Pasta al Pomodoro is everybody’s favorite dish, easy to make, with just a few accessible ingredients, it is a crowd-pleaser for the whole family. Silvia Barban chooses to prepare the dish for #BUTTALAPASTA Instagram Live event on @LaCucina ItalianaUSA.
While connecting with Editor in Chief Maddalena Fossati, Chef Barban prepared the dish from her Fort Green store in Brooklyn. While LaRina Pastificio E Vino restaurant is temporarily closed, her store is still open offering daily homemade pasta, sauces and a variety of Italian imported foods for pick-up and delivery.
Barban chose high-quality ingredients, including homemade rigatoni, real San Marzano tomatoes, Calabrian extra-virgin olive oil (her mom is from Calabria). However, Pasta al Pomodoro can be done with dry pasta, any good quality tomatoes, and still get great results.
Chef Silvia Barban's Pasta al Pomodoro - “Rigatoni - San Marzano tomato sauce - Parmigiano Vacche rosse - Basil 🌿 Simple is good !” (via Instagram)
Here are some of her tips:
Salt the cooking water only when it is boiling and right before adding the pasta
She uses crushed garlic and chopped onion for a base, and she adds a bit of water when they sizzle to avoid the burned garlic taste
She layers the seasoning, adding a bit of salt on the garlic and onion base and then again after adding the tomatoes
She adds chili flakes, a hint to her Calabrian origins
She always removes the fresh garlic when the sauce is ready.
She finishes the pasta by cooking it for the last 2/3 minutes in the saucepan while adding cooking water. The starch of the pasta will make for a creamy finish, and adds extra virgin olive oil.
She adds the cheese (such as grated Parmigiano Reggiano) and fresh basil when the dish is off the fire.
From Rocco DiSpirito to Tom Colicchio, stay tuned for more Chef’s tips and recipes on the upcoming #BUTTALAPASTA Instagram Live Events on @LaCucinaItalianaUSA channel!