Main, Starter Italian Boil, Sauté
August 1, 2016Pappardelle holds a special place in my heart. This Tuscan pasta stems from the word 'pappare' literally meaning 'to gobble up' - how could you not love it?
- Prep: 10 mins
- Cook: 10 mins
-
10 mins
10 mins
20 mins
- Difficulty: Easy
- Yields: Serves 4
While I am a fan of all types of pasta - pappardelle holds a special place in my heart. This Tuscan twist on a flat noodle is wider and bolder than the rest and 'pappare' literally means 'to gobble up' - how could you not love it?
This recipe is very simple and uses just a single pan for ease of preparation and also cleaning up. The bacon is crisped in the pan while fat is rendered off and used to cook the other ingredients - this maximises the flavour and makes a little bit of quality bacon go a long way.
If you are organised and use dried pasta, you can make the sauce in the time it takes to cook the pasta. Once you make this dish once, it will almost certainly become a staple of your Italian cooking repertoire.
Directions
Put a large pot of salted water on to boil the pasta (~10g salt per litre).
Toast the pine nuts in a large pan over a high heat until browned, set aside.
Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and fry the bacon and until crispy. Carefully remove and put aside reserving the oil in the pan.
Turn the heat to high and add the sage leaves in batches. Cook for 10-20 seconds until they stop bubbling. Carefully remove and put aside reserving the oil in the pan.
Add the onion and garlic to the pan sweat for a couple of minutes until soft but not coloured.
Add the stock and bring to the boil.
Add the butter and agitate the pan vigorously to emulsify. It should be a solid yellow colour, not split and oily.
Meanwhile, add the pasta to the hot water and cook until ‘al dente’.
Add the pasta to the sauce along with half of the bacon and pine nuts. Toss thoroughly. Season to taste, though the bacon will probably add sufficient salt.
Serve immediately garnished with the remaining bacon, pine nuts, and crispy sage. Grate over the cheese and finish with a drizzle of olive oil.