Pappardelle Recipe

Prep

Measure and chop all vegetables, mince garlic, and chop pancetta/guanciale. Have tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, wine, and stock ready.

Heat a large, heavy-bottomed sauté pan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add olive oil and diced pancetta/guanciale. Cook until fat renders and pieces are golden, about 4–5 minutes.

Add the chopped onion, carrot, and celery (soffritto). Season with a pinch of salt. Sauté until softened and translucent, 6–8 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook 30–45 seconds until fragrant.

Push the soffritto to the side and increase heat to medium-high. Add the ground pork, breaking it up with a spoon. Brown the pork thoroughly, about 6–8 minutes, so it develops some color — do not crowd the pan. Season with 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper as it browns.

Stir in the tomato paste and cook 2 minutes to caramelize and remove raw flavor. Deglaze the pan with the white wine, scraping up browned bits; let the wine reduce by half, about 2–3 minutes.

Add the crushed tomatoes, chicken stock, bay leaf, and calabrian chile paste. Stir to combine, bring to a gentle simmer, then lower heat to maintain a low simmer. If the tomatoes taste overly acidic, stir in the optional 1/2 tsp sugar.

Cover partially and simmer gently for 30–40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens and flavors meld. Remove bay leaf, taste and adjust salt, pepper, and chile heat as needed. Stir in 4 tbsp (half) of the chopped fresh basil in the last 5 minutes of cooking.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil while the sugo finishes. Cook the pappardelle according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water before draining.

Return the drained pasta to the pot or to a large sauté pan over low heat. Add the prepared pork sugo (use most of the sugo but reserve a small spoonful for plating if desired). Add 2 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil.

Toss the pasta with the sauce, adding reserved pasta water a few tablespoons at a time as needed to loosen and create a silky coating. Cook together for 1–2 minutes so the pasta finishes in the sauce. Stir in the remaining chopped basil and half of the snipped chives.

Divide the sauced pappardelle among 4 warm plates or bowls. Place generous spoonfuls of stracciatella on top of each portion (about 2 oz per serving). Drizzle a little extra-virgin olive oil over each, sprinkle the remaining chives, torn basil leaves, and a light dusting of grated cheese if using.

Finish with a crack of fresh black pepper and serve immediately, allowing guests to break the stracciatella into the pasta so it melts into the hot sugo.