Spaghetti alla carrettiera, cart-driver's spaghetti. You might expect that something aimed at people who spend the day out in the elements would be hearty, and it is. It's also quite common in restaurants, and I was surprised at how many cookbooks I had to leaf through to find a recipe. To be honest, what I found is quite different from what I recall, but is interesting enough to present.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 3/4 pound (350 g) spaghetti
- 2 ounces (50 g) pancetta, diced
- 2 ounces (50 g) canned tuna (I'd be tempted to omit this and increase the pancetta to 3 or 4 ounces)
- 1/2 pound (200 g) fresh porcini or similar wild mushrooms, or 1/2 ounce (10 g) dried porcini
- 1/2 pound (200 g) champignon-type mushrooms, ONLY if you're using dried porcini
- 1 clove garlic
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon meat extract (this comes in cans and is similar to bullion)
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano, at the table
- Salt & pepper
Preparation:
Begin by taking your fresh mushrooms, scrubbing away the dirt with a dampened cloth, and slicing them. If you're also using dried mushrooms steep them in warm water for 10 minutes, then mince them.Set lightly salted pasta water to boil.
Peel the garlic clove. Shred the tuna, if you're using it.
Slowly sauté the pancetta and the garlic in a skillet with the olive oil, until the fat has become translucent. Add the mushrooms salt & pepper to taste, and the meat extract. Continue simmering for 10 more minutes (if you're using dried mushrooms you may want to add a little water at this point). Then remove and discard the garlic, stir in the tuna if you're using it, cover, and turn off the flame.
While during the simmering you will have added the pasta to the water. As soon as it's al dente, drain it and season it with the sauce. Serve at once, with a light red wine, a tossed salad, and the grated cheese for those who want it. Traditionally Italians do not season fish with cheese, but some may want to. And they will certainly want the cheese if you omit the tuna.
Serves 4.
Why the disparity between recollection and printed recipe? As Artusi said a century ago, Italy is a linguistic Babel, where the names of dishes change from place to place, and where the same name can be applied to different dishes in different places. This adds a sometimes disconcerting element of uncertainty to eating away from home.
The recollection, you wonder? A simple quick-cooked tomato sauce with a healthy jolt of garlic and hot pepper: slice a couple of cloves of garlic and sauté them with a shredded red pepper, and when they have begun to brown slice several ripe plum tomatoes into the pot. By this time the pasta water should be boiling; cook the pasta, check the seasoning of the sauce, and sauce the pasta. Grated cheese on the side.
