Lupara
A lupara is an 8-gauge sawn-off shotgun associated with La Cosa Nostra (the “Mob”). Rigatoni resemble the barrel of a lupara. Adjust heat level to your taste. If you can’t find Italian powdered peperoncino piccante, substitute Cayenne pepper. For a different type of heat, add some thinly-sliced hot red chile when sautéing the sausage, instead of, or in addition to, the powered chile. If you can’t find fresh porcini, substitute portobello mushrooms. It is really important to use a very good quality Italian rigatoni, preferably an artisanal variety that is thicker than the usual boxed rigatoni to get the most benefit out of sautéing the pasta. If you want to make half as much pasta, freeze half the sauce. The recipe for Basic Tomato Sauce will be posted next week.
Servings Prep Time
8people 30minutes
Cook Time
30minutes
Servings Prep Time
8people 30minutes
Cook Time
30minutes
Ingredients
Sauce
Assembly
For serving
Instructions
Sauce
  1. Using a heavy-bottomed pot, sauté the sausage in the olive oil until colored.
  2. Add the porcini, butter, and fresh peperoncini, if desired, and sauté 5-7 minutes. During this time, the sausage should brown much more and the mushrooms should give up much of their liquid and take on some color.
  3. Add the wine and evaporate completely over high heat.
  4. Add the broth, partially cover, and simmer until completely evaporated.
  5. Add the Basic Tomato Sauce, basil, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer about 10 minutes. Reserve.
Assembly
  1. Bring three quarts of heavily salted water (according to the Italians, it should taste like the sea) to a boil.
  2. Meanwhile, sauté the garlic in the extra-virgin olive oil until light brown. Drain and reserve the oil.
  3. Cook the rigatoni just until it no longer has a crunch in the center but is still far from done.
  4. While the pasta is cooking, put the sauce in a large sauté pan and bring to a simmer along with peperoncino piccate to taste.
  5. Drain the rigatoni, saving at least one quart of the pasta-cooking liquid.
  6. Add the rigatoni to the sauce and increase the heat to medium to medium-high. Add pasta-cooking liquid, a ladle at a time, stirring the pasta frequently to finish cooking.
  7. After adding a ladle or two of the pasta-cooking liquid, add the cream. Continue adding pasta-cooking liquid as needed until the pasta is just al dente and coated with a thick sauce.
  8. Off the heat, mix in the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, cream, and the reserved garlic oil. You may need to thin with a little more pasta-cooking liquid as the cheese will thicken and emulsify the sauce.
  9. Divide the pasta among serving bowls. Garnish each with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and sprinklings of Pecorino Romano cheese and fresh basil chiffonade.
Recipe Notes

Here’s my recipe for Basic Tomato Sauce.

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