Simple yet Gourmet: Marcella Hazan's Pappardelle with Spinach Sauce

We have a lot of cookbooks in our house, and tend to use the Mario Batali ones most frequently because they have pictures. A good cookbook really needs to have pictures. We also have a Marcella Hazan cookbook, and it has very few pictures, so we don't make much from it. But, every time we have made something from it, it's been really, really good. For instance, this shittake mushroom pasta sauce, the chickpea and leek soup, and the quail ragu we made recently (and will be posting soon!).

So when we encountered this recipe for a simple spinach sauce for pasta, hopes were high. The nice thing about Marcella's recipes is that they are very details in terms of the cooking technique. She gives very specific instructions which, in our opinion, lead to the elevation of these dishes to gourmet quality from their humble start with simple ingredients. This spinach sauce for pasta was no different. With just a few ingredients, a delicious, gourmet quality meal was the result.

Making the Dish

What You'll Need
1 carrot, diced very small
1 rib celery, diced very small
1/2 sweet onion, diced very small
4 oz pancetta, diced very small
3 tbsp, olive oil
4 cups spinach, roughly chopped
1 tbsp, butter
1 15 oz can, whole tomato
1/2 lb, pappardelle
1/4 cup, grated pecorino romano

Get started by prepping all your veggies. As the ingredients list says, these need to be diced very small. See the picture for reference (you can click on it for a bigger version!). In a large saucepan, heat up the olive oil over medium head and then throw in the carrot, celery, and onion. Sauté over medium heat for 5 - 7 minutes, until the onion is golden and the carrots and celery have softened.

Once the carrot and celery have softened, add in the pancetta and continue to cook over medium heat for another 5 - 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pancetta renders its fat and starts to caramelize slightly.

Once the pancetta has cooked, add in the spinach. Add it in one cup at a time, letting it wilt as you go, and stir together. Let it cook for about 15 minutes over medium low heat, until most of the liquid has evaporated and the spinach is very soft. This long cooking time brings out the flavor of the spinach and gives ample time for all of the flavors to combine.

Marcella is a fan of butter and this recipe is no different. After the spinach has cooked about 7 of its 15 minutes, add in the tablespoon of butter, stir together, and then continue cooking until the full 15 minutes has completed.

Add in the can of tomatoes and stir together. You'll want to stir roughly so that the tomatoes break apart. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat and simmer for another 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. The tomatoes will break down during this cooking time and a nice chunky but smooth sauce will have formed.

While the sauce is simmering, cook up your pasta in lightly salted water. Cook it until 1 minute shy of the package directions, then remove the pappardelle from the water and add it to the pot with the spinach sauce. Add in your grated pecorino romano, a touch of the pasta water, and stir everything together over high heat until the consistency of the sauce is right where you want it. Serve and enjoy!







The Results
Gourmet quality. That's the best way to describe this. The spinach sauce is smooth, yet hearty, and has a distinctively earthy yet almost sweet flavor, with the carrots, celery, onion, and pancetta adding to the overall texture and flavor of each bite.

The added cooking time is what seems to elevate this - we tried to make a quicker version a few days later with the leftover spinach, just stirring it into a sauce, and it was not the same. By cooking the spinach longer, it has a much better consistency and flavor.

What's your favorite way to prepare spinach? Let us know in the comments!

One year ago:  Spaghetti Carbonara and Corn and Potato Chowder