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Rao’s Spaghetti

Dinner, Italian, Lactose Free, Pasta, Recipes, Sauces, Summertime Meal, Vegan, Vegetarian

Spaghetti with Sun-Dried Tomato Almond Pesto

August 2, 2024

With a very short list of savory ingredients and little effort, this dairy free pesto is a breeze to make. The sun-dried tomatoes lend an intense sweet-tart flavor to this dish and fresh, crispy seasoned bread crumbs take it over the top.

Seven ingredients are all you’ll need for this recipe. Fresh breadcrumbs are recommended though panko would be a fine substitute if you’re short on time. Use bronze die cut pasta such as Rao’s or De Cecco for the best result. Pastas that are extruded using bronze dies have a rougher, more porous texture than ones that are extruded with Teflon dies (slick surface). With bronze die cut pasta, sauces cling to noodles beautifully meaning each forkful is full of rich flavor.

Sun-dried tomatoes are pulsed in a food processor along with the almonds, garlic and olive oil to make a thick pesto. A bit of the starchy pasta water and olive oil will be added to the pesto to bring the sauce to the perfect consistency.

Toasting fresh bread crumbs in olive oil is the key to the much desired crispy, well-seasoned topping for this dish. You won’t notice the absence of cheese.

This sweet and savory pesto with its crispy breadcrumb topping and intense red color makes a thoroughly satisfying meal and one that is easy enough to whip up for unexpected guests.

Spaghetti with Sun-Dried Tomato Almond Pesto
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Spaghetti with Sun-Dried Tomato Almond Pesto

Recipe by Kiyo
Servings

4

servings

Recipe adapted from Food & Wine magazine

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes

  • 1/3 cup salted roasted almonds

  • 1 large garlic clove

  • 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • 3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs (use 1 large or 2 small slices of bread without seeds or nuts, crusts included, torn into small pieces pulsed in food processor to make small crumbs. Measure out 3/4 cup. Or substitute with 1/3 cup panko with 1 tablespoon oil)

  • 12 ounces spaghetti

  • 1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Directions

  • In a food processor, pulse the tomatoes, almonds and garlic. Add 1/4 cup of the oil and puree. Season with salt (about 1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal or 1/3 teaspoon Morton’s kosher salt or to taste) and a few grinds of black pepper.
  • In a medium skillet, toast the bread crumbs in 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium heat, stirring until golden. Transfer the crumbs to a plate; season with salt and pepper. If using panko, toast 1/3 cup in 1 tablespoon oil over medium low heat for 1 -2 minutes or until lightly browned (stir continuously and lower heat if needed to avoid burning the panko).
  • In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water. In the pot, toss the pasta with the pesto, reserved pasta water and remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil until the sauce clings to the pasta. Transfer the pasta to bowls, sprinkle with the bread crumbs and parsley and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve immediately.

Notes

  • Sprinkle bread crumbs over pasta right before serving so they stay crispy.
  • Pesto can be frozen for a few months.
Dinner, Italian, Pasta, Pork, Recipes

Spaghetti with Fresh Soppressata

October 14, 2023

Here is a delicious meat sauce pasta dish that uses both spicy and mild Italian sausages as its main ingredients. The sausage makes for a flavorful sauce and is easy to prepare. The recipe comes from Food & Wine magazine courtesy of restaurateur Andrew Carmellini. In the recipe headnotes, they explain that Mr. Carmellini’s family makes their own soppressata, a hard salami, by grinding their own meat. Italian sausages share many of the same ingredients such as garlic, white wine, fennel and crushed red pepper. To give the fresh soppressata extra spice, you may use only hot sausages or increase the amount of crushed red pepper. Either way, you’ll find yourself savoring this wonderful pasta dish.

I used both mild and spicy sausages but feel free to use just one or the other. The spicy Italian sausages from Whole Foods are not overly hot so you could use them solely and skip the mild sausages if you want to.

The sausages are mixed with garlic, white wine, ground fennel, black pepper and crushed red pepper then refrigerated overnight.

A flavor base for many recipes, a mirepoix of carrots, onion and celery are an integral part of this dish just as they are for other dishes such as bolognese, soups, braised lentils and many other dishes.

Once the simmering is close to an end, start your pasta. When the pasta and sauce are done cooking, drain the pasta and add it to the sauce. Mix in the grated cheese and herbs (reserve some for topping the pasta) before serving.

The Italians have a word to describe the flavor of this dish – delizioso!

Spaghetti with Fresh Sopressata
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Spaghetti with Fresh Sopressata

Recipe by Kiyo
Servings

6

servings

Adapted from Food & Wine magazine

Ingredients

  • 4 garlic cloves

  • 1 1/3 cups dry white wine, divided

  • 1 pound Italian sausage (sweet or spicy or a combination, Whole Foods meat department recommended), casings removed

  • 1 teaspoon ground fennel (available at Down to Earth on Maui)

  • 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

  • 1 small onion (3/4 cup), finely diced

  • 1 small carrot (1/2 cup), finely diced

  • 1 celery rib (1/2 cup), finely diced

  • 1 (28 oz) can plus 1 (14 oz) can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed with their liquid

  • kosher salt

  • 12 ounces spaghetti (or up to 16 ounces)

  • 1/2 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese plus more for serving

  • 1/4 cup finely chopped basil plus more for serving

  • 1/4 cup finely chopped flat leaf parsley plus more for serving

Directions

  • Using an immersion blender or small blender, puree garlic with 1/3 cup white wine. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl. Add the sausage, ground fennel, black pepper and crushed red pepper and knead lightly to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
  • In a large, deep skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the sausage mixture and cook over medium-high heat, breaking up lumps with a wooden spoon, until lightly browned, 6-7 minutes. Add the onion, carrot and celery and cook, stirring frequently , until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the remaining 1 cup white wine and cook, scraping up any browned bits, until nearly evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes and their juices to the pan and season lightly with salt. Simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened and reduced to about 5 cups, about 40 minutes.
  • In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the spaghetti until just al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Add the pasta to the sauce and toss with 1/2 cup grated cheese, 1/4 cup each basil and parsley. If the sauce seems too thick, stir in some of the reserved pasta water over moderately high heat, until the pasta is nicely coated with sauce, about 2 minutes. Divide into bowls and serve with extra cheese and chopped herbs over the top.
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