Dress your fresh strangozzi with this meaty, multitextured sauce—ground veal and chopped chicken livers cooked in a tomato base—for a hearty dish that will delight carnivores and pasta-lovers simultaneously. This is also a great sauce to incorporate into risotto. If you are not enthusiastic about the flavor of chicken liver, use only 1/2 pound, for a subtle flavor boost. But if you love the organic richness of livers, as I do, use a whole pound. This recipe makes a big batch of sauce, so you can use half and freeze half (it will keep well for 4 to 6 weeks).

　　

Ingredients

makes 6 cups, enough for 2 batches strangozzi or 2 pounds of dried pasta, serving 12

　　

FOR THE SAUCE (A DOUBLE BATCH)

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

　　1 1/2 pounds coarsely ground veal shoulder (preferably freshly ground; see box, page 251)

　　1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

　　2 teaspoons kosher salt

　　1/2 to 1 pound chicken livers, cleaned and finely chopped

　　1 cup dry white wine

　　3 cups (one 28-ounce can) canned Italian plum tomatoes, preferably San Marzano,crushed by hand

　　

FOR COOKING AND DRESSING PASTA (A SINGLE BATCH)

1 batch (1 1/2 pounds) Homemade Strangozzi (page 202)

　　1 cup freshly grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for passing

　　Extra-virgin olive oil, best-quality, for finishing the pasta

　　

RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT

A food processor; a heavy-bottomed deep skillet or sauté pan, 12-inch diameter or wider; a large pot, 8-quart capacity, for cooking the pasta

　　

Step 1

For the sauce: Drop the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic into the food processor, and mince finely to an even-textured pestata. Crumble the ground veal into a bowl, breaking up any clumps of meat.

　　

Step 2

Pour the olive oil into the big skillet, and set it over medium-high heat. Scrape in the pestata, spread it around the pan, and let it cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to stick to the pan bottom, about 5 minutes. Lower the heat a bit, and scatter the ground veal in the pan, crumbling apart any clumps. Season the meat with 1 teaspoon salt, and stir the meat and pestata together. 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.

　　

Step 3

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.

　　

Step 4

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 can and bowl), season with the remaining teaspoon of salt, and stir with the meats.

　　

Step 5

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 use.

　　

Step 6

For cooking and dressing the strangozzi: Bring a large pot of well-salted water (at least 6 quarts water with 1 tablespoon salt) to a rolling boil. Heat half the meat sauce, about 3 cups, to a bare simmer in a wide skillet or sauté pan (if you’ve just made the sauce, use the same pan). If the sauce has cooled and thickened, loosen it with some of the pasta water.

　　

Step 7

Shake any excess flour from the nests of strangozzi, and drop all the pasta into the pot, stirring and separating the strands. Rapidly return the water to a rolling boil, and cook the strangozzi for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until barely al dente.

　　

Step 8

Lift out the pasta quickly, let it drain for a moment, and drop it into the simmering sauce. Over low heat, toss strangozzi and sauce together for a minute or two, until all the strands are coated and perfectly al dente. (Thin the sauce, if necessary, with hot pasta water, or thicken it quickly over higher heat.)

　　

Step 9

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.

　　Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and Tanya Bastianich Manuali. Copyright © 2009 Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and Tanya Bastianich Manuali. Published by Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved.Lidia Mattichio Bastianich is the author of four previous books, three of them accompanied by nationally syndicated public television series. She is the owner of the New York City restaurant Felidia (among others), and she lectures on and demonstrates Italian cooking throughout the country. She lives on Long Island, New York.Tanya Bastianich Manuali, Lidia’s daughter, received her Ph.D. in Renaissance history from Oxford University. Since 1996 she has led food/wine/art tours. She lives with her husband and children on Long Island.