LIDIA'S ITALY - STRANGOZZI WITH VEAL AND CHICKEN LIVER SAUCE

LIDIA'S ITALY - STRANGOZZI WITH VEAL AND CHICKEN LIVER SAUCE image

Categories Tomato

Number Of Ingredients 14

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Ingredients

1 medium onion, cut in 1-inch chunks
1 medium carrot, cut in 1-inch chunks
1 medium stalk celery, cut in 1-inch chunks
4 plump garlic cloves, peeled
1½ pounds veal shoulder, coarsely ground
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 pound chicken livers, cleaned and finely chopped
1 cup dry white wine
3 cups canned Italian plum tomatoes, preferably San Marzano, crushed by hand
For cooking and dressing the pasta
1½ pounds homemade strangozzi
1 cup Grana Padano, freshly grated
extra-virgin olive oil, for finishing the pasta

Steps:

For the sauce: Drop the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic into the food processor, mince finely to an even-textured pestata. Pour the olive oil into the big skillet, and set it over medium-high heat. Scrape in the pestata, cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to stick to the pan bottom, about 5 minutes. Lower and scatter the ground veal in the pan, crumbling apart any clumps. Season the meat with a teaspoon salt. As the veal starts to sizzle and release its juices, raise the heat, and cook, stirring often, until all the liquid has evaporated and the meat is dry and lightly caramelized, about 10 minutes. Clear a space in the center of the pan, dump in the chicken livers, and cook them in the hot spot for a minute or two, until they're all sizzling and lightly colored, then stir the livers and veal together. Pour in the white wine, bring it to a boil over high heat, and let it cook until almost completely evaporated. Pour in the crushed tomatoes and 2 cups of slosh water (used to rinse the tomato cans and bowl), season with remaining teaspoon salt, and stir with the meats. Bring the sauce to a boil, adjust the heat to keep it bubbling steadily, and let it cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes or so. Lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer, and cook the sauce for another hour, or until it has good flavor and is reduced to a consistency you like for dressing pasta. You can use some of the sauce right away-you'll need half of it to dress strangozzi-or let it cool, then refrigerate or freeze for later Cook the strangozzi for about 5 minutes until barely al dente and drop it into the simmering sauce & toss strangozzi and sauce until all the strands are coated. Turn off the heat, sprinkle a cup or so of grated cheese over the strangozzi, and toss well. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil, toss again, and heap the pasta in warm bowls. Serve immediately, passing more cheese at the table.