Pasta with Spicy Tomato and Pancetta Sauce
The thick, spicy base for this pasta sauce is based on an old-school Neapolitan soffritto which makes for intensely flavorful pasta.
- Makes4 to 6 servings
- Cook Time30 minutes
- 4
Zuppa forte, also known as zuppa di soffritto, is an old-school Neapolitan dish made by slow-cooking meats with garlic and other aromatics, along with tomatoes and preserved chilies, until reduced and concentrated. The rich, thick, spicy paste-like mixture can be spread on crusty bread, though it’s more commonly diluted and used as soup base or pasta sauce. During a visit to Naples we especially loved the wonderfully balanced, intensely flavorful version we tasted at La Cantinetta, a tiny eatery/grocery store/wine shop where octogenarian Maria Notaro does the cooking. Zuppa forte traditionally was made with odds and ends of meats, including offal, but the Neapolitan cooks we consulted said pancetta would be a reasonable stand-in. (For best flavor, it’s important to purchase pancetta that contains a decent amount of fat. In our experience, the type sold pre-diced is too lean and cooks up with a tough, leathery texture.) We then determined a combination of tomato paste, browned to develop flavor, and canned whole tomatoes, blended until smooth, yielded the best taste and consistency, and that simmering the sauce in a skillet was a quick way to concentrate it. The preserved chilies were the most difficult ingredient to approximate. We landed on Korean gochujang, which may seem out of place, but the thick, fermented paste delivers a similar complex spiciness along with welcome notes of umami. If you can source Calabrian chili paste, which is spicy, tangy and salty, it, too, is great. Salvatore Giugliano at Ristorante Mimì alla Ferrovia serves his zuppa forte–dressed pasta with fresh basil and ricotta, garnishes that complement the richness and intensity of the sauce. We decided to do the same.
Don’t use canned tomato puree or canned crushed tomatoes, which have slightly tinny, metallic flavors that only become more pronounced in the finished sauce. The flavor of whole tomatoes, blended until smooth, is fresher and cleaner.
Step 1
In a large pot, bring 4 quarts water to a boil. In a blender, puree the tomatoes with juices and gochujang until smooth, 30 to 60 seconds; set aside.
Step 2
While the water heats, in a 12-inch skillet, combine the oil, pancetta, garlic, bay, tomato paste, rosemary and ½ teaspoon pepper. Cook over medium, stirring often, until the pancetta has rendered some of its fat and the tomato paste darkens and begins to stick to the pan, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the pureed tomato mixture and bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits. Simmer, uncovered and stirring often, until very thick and the fat separates, about 10 minutes.
Step 3
Meanwhile, when the water reaches a boil, add 1 tablespoon salt and the pasta; cook, stirring occasionally, until just shy of al dente. Reserve about 1½ cups of the cooking water, then drain the pasta and return it to the pot. (If the sauce is done ahead of the pasta, remove the skillet from the heat.)
Step 4
Scrape the sauce into the pot with the pasta and add ¾ cup of the reserved cooking water. Cook over medium, stirring and tossing often, until the sauce clings and the pasta is al dente, 2 to 4 minutes; add more reserved pasta water as needed to loosen the noodles if the mixture is very dry and sticky.
Step 5
Off heat, remove and discard the bay and rosemary. Taste and season with salt and pepper, then stir in the basil. Serve topped with dollops of ricotta.
