Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking - Marcella Hazan [93]
2. If using fresh sardines, purchase an additional ¼ pound, clean them and butterfly them as described in the basic recipe, and sauté them in a separate pan in hot olive oil, cooking them just long enough to brown them lightly on each side. Transfer them to a cooling rack or to a paper-lined platter to drain.
3. Blanch ¼ cup of shelled almonds, toast them for a few minutes in an oven preheated to 350°, and process to a very coarse consistency or chop roughly by hand. (Leave the oven turned on to 350°.)
4. Choose a 10-cup bake-and-serve dish (13 inches by 9 inches, if rectangular), and smear with butter.
5. Cook the pasta in the fennel-greens cooking water as described in the basic recipe, draining it while it is still slightly undercooked, a few degrees firmer than al dente. Line the bottom of the baking dish with a layer of pasta, spread over it some of the sardine sauce, and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Top with another layer of pasta, sauce, and bread crumbs, proceeding thus until you have used up all the pasta and sauce. Reserve some of the bread crumbs. If using fresh sardines, distribute the separately browned sardines over the top layer, skin side up. Sprinkle with the chopped up toasted almonds and the bread crumbs. Drizzle very lightly with olive oil. Bake in the 350° oven for 5 minutes. After removing it from the oven, allow the pasta to settle for several minutes before serving it.
Pink Shrimp Sauce with Cream
For 6 servings with tortellini or 4 servings with flat noodles
½ pound medium shrimp, unshelled weight
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped fine
1½ tablespoons tomato paste dissolved in ½ cup dry white wine
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
½ cup heavy cream
Homemade tortellini OR 1 pound other pasta
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Recommended pasta The ideal combination for this elegant and lively sauce is Tortellini with Fish Stuffing. It will also suit other homemade pasta cuts, such as fettuccine, or pappardelle.
1. Shell the shrimp, cut them in half lengthwise, removing the vein, and rinse under cold running water.
2. Put the olive oil and the chopped garlic in a saucepan, and turn on the heat to medium. Cook the garlic, stirring it, until it becomes colored a very pale gold, then add the tomato paste and wine solution. Pour it in all at once quickly to avoid spattering. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring from time to time.
3. Add the shrimp, salt, and liberal grindings of pepper, and turn up the heat to medium high. Cook for 2 minutes or so, turning the shrimp over frequently to coat well. Remove the pan from heat.
4. With a slotted spoon, retrieve about ⅔ of the shrimp from the pan, and purée them in the food processor or blender.
5. Return the puréed shrimp to the pan. Turn on the heat to medium, add the cream, and cook for about 1 minute, stirring constantly, until the cream thickens. Taste and correct for salt and pepper.
6. Toss the sauce with cooked drained pasta. Add the chopped parsley, toss again, and serve at once.
Butter and Parmesan Cheese Sauce
THE BASIC WHITE SAUCE of butter and Parmesan has, for generations, eclipsed all others among families of northern Italy as the favorite way of seasoning pasta. The sauce is produced by the heat of the pasta itself as it melts the raw cheese and the butter, and by the care with which the pasta is tossed to fuse both ingredients to itself and to each other. It is perhaps the best sauce for developing and mastering that skill of tossing, which is essential to the success of any pasta dish.
For 4 servings
1 pound pasta
1 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
4 tablespoons (½ stick) choicest quality butter
Recommended pasta Butter and cheese is equally good with homemade pasta and with boxed, dry pasta. Try it with Tortelloni Stuffed with Swiss Chard, Prosciutto, and Ricotta, or with spaghetti. Always serve with additional grated cheese on the side.
1. Put hot, just-cooked, and drained pasta in a preheated serving bowl. Add about 4 tablespoonfuls of grated cheese