slightly.

Add tomatoes and salt. Return to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for about 20 minutes until sauce has thickened slightly.  Stir in basil, oregano and pepper.

While sauce is simmering, cook the Pappardelle pasta in a large pot of rapidly boiling water until al dente.  Drain and return to pot.  Stir in ½ cup sausage sauce.  Toss together.  Add Pecorino Romano. Transfer to a large serving platter. Spoon extra sauce over the top and sprinkle with more Pecorino Romano cheese. Extra sauce and cheese can be served on the table for those who like more of course.

Mangia!