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March 13, 2010

In the red

The Wasatch Front food scene is dominated by Italian cuisine, thanks to the Italians who immigrated here generations ago. The Granato and Caputo families have brought us genuine Italian ingredients. Restaurants like Cucina Toscana and Lugäno have presented us with the high end of Italian dining. We have several great authentic pizza places. And we have a solid middle ground of Italian restaurants featuring what we all used to think of as Italian food—red sauce with pasta. Or “gravy,” as they call it back East. A good marinara is something every cook should have in his or her repertoire—and not just to put over pasta, as you can see in the following recipes.

Red Sauce in SLC

We have our own marinara heritage in Utah; these are places that do it well.

Cinegrill

A Salt Lake classic, Cinegrill’s food is defined by its red sauce. This is the red sauce of an American childhood—thick, über- tomatoey, with undertones of oregano and an Anglo amount of garlic. Really, red sauce is what makes this lovably dated place Italian. That, and the crisp, cold, olive-oil drenched iceberg salad. 
344 S. 300 East, SLC, 801-328-4900

Cannella’s

This is the kind of little Italian place you find in every block of New York—cozy, with loyal servers and a menu that rises above pedestrian but isn’t so challenging that you need a special occasion to go there. Just order anything marinara.
204 E. 500 South, SLC, 801-355-8518

“We call it gravy.”

Warren Willey, ex-New Yorker, is chef and co-owner of Maxwell’s, the self-designated “East Coast style eatery” in Park City’s Newpark development, and the only restaurant in Utah that refers to its red sauce by its East Coast name: gravy. Maxwell’s brings to Utah an authentic Italian-American tradition where Mamma rules and Sunday means spaghetti. 1456 Newpark Blvd., PC, 435-647-0304

Basic Red Sauce Recipe:

3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, finely chopped
¼ cup red wine
2 28-oz. cans crushed San Marzano tomatoes
5 sprigs fresh oregano
¼ cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
½ cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and onion; cook, stirring, until soft. Add wine and reduce until almost evaporated. Stir in tomatoes and oregano. Bring to simmer and cook for 45 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in basil and parsley. Adjust seasonings as needed.

Sicilian Shrimp

2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. 26-30 shrimp, peeled and cleaned
1 tsp. sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 cups prepared red sauce
1 pound linguini, cooked
2 Tbsp. fresh basil, chopped

Heat oil over medium heat in nonstick skillet. Add garlic and sauté about 1 minute. Add shrimp to pan and cook until just heated through, another 2–3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Pour red sauce over hot linguini and top with shrimp. Garnish with chopped basil. Serve immediately.

 

Linguini with Mussels Marinara

Serves 4–5
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for finishing
6 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup red wine
2 cups prepared red sauce 
(see recipe follows)
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
4 lbs. mussels, scrubbed well and debearded
½ tsp. freshly ground pepper
Juice of 1 lemon
½ cup Italian parsley, plus extra for garnish
1 pound linguini, cooked al dente

Heat olive oil in large pot over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until just fragrant. Add wine and red sauce and bring to boil. Reduce to simmer and add mussels, stirring to submerge them. Cover and cook until mussels open, about 10 minutes. Discard any unopened mussels. Stir in pepper, lemon juice and 1/2 cup parsley. Remove from heat and keep warm. Place 1 cup pasta into each individual serving bowl. Divide mussels evenly among bowls and then ladle sauce over all. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with parsley.

Red Eggplant

Serves 8
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds eggplant, sliced into ½-inch rounds
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
3 cups prepared red sauce
½ cup bread crumbs seasoned with chopped parsley, dried oregano and grated Romano cheese
½ cup fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Pour 1 Tbsp. olive oil into a 9-x-13-inch baking dish, spreading to cover the bottom. Sprinkle about 1 tsp. garlic over the oil. Cover with one layer of eggplant slices and 1/4 of the sliced onion. Cover all with 1/2 cup sauce and sprinkle 1/4 of the bread crumbs over all, followed by 1/5 of the basil. Repeat for 3 additional layers, finishing with bread crumbs and reserving remaining basil for garnish. Cover dish tightly with foil and bake until eggplant is fork-tender, about 40 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 more minutes to crisp bread crumbs. Remove from oven, and let stand 5 minutes before cutting. Garnish with remaining basil.

 

Bonus Recipes:

 

Bucatini all' Amatriciana

1 pound bucatini
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 pound pancetta or guanciale (see note), chopped
1 hot pepper (such as habanero), seeded and minced
1 jar marinara sauce
Freshly grated Pecorino Romano

1. Boil pot of salted water. When it boils, add pasta. Stir to keep pasta from sticking; cook until al dente.
2. Heat oil in large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add pancetta or guanciale and cook until browned. Remove meat and drain on paper towel; add onion and hot pepper to oil in pan. When that starts to turn golden, add sauce. Cook until heated through, and then add meat back to sauce.
3. Drain pasta and add to skillet, turning pasta well to coat with sauce. Turn all this into pasta bowl, finish with grating of Pecorino. Pass with additional freshly grated Pecorino.
Note: Guanciale is salt-cured pork jowl, a fattier version of pancetta, which is an acceptable substitute. Look for guanciale at Italian meat markets, but it is not always easy to find. Pancetta is more common and often available prepackaged at high-end grocery stores.

 

Variations on a Theme

Red sauce is a building block that you can vary to meet your needs:

Add red sauce to:
vodka + cream + penne = penne alla vodka
olives, chilies, capers and anchovies = puttanesca sauce
browned ground beef and pork = bolognese sauce
broiled swordfish = quick seafood marinara
toasted baguette slices + mozzarella and a topping = French bread pizza
sauteed chicken breast + mozzarella = chicken pizzaiola
Italian sausage = salsiccia sauce
red pepper flakes + shellfish = seafood fra diavola
tuna + lemon juice = tonnato sauce
clams and clam juice = red clam sauce

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