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Trattoria: Simple and Robust Fare Inspired by the Small Family Restaurants of Italy
Patricia Wells
By
Published: Apr 16, 2024
Category:
Food and Wine
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BREAKING NEWS: My daughter, a lycopene addict, would chose arrabbiata pasta every night. Until recently, she favored Rao’s arrabbiata sauce. When I realized I could make it in one pan in just a few minutes, I made a batch. Mine is, she will attest on any legal document, superior. The other night, I showed her how to make it. Her proud father watched her create a superior sauce. Light bulb moment: cook with her again.
I’ve cooked from Patricia Wells’ books for several decades now.
So what stopped me from buying her book of Italian trattoria cooking?
Two words: Marcella Hazan.
I thought I didn’t need another Italian cookbook.
Teenage years later, I surrendered to Trattoria. And I am chastened.
You want simple? This is it. Easy? Forget about it. Organized? Unless you’re dedicated to an exploration of Italian cuisine, this book could be the last time you’ll ever need to think about an Italian menu. [To buy “Trattoria” from Amazon, click here.]
A trattoria is just where I’d like to be tonight — an uncomplicated, modestly decorated, family-run establishment featuring traditional regional fare. You drink the house wine. You tend to order whatever special is being pushed. And you leave satisfied and possibly sated.
Wells begins with a large selection of antipasti, moves on to grilled vegetables and hearty soups. Then she reaches pasta. There are 17 pasta recipes — and that’s just the dried pasta. There are also 15 recipes for fresh pasta.
There are lovely recipes for entrees. But here’s a bargain dinner that rips the torpor from you taste buds. That means spices — garlic and red-pepper flakes. And what Wells calls “a young Italian red table wine.”
PENNE ALL’ARRABBIATA
Serves 6
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
6 plump fresh garlic cloves, skinned and minced
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
sea salt
28-ounce can peeled Italian plum tomatoes or a 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes in puree
1 TBS tomato paste
1 pound tubular pasta
1 cup flat leaf parsley, snipped with scissors
In a large skillet, combine oil, garlic, crushed red pepper flakes and a pinch of salt. Stir to coat with oil. Cook over moderate heat. Remove from heat when garlic turns gold, but not brown.
If you’re using whole canned tomatoes, chop them before adding to skillet. If using pureed tomatoes, just pour into skillet. Add tomato paste. Stir, then simmer until sauce begins to thicken, about 15 minutes. Adjust seasoning.
In a large pot, boil 6 quarts of water. Add three tablespoons of salt and the pasta, cook until tender but firm. Drain.
Add the drained pasta to the skillet. Toss, cover, cook over low heat for 1-2 minutes to allow the pasta to absorb the sauce. Add the snipped parsley, serve in soup bowls.
“Traditionally, cheese is not served with this dish,” Wells notes. Gotcha.
Start the water and the sauce at the same time, dinner is on the table in 30 minutes, Wells advises. That’s including cooking time for the pasta. Pro tip: If you put the sauce in the blender, you get the smoothest arrabbiata this side of… well, Rao’s.
