Sometimes, on a Saturday morning, we drive to Gatti & Antonelli. It’s one in all Rome’s quite a few pasta all’uovo (contemporary egg pasta) outlets, and it’s definitely among the finest. It’s a good-looking house, with a protracted, marble counter, a window on to the again workshop, brilliant yellow indicators with timings and costs, and two cabinets that show eggs and a big assortment of small decorative chickens. When my son was small, it was one of many few events I didn’t thoughts his shouting, as a result of he voiced what I felt: “Chickens! Have a look at the chickens! Can I maintain one?” This scene jogged my memory of scenes from my very own childhood: staring on the strains of ornaments at my grandma’s home and pondering they had been treasures, then being allowed to carry a bit of elephant, which I squeezed so it introduced me luck.
Many years past my squeezing and years on from my son’s shouting, we now select which hen we might maintain – the one with the gold neck, or the white one that appears like an egg? – whereas we wait in line. Behind the marble counter, which is veined like cheese, two girls in white coats and blue hairnets serve effectively, lifting lengthy and brief pasta from shallow packing containers into stiff paper trays – tortellini, agnolotti, ravioli, fettuccine, tonnarelli, pappardelle. The scent in Gatti is hopeful and sappy, like contemporary sawdust and a clear child. Many have come for the agnolotti ripieni di carne (agnolotti filled with meat) – the specialty of the home. I, nevertheless, have come for fettuccine.
At first look, lengthy, slender fettuccine appear the similar twin of tagliatelle. Look nearer, although, and also you see that they’re much less exacting than the 8mm of their northern cousin: both thicker or thinner, and never rolled as thinly, so with extra substance – moderately like a Roman. Fettuccine means “little ribbons”, and they’re direct ancestors of wisp-thin capelli d’angelo. Within the fingers of strong-armed dwelling cooks, wisps turned ribbons, hand-rolled and served on a Sunday, typically with meat ragu and infrequently with rigaglie.
In Rome, rigaglie is the generic time period for hen giblets. Historically, fettuccine con le rigaglie was a cheap dish that used this good however cheaper a part of the hen (together with just a bit floor beef and pancetta). This model makes use of solely the livers (though you possibly can use giblets) and consists of marsala and mushrooms, which deliver deep flavour; additionally sage for musty distinction and butter for flavour and shine. Recent fettuccine or tagliatelle are excellent right here, as are dried.
Fettuccine with hen liver and mushroom ragu
Prep 20 min
Cook dinner 20 min
Serves 4
250g hen livers
40g butter
2 tbsp olive oil
2 shallots, peeled and finely diced
1 garlic clove, peeled and finely diced
50g pancetta, diced
100g floor beef
30g porcini, soaked in 150ml heat water
3 complete sage leaves
Salt and black pepper
1 heaped tsp tomato paste, dissolved in 150ml marsala, vermouth or the porcini soaking water
500g contemporary or 400g dried fettuccine, tagliatelle or pappardelle
Parmesan or pecorino, grated
Convey a pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Trim the livers of any sinew or discolouration, then wash and pat them dry. Reduce every liver into six.
In a heavy-based pan set over medium-low warmth, heat the butter and olive oil, then fry the shallots till gentle and translucent. Add the garlic, pancetta, floor beef, drained and chopped porcini (reserve the soaking liquor for those who’d choose to make use of that as a substitute of marsala or vermouth later) and sage, and prepare dinner, stirring, for a couple of minutes.
Elevate the warmth, add the livers and fry, stirring, till they’ve misplaced any redness. Add the tomato-marsala combine and prepare dinner at a full of life simmer for lengthy sufficient that the livers tackle flavours, however not so lengthy that they flip rubbery.
In the meantime, salt the boiling water, add the pasta and prepare dinner till al dente. Drain, protecting among the cooking water, then tip the pasta into the hen liver pan, and toss, including a bit of cooking water if it wants it, so all the things comes collectively. Serve with loads of grated parmesan or pecorino.
