Penne all'Arrabbiata with Calabrian Chili
Chapter 1 — The Sauces: The Foundational Layer
In Rome, arrabbiata means "angry"—a fiery, fifteen-minute flash in the pan of garlic, oil, and tomatoes. But in Brooklyn, we don't flash and fade. We hold a grudge. We take that authentic, fruity Calabrian heat and marry it to the ultimate Italian-American institution: the Sunday Gravy. This isn't a delicate weeknight sauce, and we make no apologies for that. It is a massive, loud, four-hour endeavor of browning ribs, blistering sausages, and sinking huge meatballs into a bubbling red sea until the pork collagen melts into a rich, fiercely flavorful gravy. Put on a pot of coffee, open the Chianti, and let this simmer all damn morning.
Ingredients
- bone-in country-style pork ribs2 lb
- sweet Italian sausage links1 1/2 lb
- extra-virgin olive oil3 tbsp
- yellow onion1 large
- garlic cloves8 large
- Calabrian chili paste3 tbsp
- tomato paste6 oz
- dry red wine1 cup
- crushed tomatoes56 oz
- whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes28 oz
- water1 cup
- bay leaves2 med
- dried oregano1 tsp
- kosher salt1 tbsp
- black pepper1 tsp
- ground beef1 lb
- ground pork1/2 lb
- ground veal1/2 lb
- whole milk1 cup
- day-old Italian bread1 1/2 cup
- eggs2 large
- Parmigiano-Reggiano1 cup
- fresh flat-leaf parsley1/2 cup
- garlic cloves3 large
- penne rigate2 lb
- fresh basil1/2 cup
Method
- 01
Brown the meats in a massive Dutch oven.
Place your Dutch oven over medium-high heat with the olive oil, sear the heavily seasoned pork ribs in batches until they have a dark crust, then blister the sausages until browned but not cooked through, transferring all meat to a platter and leaving the shimmering fat and fond behind.
- 02
Build the angry foundation of the sauce.
Lower the heat to medium, sauté the diced onion in the pork fat until soft, then drop in the sliced garlic for exactly one minute before vigorously stirring in the Calabrian chili paste and tomato paste. Let it fry for a few minutes until it turns rust-colored and the oil glows violently red, blooming the fruity heat of the chili.
- 03
Deglaze the pot and add the tomatoes.
Pour in the red wine, scraping up all the caramelized bits of pork and spicy tomato paste from the bottom, then simmer until reduced by half before stirring in the crushed tomatoes, hand-crushed San Marzanos, water, bay leaves, and oregano.
- 04
Submerge the meats and begin the four-hour simmer.
Sink the browned ribs, sausages, and their resting juices into the bubbling red sea, immediately drop the heat to the absolute lowest setting, cover with a lid left slightly ajar, and walk away to let it simmer for four hours, returning only to stir occasionally so the natural sugars don't scorch.
- 05
Prepare the holy trinity meatballs.
About two hours into the simmer, mash the milk and torn bread together to form a panade, then gently use your hands to mix in the beef, pork, veal, beaten eggs, grated Parmesan, parsley, grated garlic, salt, and pepper without overworking the meat.
- 06
Bake the meatballs on a sheet pan to set their shape.
Roll the mixture into golf-ball-sized portions, place them on a rimmed sheet pan, and bake in a 400°F oven for 15 to 20 minutes until they develop a light crust so they don't disintegrate when they hit the sauce.
- 07
Sink the meatballs into the gravy for the final hour.
After the sauce has simmered for three hours, gently drop the baked meatballs into the Dutch oven and let them braise in the spicy tomatoes until the four-hour mark, by which point the sauce will be thick, slick with fiery oils, and the pork will be falling off the bone.
- 08
Toss the pasta and serve the feast.
Boil the penne rigate in heavily salted water until strictly al dente, pull the meats onto a foil-covered platter, and dump the drained pasta directly into the Dutch oven to toss vigorously over low heat for sixty seconds until every ridge is gripped by the spicy, pork-infused red sauce.
Notes
Wrap your garlic bread in foil.
Do not toast it open-faced; slather a halved loaf of soft Italian bread with butter, minced garlic, and parsley, press it back together, and wrap the whole thing tightly in aluminum foil before baking at 375°F. The foil traps the steam, softening the crumb while the garlic butter permeates every inch.
Construct the Caesar salad tableside.
The tableside construction is the entire point. Get a large wooden bowl and rub the inside vigorously with a cut clove of garlic. Whisk a raw egg yolk, a squeeze of anchovy paste, Dijon mustard, and lemon juice directly in the bowl, slowly emulsifying in olive oil before tossing in crisp Romaine, massive handfuls of Parmesan, and croutons.
From Cook Red Sauce at Home.