Spicy Vodka-less Rigatoni (Carbone Copycat)
Note: This page contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. :)
Part 1: The Sauce
Original post is HERE on Instagram.
Ingredients: 4 portions
270g yellow onion, diced. This is about 1/2 of a BIG onion
2-3 tbsp jarred chopped Calabrian chili. Here’s what I used. If you can’t get pre-chopped, here’s a video on how to process them without getting everywhere.
24g/1.5 tbsp tomato paste
25g Parmigiano-Reggiano. Can sub Pecorino Romano or similar.
1/2 cup heavy cream
EVOO
sugar
salt
Optional: immersion blender
Directions:
Dice onions.
Sweat onions on medium heat with EVOO
Once they become slightly translucent, add tomato paste and stir to combine
Toast the paste for 2 minutes or until fragrant
Add 2-3 tbsp chili and stir to combine. 3 tbsp has a kick, so I lean toward 2 tbsp.
Lower the heat from medium to low. Add heavy cream and stir.
Add grated cheese to desired saltiness. Taste and adjust. Also, add sugar to taste, I like 1.5 tsp. If not salty enough, either add salt OR add additional cheese until desired saltiness.
If you’d like to blend, add 1/4 cup of pasta water to the sauce and blend. Err on the side of a thinner sauce because it will thicken as it cools.
If you don’t want to blend, add the pasta directly to the sauce and stir so residual starch water will get into the sauce and provide a good consistency.
Part 2: The Meatballs
Original post is HERE on Instagram.
Ingredients: ten 100g meatballs
270g yellow onion, diced. This is about 1/2 of a BIG onion
1 lb ground beef. I used 85/15 but would have preferred 90/10.
1 lb hot Italian pork sausage
25g Parmigiano-Reggiano. Can sub Pecorino Romano or similar
60g bread, stale. I used 1 hamburger bun from the freezer.
1 egg
5 garlic cloves, diced
1/4 cup heavy cream. Can sub milk.
Optional: 1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely diced
EVOO
High-heat oil. I used Cooking Oil blend from Chef’s Life.
Directions:
Dice your onions and garlic.
Sweat them in the pan on medium-low heat and EVOO. Work on steps 3 through 4 while this happens.
Combine your heavy cream and bread to let it soak to create your panade. You can also cut your bread into smaller pieces with shears to allow more surface area. Work on steps 4 through 5 while this soaks.
Combine ground beef, sausage, and egg in a bowl.
Add your now slightly translucent onion to this bowl.
Mash your panade from step 3 into a loose paste. Add all the bread and cream into your mixing bowl from step 5.
By weight, add Parmesan into the same bowl. By volume, this would be about 3/4 cup cheese, NOT packed.
Combine all ingredients in bowl and form into ten 100g meatballs.
Pre-heat your oven to 400F/205C.
Sear all sides of the meatballs on medium heat. Since the meatballs are so tender, I usually end up with 3 seared sides. These do not need to be fully cooked.
Once all seared, place them onto a sheet tray (ideally with a wire rack on top). Finish them in the oven for 15 minutes.
Part 3: The Fresh Pasta
Original post is HERE on Instagram.
Ingredients: 4 portions
250g all-purpose flour (you can use nicer flour, but you don’t HAVE to)
85g eggs. This can be 1.5-2.5 eggs. Here’s a video on how to measure your eggs
5g extra virgin olive oil
20g water
Directions:
Weigh your eggs out and whisk to combine
Add AP flour, EVOO, and water. Stir to combine.
The dough will be quite dry, but the drier it is, the easier the dough will be to work with through the pasta extruder.
Let the dough rest, covered, either on the countertop or in the fridge for at least 15 minutes. During this time, I like to tidy up the kitchen. Assuming my sauce is heating and my meatballs are finishing in the oven, I like to start boiling my salted water for the pasta.
Put the pasta through the extruder in your desired shape. I chose rigatoni. For the extruder, I am using this one from KitchenAid.
Cook pasta in boiling water for 2 minutes.
FAQ:
Q: I made too much sauce. What can I do?
Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days, or freeze. To reheat, add frozen striaght to a saucepan on low to slowly heat.
Q: Does it matter what kind of bread I use in the meatballs? And does it have to be stale?
1) It doesn't matter what bread. I've had success with using french bread, frozen hamburger buns, and even pre-packaged croutons. The skill comes from being able to gauge how much cream/milk to put in, ie. croutons will soak up more milk. You want it to soak up MORE milk, hence the dry bread.
2) Ideally, yes, you need it to be drier (or stale) so that it can soak up the milk! Which is why croutons surprisingly even worked. Even if your bread isn’t stale per se, leave it out on the counter the day of when you want to make the meatballs and let it dry up a little before you add the dairy!
Q: Can I freeze the meatballs?
RAW: Freeze in a single sheet tray until frozen, then transfer into an airtight bag or bowl for storage. When you’re ready to enjoy, bake at 375F for 20 minutes straight from the freezer, then sear all sides to finish them on the stovetop on medium heat. From the freezer to the oven will draw out a lot of extra moisture, so reverse searing will allow for a better crust.
COOKED: Freeze in a single sheet tray until frozen, then transfer into an airtight bag or bowl for storage. Air fry, microwave, or bake until heated thoroughly and enjoy.
Q: I made too much pasta. What can I do?
If you have too much unshaped pasta dough, place it in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days. I usually roll it thin and cut it into strips to cook at a later time.
If you have too much shaped pasta (aka pasta that went through the extruder), place it on a baking sheet and freeze until solid, then transfer it into an air-tight bag or box for enjoyment at a later time.
To cook frozen pasta, add frozen pasta directly into boiling water and cook for 3 minutes.
Q: What would be a good wine paring for it?
I really enjoyed an Italian Vermentino with it. Mine was an Aia Vecchia Vermentino Toscana IGT from Whole Foods.
