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Amatriciana

MoeCizlak

MoeCizlak

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Sep 21, 2007
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I'm cooking dinner for my parent's 51st wedding anniversary and ever since seeing Bourdain's Rome episode I've wanted to try this and since my parents love Italian I though it would be a perfect fit. So for those of you that know, is this considered a main course or is it just the pasta portion of a more traditional Italian meal? I was thinking of doing a braised oxtail as well but that got shot down by my usually iron-gutted old man so now I'm need of some other meat to go with it. Batali had a nice looking chicken dish that I can't recall the name of off the top of my head but I was thinking it was Sicilian and I don't want create an Italian regional war by serving Sicilian and Roman fare in the same meal. Any good meat dishes you guys grew up with that you would suggest?
 
Mmmmmmm.... jowls. That was a great episode. If I remember correctly, there was way too much food on the table for it to be considered a main course. :)
 
Veal saltimbocca would be a nice choice.The proscuitto in the veal dish will play off the pancetta in the pasta which should be a side dish.

When you make this pasta dish, it's a light, thin sauce with diced tomatoes ...not thick at all...and don't over cook it, you want it to be fresh and bright tasting. For us, the fresh basil and grated cheese is the key.

To start things off, go with a ball of fresh mozzarella, some roasted peppers in fresh garlic & olive oil, a small stick of sweet soppressata, a nice piece of sharp provolone cheese (black wax coating), some freshly made antipasto, a few different olives, and a warm crispy loaf of Italian bread....French, not too big and thick. Move into a nice fresh mixed green salad with some olive oil & red wine vinegar dressing, salt and pepper with more bread....then the main dishes.

Dessert?...some freshly filled cannolis, a few sfogliatelles (lightly warmed in a 200 degree oven to crisp them up), a couple of chilled creamy Napoleons, some assorted biscottis (for dunking) served with some dark Italian style coffee or espresso....and don't forget the anisetta!

Mangi nella buona salute!
 
Gary, I know you have a son and all, but if it starts looking like he's not going to work out, I'm up for adoption. :love:

Jason, you're right. there was a ton of food on that table. But what a great way to go out, huh?
 
Sausage, Peppers & Penne

1. Three Tablespoons Olive Oil.
2. Two Pounds Italian Sausage Sliced Into Thin Slices.
3. 1 Red And 1 Green Bell Pepper Cut Into Thin Strips.
4. 1 Large Jar Prego Meat Sauce With Italian Sausage and Basil.
5. 1 Pound Penne Pasta Cooked , Drained And Rinsed Well With Hot Water.
6. One Pound Fresh Button Mushrooms Sliced Thin.
7. One Teaspoon Dried Oregano.
8. One Teaspoon Ground Cayenne Pepper.
9. Eight Ounces Fresh Grated Parmesan Cheese.
10. 1 Pound Mozzarella Cheese Shredded.
11. 1 Pound Ricotta Cheese.
12. 1 Cup Finely Chopped Sweet Onion.


Start by slicing your Italian Sausage into thin slices then brown the sausage and set aside. Be sure to drain all the grease off.
Add the olive oil to a large skillet and then add your bell peppers , onion and mushrooms and saute until done.
In a large mixing bowl add all your ingredients except the cheese stirring gently to make sure you have everything mixed in well.
Pour out the contents of the mixing bowl into a large baking dish or casserole dish and add your reserved Mozzarella Cheese and your Parmesan Cheese to the top.
Put your baking or casserole dish into a preheated 350 degree oven. Bake for 30-35 minutes until your dish is bubbling and your cheese is melted.
Turn on your broiler at the end of the cooking time and brown the top of the dish but be sure not to burn it.
Remove from the oven and let set for about 15 minutes.
 
Marcella Hazan's Pot Roast of Beef Braised in Red Wine is so delicious. Nothing fancy but seriously good food. The ideal rendition calls for using Barolo in the pot, but that gets a little expensive. You can use a tasty Barbaresco, Barbera, or Nebbiolo wine. If you want to splurge, this dish goes great with a Barolo. I can send you the recipe if you would like.
 
ChiTown_Huck said:
Marcella Hazan's Pot Roast of Beef Braised in Red Wine is so delicious. Nothing fancy but seriously good food. The ideal rendition calls for using Barolo in the pot, but that gets a little expensive. You can use a tasty Barbaresco, Barbera, or Nebbiolo wine. If you want to splurge, this dish goes great with a Barolo. I can send you the recipe if you would like.
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Marcella Hazan is considered, by many top chefs, to be the master of classical Italian Cooking. Her Cookbooks are often found in Bargain Bins because the American Public has no clue who she is. The book I have has quite a detailed Meal planner.

I myself would probably serve a Chicken dish of some sort. Possibly Piccata. Also, some Asparagus Bundles made with Prosciutto and Fontina. Don't want to over do the Tomato Sauce dishes. The Chicken would go great with both the Pancetta or Bacon in the Pasta, and also with the Prosciutto.

