RIGATONI ALLA BOSCAIOLA (WOODSMAN-STYLE RIGATONI)

SOURCE: LIDIA MATTICHIO BASTIANICH AND TANYA BASTIANICH MANUALI. LIDIA’S MASTERING THE ART OF ITALIAN CUISINE: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW TO BE A GREAT ITALIAN COOK.

Picture this scenario from the northern Italian countryside. A lumberjack or boscaiolo returns home from a hard day’s work of chopping poplar trees for timber. While he freshens up for dinner, his wife opens his knapsack to look for the wild forest mushrooms he foraged within his vicinity during his free time. Whatever his edible finds of the day are, they will go to the pasta that she is whipping up in the kitchen. Likewise, head southward to the small Campanian hillside suburb of Mercogliano in Avellino and soak in the rituals of their local Sagra della Penne alla Boscaiola, which takes place every last week of August since 1990. The food highlight of the feast is a helping of the tubular noodles sauced into a mix of porcini mushrooms, white beans, and crumbled Cotechino sausage. Due to its national omnipresence, no Italian regional cooking can stake complete ethnic ownership on the everlasting contribution of the woodsmen to the kitchen.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons/45 mL olive oil, preferably extra-virgin

2 cups/110 grams finely chopped onions

1 pound/450 grams Italian sausages, preferably fresh Luganega or Cotechino

1 pound/450 grams thickly sliced assorted fresh mushrooms, such as porcini mushrooms or cèpes, creminis, baby portobellos, shiitakes, and oyster mushrooms

6 sage leaves, preferably picked fresh on the same day for best results

28 ounces/800 grams canned Italian plum tomatoes, preferably San Marzano

Salt to taste

1 cup/130 grams frozen or fresh peas

1/2 cup/52 grams finely chopped scallions

1/2 cup/120 mL heavy cream

1 pound/500 grams rigatoni

1 cup/90 grams freshly grated Grana Padano OR Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Specific Equipment

Deep-bottomed skillet

Wooden spoon

Deep-bottomed stockpot

Spider OR strainer

Large mixing forks to toss the rigatoni

Serves 6

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil In a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté in the onions for 4 minutes or until the onions softened but not browned.

2. Remove and discard the the casings from the sausages. Stir the sausage into the onions, crumbling with a wooden spoon and sauté for 4 minutes or until the sausage is no longer pink.

3. Sauté in the assorted mushrooms for 2 minutes or until they release their juices.

4. Crush the canned tomatoes by hand and stir into the sautéed sausage and mushroom mixture. Add the sage leaves. Slosh the emptied can of tomatoes with 1 cup/250 mL water to collect any residues and pour into the skillet. Season with 1 teaspoon/6 grams salt. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes or until the sauce has thickened.

5. Stir in the peas and scallions and continue cooking for 2 minutes or until the scallions have completely wilted. Stir in 1/2 cup/120 mL water and the heavy cream until well-blended. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes or until the sauce has thickened. Season the sauce with salt to adjust according to taste.

6. Cook the rigatoni in a stockpot of boiling salted water until al dente or almost but not quite tender. Transfer the rigatoni immediately into the sauce using a spider or a strainer. Toss the rigatoni into the sauce with two large mixing forks over medium heat until the sauce has completely coated the pasta.

7. Remove the skillet and sprinkle with Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Continue tossing until well-blended before transferring the pasta to a serving platter.