Friday, February 26, 2010

Rigatoni Alla Matriciana for Presto Pasta Nights!

I wish we could take a trip. We do have some cool bike trips planned....but sometimes you dream of visiting another country and experiencing the culinary delights of their culture first-hand. Between cash flow and the ever increasing intrusions and inconveniences of TSA ....I'll be traveling through books and cooking. For awhile anyway.

Back in December I wrote about the book Cooking in Paradise and culinary vacations such as Laura’s World in a Pan. That post may be found HERE

One of the pages I copied from the aforementioned book describes a “Culinary Adventure in Amalfi at the Hotel Luna Convento” and the following recipe. We thought we’d give this one a try.



Rigatoni Alla Matriciana

3 TB olive oil
1 medium white onion, chopped
5 oz. bacon or pancetta, cut into strips
Red chili pepper
12 oz. fresh or canned plum tomatoes, crushed
Bay leaf
Chopped parsley
½ cup white wine
1 pound rigatoni
2 TB Parmesan or pecorino cheese

Saute onions slowly in olive oil and a little salt Рabout 10 minutes. Add bacon or pancetta and saut̩ another 10 minutes.



Add white wine and simmer until evaporated. Add the chili pepper, tomatoes, bay leaf and parsley. Simmer for 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on how thick you want the sauce.



Cook the pasta, drain and place in a serving dish. Pour hot sauce over pasta.



Season with grated Parmesan or pecorino and serve immediately.





Serve with crusty bread....



You can make this sauce in large batches and freeze for later use. One thing I would do differently next time is use a linguine or angel hair pasta rather than the fat rigatoni. Just personal preference.

As I mentioned in my December post, this book is a few years old and so this particular gastronomic holiday may no longer be available.

I am sending this to Presto Pasta Nights. Our host for Presto pasta Nights this week is Debi at Debbi Does Dinner

Presto

Look...always begging while I'm cooking.........



I think a culinary vacation would be a blast. If anyone has ever been on one I'd appreciate it if you'd drop me a line and let me know what you thought!

18 comments:

  1. I haven't been on a culinary vacation, but I hope to one day! I think I could spend a couple months in Italy alone. The amalfi coast always looks so gorgeous on TV and in books. This is a gorgeous pasta dish Tina! Hope you have a great weekend!

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  2. That pancetta was so pretty! Perfect portion control Tina. And you're right it's day by day.

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  3. Kim - it would be great to have a culinary vacation in Italy or France. Gorgeous scenery...delicious food.

    Joie- Do you think you'll go back to a French Friday theme? I am trying to keep track and stay on healthy food for snacks.

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  4. We always manage to find some great restaurants when we are on vacation, but with 2 kids (1 is very picky) a truly culinary centered vacation wouldn't fly well!

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  5. I'd love to go on a culinary vacations...But that is a long way's off for me. But you could always come to Canada and hang out with me a while and we could create a culinary adventure in my new place!

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  6. Being indoors for days can make you long for faraway land. I hear the Amalfi coast is beautiful!

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  7. Oh this pasta looks wonderful! I wish i could take a trip too to experience all kinds of different food. :)

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  8. about the only culinary trip I'm doing now is living it through blogs ... love the sauce

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  9. Come for a visit - and bring your pasta!
    Laura from A World in a Pan!

    ps And thank you for mentioning my Culinary Vacation!

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  10. Janel - I know what you mean. When Tristan was little we looked for places where kids could eat free.

    WC - I would love that! I've never been to Canada., but would like to one day.

    Fresh and Local - I envy you your adventure tight now...yes, the Almafi coast would be great this time of year :-)

    Sook - thank you. Pasta sure makes a nice change from potatoes sometimes.

    Drick, same with us....reading books and blogs and having new foods. That is the extent of travel right now!

    Laura, I'd love to visit! I also visit your web page on culinary adventures often. One day...one day..

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  11. This sounds excellent! I love what white wine does for a meal. Don't even get me started on the bacon! Yum!

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  12. Followed the link from Presto Pasta Nights. Debbi said there was bacon and wine involved and I couldn't resist!

    Thanks for the tip on freezing. something tells me this is a sauce I will want in large amounts.

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  13. I would love to go on a culinary vacation, but really it can happen every day in the kitchen. This one looks delicious!!

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  14. Debbi - thanks...I like cooking with wine and bacon is a natural marriage!

    MM - I have to freeze`sauce quite a bit. Just too much to waste....thanks for the nice comments!

    Krista - I feel the same way. We can make it happen in the kitchen...and a little music from the country too.

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