pappardelle

[cape chef]

Today I made a sage infused pappardelle, and served it with roast loin of rabbit and a intense porcini/barola reduction.

a little broccoli raab tossed in for good measure.

Not a cut of pasta I see alot of (around here anyway)
What are some of the ways you enjoy serving pappardella?

 

[anneke]

It's the only pasta I'd consider serving with stews.It holds up well to robust flavours and textures.

 

[pete]

I agree. It makes a great base for more intense, earthy type foods. I think a lot has to do with its thicker cut and more toothsome texture. I love it as an accompaniment to many different braises and love to serve it underneath a lamb stew that I make. The stew is more North African in style but I prefer the papparadelle to couscous or rice.

 

[shroomgirl]

Absolutely one of my favs....DELVERDE brand is silky. I saute onions, pancetta, garlic and shrooms...mainly porcini then hit it with Maderia and cream.....Italian parsley at the end
*strange I never thought of it as toothsome.

 

[suzanne]

I can't imagine making Kasha Varnishkes with any other noodle.

Combine cooked kasha (buckwheat groats) -- medium or coarse -- with cooked pappardelle and lots of sliced onions sauteed in chicken fat. Lots of chicken fat. Add S & P to taste. Heat. Serve and eat. Go get your arteries roto-rootered out.

Good with sauteed sliced mushrooms added.

 

[mezzaluna]

Kasha varnishkes with pappardelle?! Heresy! But the rest is right on, Suzanne. Schmaltz rules! (Forgive me, Emeril...)

My Baubie (grandmother) made hers usually with bowties (farfalle), but sometimes with shells. She never used any rolled pasta, and I've never seen kasha varnishkes with it. But it would only be a textural change, not a flavor change, IMHO, so what the heck!

 

[suzanne]

Sorry, I've been suffering from a terrible cold the last few days. Farfalle -- or Farfel, as MY grandmother used call it -- was in fact what I meant.

Then again, I've made it with whatever leftover noodles I have in the fridge, and as long as it's got plenty of onions and schmaltz, it still tastes great! So I'll bet papardelle would work too. So there!

BTW: I have a Jeff Smith/schmaltz story. I'll PM it to you

 

[pongi]

Straight from Nonna's Kitchen!

The most traditional, evergreen Italian way to serve Pappardelle is with a game stew or sauce. Wild boar, deer, rabbit, pheasant, everything is good. The most famous recipe comes from Tuscany and is the "Pappardelle sulla Lepre" (I have never understood the reason of this name since you're supposed to put the hare stew on the pappardelle and not viceversa )
Generally speaking, the meat is marinated with wine, vegetables and herbs and then stewed, adding tomatoes or not according to the various recipes and the type of meat you use. To make a sauce, the meat is boned and chopped after cooking, the vegetables sieved and more tomato and/or butter or cream is added.

Another traditional recipe (and, maybe, my favourite one) are the Pappardelle con Funghi Porcini.
I love making this recipe in the simplest way: chopped garlic gently fried in Extravergine oil, then sliced fresh Porcini are added and sauteed for 5-6 mins (they must remain a little crunchy), finally salt, pepper and a pinch of freshly chopped parsley is added and it's done. Since some people find this version too dry, sometimes I add some fresh cream and grated parmesan.
BTW: I have a curiosity. Maybe I'm silly to ask this, but are fresh Porcini available in US? I've never found them in the other European countries...

Pongi

 

[cape chef]

Dear Pongi,

Thanks for the great recipes, they sound wonderful...

Fresh Boletus Edulis (Porcini) are very hard to come by in the states, however in the Pacific Northwest they are growing porcinis, they are quite good...but, sadly..not nearly as intence and textural as yours
cc

 

[shroomgirl]

New Mexico and Colorado are prolific with boletus edulis also.
We find a couple of blue edibles here, there are plenty of boletes but none you'd wanna eat.

 

[kylew]

I haven't done it in a while but I have a recipe for pappardelle w/radicchio and sausage. Very tasty. If any one wants, I'll dig it up.

 

[brreynolds]

...I'm on a radicchio binge lately and it sounds delicious.

 

[kylew]

I'll post it tonight.

 

[kylew]

I lied. It's pancetta not sausage.

1 Lb. Pappardelle
2 heads Radicchio "slawed"
1 Medium Onion Diced
1/4 Lb Pancetta cut into 1/4" lardons
3 Tbs EVOO

In a large Skillet/saute pan cook the pancetta.
Reserve the pancetta and drain the fat ( or use inplace of EVOO)
Add EVOO and head over Medium High heat.
Reduce heat to medium, add the onion and cook till golden, about 30 Minutes.
Meanwhile cook and drain the pasta reserving 1/2 cup of the liquid.
Add the radicchio to the onions and cook until wilted.
Add the pancetta, pasta and reserved pasta water.
Mix well and season w/S&P.

 

[suzanne]

Kyle, we forgive you! YUM!!!!!!

 

[pongi]

Kyle,
yours seems to be a Freudian mistake as the same recipe containing luganega (italian fresh sausage) and not pancetta does exist, and it's even yummier!
Try also a Risotto with the same ingredients: fry some luganega (skinned and crumbled) in oil; reserve it; add more oil, fry the onion; add the rice and toast it; add some white wine and when evaporated put back the sausage in the pan, then cook the risotto with meat stock as usual. Five minutes before it's done add the Radicchio Rosso (Radicchio di Verona o di Chioggia) cut in stripes. Complete with grated Parmesan.:lips:

Pongi

 

[zouzouni]

I don't know how much they cost in Italy, but in Whole Foods Supermarket here in Houston (some of my friends call it Whole Paycheck :bounce: ), the price of porcini mushrooms is $39.99/lb and so is the price of woodear mushrooms. Isn't that extravagant for most people that must balance the desire for good food with an average budget? What do you do in this case? Use shiitake instead?

 

[pongi]

zouzouni,
are you speaking of fresh or dried Porcini?

Here in Italy, fresh locally harvested Porcini cost about $ 8-10 a pound if they're first quality, less (up to 4-5/lb) if they're second quality or coming from Jugoslavia...but in this case they are watery and taste like rubber

Dried Porcini are obviously much more expensive. A 10 grams package costs about $ 2.

As for shiitake (and, must say, maitake also) no doubt it's due to my italian palate but I think Porcini are definitely better.

Pongi

 

[pongi]

...Anyway, Porcini aren't the most expensive mushrooms in Italy. Ovoli (Amanita Caesarea) cost more, about $12 a pound. They're the best mushrooms to be eaten raw.

Pongi

 

[zouzouni]

Pongi,

this price I quoted is for fresh porcini. I wouldn't have noticed hadn't it been for the delicious pappardelle recipe you provided. I do not know where these were produced, but even if they were imported from Italy, I cannot justify a 400% jump in the price, based on the $10/lb quote you provided.

Yes, undoubtedly, the fresh mushrooms you can get in your country would be the best. I still have on my palate the taste of those musroom omelettes we used to make in the summer up in the mountains where my family used to vacation, when after those short heavy summer squals, the forest would fill with mushrooms. Nothing compares to this natural elegance, although these were not the expensive type. Given this caveat, what kind of cheaper mushrooms that would still maintain this wholesome meaty flavor that porcini have, would you recommend?