Title: Pasta Alla Zozzona
Categories: Italian, Sausage, Pork, Pasta, Cheese
Servings: 4
3 lg Egg yolks
2 oz Pecorino; finely grated
Romano cheese; plus more for
-serving
Kosher salt and freshly
-ground black pepper
4 oz Guanciale (cured pork jowl)
-or pancetta, cut into
-1/4"-thick batons
6 oz Sweet or hot Italian sausage;
-2 links, removed from casing
1 sm onion; finely chopped
1 pn red pepper flakes
2 c tomato passata
12 oz rigatoni
In a small bowl, beat egg yolks and Pecorino Romano together with a
fork until they form a homogeneous thick paste, about 1 minute.
Season with a few grindings of black pepper. Set aside.
In a large skillet, cook guanciale over medium-low heat, stirring
occasionally, until fat has rendered and guanciale is golden brown
and crisp, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Using slotted spoon,
transfer guanciale to a plate. Set aside.
Using clean hands, add sausage to skillet by pinching off 3/4- to
1-inch pieces and arranging in a single layer in the pan.
Alternatively, add sausage to skillet all at once, then break up
into pieces with a wooden spoon, spreading them out evenly in the
pan. Cook over medium heat, undisturbed, until bottom side is light
golden brown, about 1 minute. Add onion, season lightly with salt,
and, using a thin metal spatula, turn sausage pieces onto uncooked
side. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until sausage is
cooked through, onion is softened, and fat in the pan is clear and
no longer cloudy, 5 to 7 minutes; lower heat at any point if sausage
or onion threaten to scorch.
Add pepper flakes (if using) and bloom in rendered fat until
aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add tomato passata, season lightly with
salt, and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until
sauce has thickened slightly and fat has emulsified into sauce,
about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a pot of lightly salted boiling water, cook pasta
until softened on the exterior, but well shy of al dente, and still
uncooked in the center (about 3 minutes less than the package
directs). Using a spider skimmer, transfer pasta to sauce, along
with 1/2 cup (120 ml) pasta cooking water. Transfer an additional
1/4 cup (60 ml) pasta cooking water to bowl with reserved egg
yolk-Pecorino Romano paste, and stir with a rubber spatula until
smooth and well-combined; set aside. Alternatively, if you don't
have a spider skimmer, drain pasta using a colander or fine-mesh
strainer, making sure to reserve at least 1 1/2 cups (355 ml)
pasta
cooking water, before proceeding with above instructions.
Increase heat to high and cook, stirring and tossing rapidly, until
pasta is al dente and sauce is thickened and coats noodles, about
2 minutes, adding more pasta cooking water in 1/4 cup (60 ml)
increments as needed.
Remove skillet from heat, add cooked guanciale and egg yolk mixture,
and stir and toss rapidly until fully incorporated and pasta is
glossy, 15 to 30 seconds. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve immediately, passing more grated cheese at the table.
Notes:
Guanciale can be found at specialty Italian markets or online. If
the guanciale you purchase has the skin/rind on, make sure to trim
off and discard it when cutting into batons. As with bacon,
guanciale and pancetta are both easier to slice and dice when
slightly frozen; pop the guanciale in the freezer for 15 minutes
before cutting. If using pancetta, try to use "tesa" slab pancetta
that is usually firmer and more cured than rolled pancetta.
Jarred tomato passata can be found in the canned tomato aisle in
supermarkets or Italian markets. If you can't find passata, you can
substitute with an equal amount by volume or weight of whole peeled
tomatoes that have been either quickly blended with an immersion
blender, passed through a food mill, or crushed by hand
(hand-crushed tomatoes won't produce a sauce with the same
smoothness as one made with passata).
Make-Ahead and Storage: This dish is best enjoyed immediately.
Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3
days.
