PASTA ALLA ZOZZONA
A serving of Pasta alla Zozzona.
I’ve merely tinkered with the well-known (nearly revered) New York Times recipe for this dish, making it a few times and putzing with it each go-around. It is simply so delicious that all I wanted to do was amp up its awesomeness; who wouldn’t?
It works with any short-form pasta, such as penne, farfalle or orecchiette, but rigatoni or mezzi rigatoni seem best: their “tunnels” capture the wee pieces of meat and become taste bombs as so.
Here is the Times’s description of the preparation, an important read: “Rigatoni alla zozzona combines the ingredients of the four pasta dishes for which Romans are famous: amatriciana, cacio e pepe, carbonara, and gricia. While many Italian meals are typically the result of simple flavors —“neat” preparations where only a few ingredients shine—rigatoni alla zozzona (which loosely translates to “a big mess”) is more of a kitchen sink approach, marrying the ingredients of the four pastas (tomato sauce, black pepper, egg yolks, cheese, and guanciale) with sausage.”
RECIPE: Short-form Pasta alla Zozzona
Adapted by Bill St. John from The New York Times and for Colorado elevations. Serves 4-6.
Ingredients
Kosher salt
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 ounces guanciale (or pancetta), cut into 2-inch matchsticks (see note)
1 small yellow onion, peeled and minced
2 cloves garlic, peeled, minced or made into a paste
1 pound hot or sweet Italian sausages (or a mix of both, about 4 to 5 sausages), casings removed
1 pound dried small-form pasta such as rigatoni or mezzi rigatoni (or orecchiette, farfalle or penne)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
14-15 ounces (only excellent-quality) peeled whole Italian tomatoes
1 cup red wine or tart cherry juice
4 egg yolks, from large or extra-large eggs
1/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano, plus more for grating over the finished dish
1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
Directions
Prepare the sauce: Add the olive oil to a deep, large, high-walled skillet or Dutch oven and heat over medium-low. Add the guanciale in an even layer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the fat renders and the strips start to crisp, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove guanciale to a small dish and set aside. Transfer the pan drippings to a small bowl, leaving about 1 tablespoon of fat in the pan.
Increase heat to medium-high and stir the onion into the pan drippings, allowing it to soften, about 2-3 minutes. Make a well in the center of the pan and add the garlic, heating it for 90 seconds, no more. Add the sausage and break up the meat into small pieces. Cook, stirring occasionally and well, until the sausage and aromatics have browned, about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, be bringing a large pot of heavily salted water to boil. Once the water comes to a boil, cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente, anywhere from 9-15 minutes at our elevations in Colorado (and depending on the form of pasta that you use). Drain pasta, reserving it aside, keeping back at least 1/2 cup of pasta water.
Into the skillet or Dutch oven, stir in the tomato paste, then the whole, peeled tomatoes. Decrease heat to medium and stir in the wine or cherry juice. Smash the tomatoes with a potato masher until you form a rough sauce. Cover the sauce with a lid and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the lid and allow the sauce to cook, uncovered, for 5 more minutes.
In a small bowl, combine the egg yolks, the 1/3 cup of cheese, the pepper, and 1 tablespoon of the reserved guanciale drippings.
Add the pasta and guanciale to the simmering sauce and stir to coat. Stir 2 tablespoons of the pasta water into the egg mixture. Turn off the heat and stir the egg mixture into the pasta until coated, adding 2 tablespoons more pasta water (or more) if needed. You want a thick, but glossy, coating to everything; nothing runny.
Transfer the pasta to a serving dish and top with additional cheese, if desired.
Note: If in a chunk (likely), freeze the guanciale for 15 minutes before slicing it into matchsticks.
