What's Cookin' in Jill's Kitchen: February 2012

Penne alla Maida

When I received my first shipment from Gustiamo, a Bronx-based importer of fine Italian foods, I was so excited. Just look at this bounty of great Italian delicacies:

Pasta, olive oil, tomato preserves and other Italian treasures.

Organic Cafaggio extra virgin olive oil, preserved Vesuvian vine tomatoes, pastas from passionate artisinal producers, and Sicilian Sea salt are just a sampling of the goodies. I decided that food of this quality is meant to be shared and savored among friends, so we invited some very willing tasters over for dinner.

We started with an antipasto of fresh mozzarella bocconcini tossed with chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, and fresh chopped basil, some grissini breadsticks, and prosciutto di Parma. A simple yet delicious start!

Everything you need for a great, easy appetizer.

Then onto the pasta! I decided to try the Faella penne with a simple sauce highlighting these great yellow tomato preserves from Maida Farm. It didn't take much to make this dish taste good. Just the combination of a few simple, high quality ingredients is all it takes to make a great meal. With a couple of fresh additions like pancetta, shallots, garlic and basil, Penne alla Maida was born.


Faella Penne

Yellow Tomato Preserves

Look at that color!

Penne alla Maida

Serves 4

1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ pound pancetta, diced small
a pinch of red pepper flakes
2 shallots, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound penne pasta (I used a 500-gram package of Faella)
1 (530-gram) jar Maida Farm yellow tomato puree
about a cup of torn basil leaves
grated Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of water to a full boil, then stir in plenty of salt. Don’t worry about over salting as most of the salt will go down the drain with the pasta water and a good amount of salt is necessary to season the pasta.

Meanwhile, add the olive oil to a large, deep skillet and add the diced pancetta. Turn the heat to medium, then turn it to medium-low once the pancetta starts to sizzle. Render the pancetta, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 15-20 minutes. Be patient–it takes a little time. Remove the pancetta from the skillet with a slotted spoon and set aside. Discard all but about 2 tablespoons of drippings from the skillet.

Pancetta, undiced

Pancetta, diced

Pancetta, rendered

Add a pinch of red pepper flakes and the shallots to the reserved pancetta drippings in the same skillet and heat over medium heat until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook a few minutes more, until the shallots start to caramelize a little bit.


When the shallots are lightly caramelized like this, it's time to add the tomatoes.

Stir in the tomato puree and season with a little salt and pepper.

By now the water is boiling so stir in the pasta. Bring it back to a boil and be sure to check it a few minutes before the package says it will be ready, just in case. Then keep checking until it’s al dente.

This pasta is so photogenic!

Bring the tomato sauce to a simmer while the pasta cooks, stir in the pancetta and basil, and simmer for about 8 minutes, or until the pasta is done. The tomato preserves are very sweet and don't require a long cooking time.

Drain the pasta and add it directly to the pan with the sauce, tossing to coat. Stir in about ¼ cup of grated Parmesan and top with a little freshly grated black pepper. Serve with additional Parmesan for sprinkling and enjoy!