Still Life with Mushrooms, by Nicholas Vasilieff.
Recipe below: Gemelli with Pork Sausage and Mushroom Ragù
This is about as Southern Italian–tasting as a pasta gets. Yet it’s not a recognizable classic. It’s a hybrid. I don’t remember my mother making it exactly, or being served it in a trattoria in Benevento. It’s just a dish that makes sense, falls into place, cleans out the refrigerator after the holidays. One thing about being Italian American and a good cook is that you can create Southern Italian dishes and usually have them come out somewhat right tasting. Although I’ve certainly had my fuckups, like when I tried something like this using green grapes in place of the mushrooms (a take on sausages simmered with grapes, a Central Italian classic). What a mess that was. I may rethink it at some point and try it again, though, maybe in a risotto.
Still Life with Sausage and a Sea View, by Lilliana Spik.
You can use whatever mushrooms you like or can get, a mix of them if you want. And a fine-quality Italian sweet sausage works best, I find, although I’ve made similar things with merguez or andouille. The good thing about Italian pork sausage is its fat, which melts and adds flavor and mouth feel. So first try that, fresh and raw, with or without fennel seeds, it doesn’t matter.
This is a really satisfying pasta, simple and familiar even if you’ve never made anything like it before. Open a bottle of sangiovese, and eat a lot. You’ll feel good and warm.
Happy New Year.
Gemelli with Pork Sausage and Mushroom Ragù
(Serves 4)
Extra-virgin olive oil
A palmful of pancetta, cut into little cubes
1 large shallot, cut into small dice
1 celery stalk, plus the leaves from a few stalks, cut into small dice, the leaves lightly chopped
1 carrot, cut into small dice
3 Italian pork sausages, skinned and crumbled
A big pinch of sugar
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
5 large thyme sprigs, the leaves lightly chopped
1 long rosemary sprig, the leaves chopped
1 fresh bay leaf
2 big handfuls of mixed mushrooms, cut into medium dice
Salt
Black pepper
A big splash of dry Marsala (about ¼ cup)
1 28-ounce can plum tomatoes, chopped
¾ cup chicken broth
A few drops of sherry wine vinegar
1 pound gemelli
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
A palmful of flat leaf parsley leaves, lightly chopped
A big chunk of pecorino Sarde or Toscana cheese
Get out a large, wide, low-sided sauté pan fitted with a lid. Drizzle in a little olive oil over medium heat. When that’s hot, add the pancetta, and let it start to brown. Add the shallot, celery and leaves, carrot, and sausage. Sprinkle on the sugar and nutmeg, and sauté everything until the sausage is lightly browned, about 5 or 6 minutes. Now add the mushrooms and all the herbs. Season with salt and black pepper, and continue cooking until the mushrooms start to soften, about another 4 minutes. Add the Marsala, and let it bubble for a few seconds. Add the tomatoes and the chicken broth, bring to a boil, and then turn the heat to low and simmer, partially covered, for ½ hour. By then the flavors will have melded, but the taste will still be fresh and not too cooked down (this is a quick ragù, not one of those 3-hour types).
Turn off the heat, let the sauce rest, and boil your pasta water. You’ll be better able to judge the sauce’s flavor after it cools down a bit.
Cook the gemelli al dente, and then drain it, saving about ½ cup or so of the cooking water.
Pour the pasta into a big warmed serving bowl. Add the butter and the parsley, and give it a stir.
Taste the sauce, adding a few drops of the vinegar and more salt or pepper if needed. Pour it onto the pasta, and toss again, adding a bit of the pasta cooking water if needed.
Serve hot, bringing the chunk of pecorino to the table for grating.