Make sure you cook any of whatever you decide one time before cooking it for guests.
 
Don't forget the Limoncello to settle the stomach after such a big meal!
 
MadMonk said:
ChiTown_Huck said:
Marcella Hazan's Pot Roast of Beef Braised in Red Wine is so delicious. Nothing fancy but seriously good food. The ideal rendition calls for using Barolo in the pot, but that gets a little expensive. You can use a tasty Barbaresco, Barbera, or Nebbiolo wine. If you want to splurge, this dish goes great with a Barolo. I can send you the recipe if you would like.
Click to expand...

Marcella Hazan is considered, by many top chefs, to be the master of classical Italian Cooking. Her Cookbooks are often found in Bargain Bins because the American Public has no clue who she is. The book I have has quite a detailed Meal planner.

I myself would probably serve a Chicken dish of some sort. Possibly Piccata. Also, some Asparagus Bundles made with Prosciutto and Fontina. Don't want to over do the Tomato Sauce dishes. The Chicken would go great with both the Pancetta or Bacon in the Pasta, and also with the Prosciutto.

Make sure you cook any of whatever you decide one time before cooking it for guests.
Click to expand...

Yeah, the food is amazing, and it's not "fancy". Solid technique and quality tastes.
 
If it's a pasta dish, it's a second course in a traditional Italian meal. Italians, at least those from the old country, almost never, ever eat meat and pasta on the same dish. The meat, often a roasted bird etc., is the next course. Oddly, salad is the last course, before fruit, nuts and pastry.

Doc
 
Awesome tips guys, thanks a bunch. I found that chicken dish saved on my DVR last night, it's called Pollo al Vino Cotto and I've wanted to try that for a long time. #3, I'd like to try that pot roast recipe sometime as well if you could get me that recipe I'd appreciate it.

Doc, for knowledge's sake, are you saying that the pasta dish wouldn't contain any meat or that the pasta dish would never be served with the meat course?
 
A sauce could very well be made with meat, and they often are, but the meat would be reserved for the third course or another meal. There are exceptions,like stuffed pastas, but very few. Keep in mind that the Olive Garden is not Italian food. Actually there's no such thing. There are seven distinct regions in Italy all with different food. Certainly every kitchen has Parmesano Reggiano and Prosciutto di Parma, but the food in Tuscany is a lot different than the food in Venice, let's not even talk about Sicily,or New Jersey. :whistling:

Doc.
 
MoeCizlak said:
Gary, I know you have a son and all, but if it starts looking like he's not going to work out, I'm up for adoption. :love:
Click to expand...

Clint..you'll have to take the 4th bedroom...aka, The Cigar Room!

Devil Doc said:
A sauce could very well be made with meat, and they often are, but the meat would be reserved for the third course or another meal. There are exceptions,like stuffed pastas, but very few. Keep in mind that the Olive Garden is not Italian food. Actually there's no such thing. There are seven distinct regions in Italy all with different food. Certainly every kitchen has Parmesano Reggiano and Prosciutto di Parma, but the food in Tuscany is a lot different than the food in Venice, let's not even talk about Sicily,or New Jersey. :whistling:

Doc.
Click to expand...

You just couldn't help yourself.... :rolleyes:

When it comes to Italian stuff, we got the goods!
 
AVB,

"4. 1 Large Jar Prego Meat Sauce With Italian Sausage and Basil."

Really? My wife would never allow it in this kitchen.
 
Ok, I finally around to doing this and it was amazing! I went with the Pollo con Vino Cotto and that was one of the best dishes I've had in a long time. If anyone tries it, the simple sugar added at the end (1 cup red wine vinegar and 1/2 cup of sugar) made it borderline too sweet. Maybe halve the syrup. I would also add more capers to counteract the sweetness a little. The amatriciana was great too, although I have nothing to compare it to. I made three batches and the third was my favorite. I looked up Marcella Hazan's amatriciana recipe and she had butter, olive oil and the guanciale and I didn't care for that. Too many lipids. I left out the butter and increased the white wine in the third batch and that turned out wonderfully. That guanciale is so smooth and buttery and when rendered provides more than enough lipids for the dish, in my opinion anyway. This all went with proscuitto wrapped asparagus with fontina cheese and the meal was a great success. Thanks for all the help guys. I'm thinking of adding a vowel to the end of my name now. Cavanahi. Well, maybe not.
 
Ok, I'm starting to think there's more to Italy than Monica Bellucci and mysterious pallets of Cuban cigars. For my mom's bday dinner I tried a Batali recipe of lamb calzone. My parents were bringing red wine for dinner and I forgot to pick some up for cooking so I had to substitute port in the calzone. It left a wonderful sweetness to it so that was a plus. I paired the calzone with fried eggplant with tomato and mozzarella stackers with an infused olive oil that was other-worldly. It had basil, garlic and anchovy (although I sub'd anchovy paste). Man you people eat well!
 
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