For some reason, thin spaghetti (spaghettini) does it for us. Seems to cook to the perfect al dente, throughout, unlike regular spaghetti that can start to get mushy on the outside while still crunchy in the middle. Anyway, here’s a simple spaghetti that opts for bright fresh cherub tomatoes instead of a tomato sauce.
Acquire the following:
- thin spaghetti
- thick slab smokey bacon (we like applewood-smoked from AJs)
- cherub or small roma or cherry tomatoes
- broccoli rabe
- tomato water (use the water from canned san marzano’s)
- sweet onion
- fresh garlic
- white wine (sauv blanc or pinot grigio)
- fresh-grated romano cheese
- butter
- crushed red pepper
- kosher salt
- black pepper
- dried italian seasonings, or herbes de provence if you hate oregano (optional)
Do the following:
- salt some water and start warming it for boiling pasta
- chop the bacon into small chunks and cook in large sauté pan – remove bacon to a dish and leave rendered fat in pan
- cook some fresh garlic slivers in the bacon fat and then remove to a dish for later garnish
- pour some of the bacon fat into a smaller sauté pan and cook down the broccoli rabe, then chop the rabe and set aside
- toss halved cherub tomatoes into the main pan and cook for a few minutes, then add a couple tbsps of butter to round out
- sauté the onion and some more minced garlic with s&p and crushed red pepper and optional seasonings, add a generous splash of white wine once sweated and cook down
- cook pasta to pre-al dente (we’re gonna finish it in the sauce)
- when pasta is ready, use a pasta fork to take pasta directly into the sauté pan (no rinsing)
- add a few pours of san marzano tomato water, add the chopped broccoli rabe and toss everything together over lowish heat until evenly combined
Serve with fresh-grated romano cheese and the garlic slivers from step 3. I add a little romano to step 9 as well, just cuz. Pig out!
