Pasta Amatriciana with fresh focaccia + a good Italian cocktail
The best thing to enter my household most recently - a brand new pasta maker. Specifically the Kitchen-Aid maker that goes great with my brand new mixer + makes all my favorite pasta shapes. This thing is having a moment at my house! We broke it in while my mom was visiting last week - getting ourselves elbow deep into a classic Lydia Bastianich recipe and we ended with one of the best red-sauces I’ve ever made, and some very light + lush pasta. We loved the whole thing so much we made it again this weekend, spending our Saturday night playing with our new toy, making pasta, + enjoying this Pasta Amatriciana served alongside fresh focaccia + a good Italian cocktail to enjoy while we cook. This pasta sauce is bright, fresh, and (to my surprise) truly simple. Just a classic red sauce that was too tasty to not immediately make again.
If there is one date-night that just instantly sparks joy in our house, it’s pasta night. It’s such a fun activity at-home! Something we can both take part-in + be equally hands on with. I like to whip up a couple dinner prep cocktails (in this case some Italian Greyhounds), put out some antipasti, and curate a very delightful prep, drink and snack moment for ourselves. It’s a perfect date-night in the kitchen. How much fun we have doing this was the driving force in upgrading the pasta situation we had been working with to this new little number.
Red sauce with attitude
This weekend’s project - classic spaghetti + sauce. We’re a big red sauce household, and this recipe is classic, easy to make, and no surprise ingredients. The key - using your food processor to make a finely minced vegetable medley. We’re talking one step away from a paste, and it makes for the perfect texture in your sauce. Carrots, onions, and celery pulsed into a very fine, pulverized little mix. It gets toasted in olive oil + pancetta juices before the tomatoes even hit the pan, and the best way to describe it is the veggies just melt right in. No big chunks of onion or large pieces of carrots - so many veggies (& lots of flavor from them) and the final products is just a smooth red sauce that will coat your noodles.
I also walked away from this pasta-making dession with one very important thing - a go to recipe for homemade pasta. I’ve been there when it doesn’t come together according to plan, and that’s a very disappointing experience. I was just nervous about finding a homemade dough recipe that would work with this pasta maker. Admittedly more nervous than I probably should have been. Long story short - this one is an easy go to. Gets the job done, easy to work + the pasta was delicious.
My 2nd batch seemed a little dry, and I did end up adding 1 teaspoon of water. Solved the problem and I ended up with a perfectly smooth ball of dough.
Go all in!
This pasta night was my big night in. Going all out was key! We’re talking pasta, focaccia, cocktails - I was doing it all! I dusted off my favorite focaccia recipe (one that has never failed me) and gave it a fun twist. Loaded the top with handfuls of shredded zucchini, dollops of velvety ricotta, and finally flakey sea salt. It was so good! The take-away is a well baked foccaccia holds up well with a hearty amount of toppings - I could have probably gone heavier with the veggies + cheese. And next time I will!
The cocktail was simple - an Italian Salty Dog. Essentially a salty dog cocktail with an ounce of Aperol, and sub the vodka with gin. Just 3 ounces grape fruit, 1.5 ounces gin, 1 oz of simple syrup, a dash of simple syrup, and a little grapefruit spindrift.
A perfect Italian feast right at home + some very successful time playing with our new pasta maker. Loved every second of this at-home datenight.
For the pasta (perfect pasta recipe for Kitchen-Aid pasta maker)
2 c. flour
3 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tbsp EVOO
For the sauce
2 tbsp EVOO
4 oz. diced pancetta
4 garlic cloves minced
1 small onion, cut into chunks
1 carrot, peeled + cut into chunks
1 celery stalk, cut into chunks
1-28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
2 c. broth
Salt + pepper
pinch of red pepper flakes
1/4 fresh parsley, minced
grated parmesan
Start by making the pasta dough. Add the flour to the bowl of a stand maker, create a small well, and crack the eggs in. Use a fork to gently whisk the eggs - breaking the yolks + folding in a bit of the flour. Just lightly combining the ingredients. Add in the salt + EVOO. Use the dough hook attachment to mix the dough at medium speed for about 6 minutes. Mix until the dough forms into a smooth ball, adding in a touch of water if the batter is struggle to come together. Pat the dough into a disk + wrap in plastic wrap. Leave in the fridge until you’re ready to roll out your dough.
Move to making the sauce. Place a large skillet over medium heat. Add in the EVOO + the pancetta. Cook until the pancetta is browned + crispy. When it looks like it’s getting close, add in the garlic to cook for 2 minutes.
As the pancetta cooks, add the onion, carrot, and celery to a food processor. Pulse to finely chop the veggies. The mixture should somewhat resemble wet sand - think one step away from paste-like. Add this veggie mixture to the cooked pancetta. Cook for about 10 minutes over medium low heat. Stir the veggies regularly - the moisture should cookout. Stir in a little bit of salt, pepper, and the red pepper flakes. Add in the tomatoes + broth, and bring the sauce to simmer. Once simmering, cover the skillet + cook on low for 30 minutes, stirring at the half way point. Stir in the fresh parsley, and keep the sauce over low heat.
As the pasta sauce cooks on low heat, move to rolling out your pasta. Once all of the pasta is rolled out, bring the water to a boil. Cook the pasta all at once - cooking until the pasta is floating. Strain the cooked noodles + stir them into the sauce with a couple tablespoons of the parmesan. Stir to coat the noodles, cover the pot, and continue to cook the noodles for a final 5-6 minutes. Twirl the pasta into bowls, serve with fresh parm + some more red pepper flakes on top, and big piece of focaccia on the side.
