Pasta E Patate
Now I know what you’re thinking… I’m on ‘E’ in my A-Z of Potatoes series and we’ve already hit a roadblock. Pasta e Patate definitely does not begin with ‘E’. But look at that ‘E’ in the middle. Pretty prominent I’d say. A strong ‘E’. Also essential to the dish, some might say.
Anyway – I didn’t want to make eggy potatoes, or eggplant potatoes (it’s an aubergine, sorry) and all my recipes should be EASY, EXCELLENT and EXCITING so I thought it would be too soon to pull out that trick. I’m saving that for ‘X’. Look out for my Xciting Roast Potatoes coming in a few weeks…
Back to this dElicious dish! Forgetting the rules of language and the alphabet, I have wanted to make this dish for ages. Two of my favourite things – pasta and potatoes. And cheese. So make that my Top 3.
It’s a delicacy from Naples, Italy from as far back as the 16th century and was seen as a poor dish. Cheese, potatoes AND pasta? This is what I see as pure decadence rather than poor, and it should go to the top of your list for things to try next!
Ingredients
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 stick of celery, finely chopped
- 1 clove of garlic, peeled and smacked
- 100g diced pancetta or guanciale (pork cheek)
- 2 medium sized everyday potatoes (baking ones work well), peeled and cubed
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 150g parmigiano reggiano, grated, plus the rind
- 1 ball of mozzarella or smoked provolone cheese (if you can get it)
- Any leftover pasta shapes you have, around 150-200g
- Salt and black pepper
Method
- To start, make sure you’ve got all the veggies and cheese ready to go.
- In a saucepan on a medium/high heat add the olive oil, onion, carrot and celery. Cook until the onions are translucent but also catching some colour.
- Then add the pancetta and whole garlic clove and continue to fry for a few minutes, stirring regularly.
- When the pancetta is cooked add in the cubes of potato, again wait for some caramelisation on the spuds then cover with water. Season with salt and pepper and add the chopped parmigiano rind, leave to cook on a simmer for 8-10 minutes until the potatoes are soft and tender.
- Add the odds and ends pasta to the saucepan, you may need to slightly top up the water. Just don’t add too much and stir throughout. When the pasta is almost cooked add in ⅔’s of the grated parmigiano and mix well.
- Once the pasta is fully cooked (around 8-10 mins) and the sauce is thick, remove it from the heat and add the ball of mozzarella or smoked provolone cheese and stir it in to melt.
- Serve up with another helping of parmigiano, black pepper and drizzle of olive oil. Bellissimo!