Spaghetti a la Vigliacca

[Chance Legstrong]

Finally made this for the GF last night.
I just saw Crumpton's take...couldn't agree more.
This dish is outta sight and the aroma in the flat is amazing
thank you for sharing this.

[SpeedyChix]

Have made this twice now. Amazing! Thanks much for the write up.
First time was as noted, second round added some capers that needed to be used up.
This may have ruined me for any other sauce. : )

[Britishbane]

Literally making this right now...for about the 12th time. How about giving us the recipe to make the cream sauce referenced in the OP.

[echelon_john]

Capers and olives are fair game. They change it, and make it less about the parsley, but also very good.

For cream sauce I literally add cream at the very end. Heavy cream. Not tons; enough to make the sauce slightly pink. Not radically different; just coats the pasta differently and tastes richer, although if you used enough oil it doesn't need the cream for richness.

Glad folks are enjoying this! I'll get around to documenting how the Nonnas I've met make basic meat sauce at some point. Some surprising ingredients and technique there.

[jbartmc]

Great recipe, great pasta dish, and thanks for encouraging the cook to enjoy wine throughout the process.

[rydesteel]

Making this for dinner. The grocery was out of Cento's so I substituted Hunt's Plum tomato's instead since Italian tomatoes will break down easier I hit them with a stick blender briefly and added a good dollop of Cento paste. In the reduction now and it tastes amazing can't wait for dinner. This seems to be a good mother sauce as well I can imagine several things that would play well with this. Thanks for sharing.

Frank

[oldguy00]

Rookie question........Just out of interest, with the talk of using quality tomatoes, anyone tried this recipe using fresh tomatoes?

[Dude]

Any recos on the type of white wine to use? We only have some chardonnay in the house - I think chardonnay tastes like BO so I'm hesitant to put it in the sauce. Thoughts?

[Eddie]

Any recos on the type of white wine to use? We only have some chardonnay in the house - I think chardonnay tastes like BO so I'm hesitant to put it in the sauce. Thoughts?

In the 6-8 times we've made this sauce (thanks John!), we've just used whatever cheapo bottle is laying around the house. I generally re-cork bottles with one of those rubber plug and pump getups, however efficacious or not it might be. We've even used a bottle that had been sitting in the beer fridge for a few weeks and I didn't notice any maleffect. Perhaps someone with greater knowledge of cooking with wine can chime in?

Also, part of the beauty of this sauce is that it's a sort of boilerplate recipe that can be tweaked a bit. We've thrown in some cilantro, capers, and once it met meatballs. Anchovies? Why not. It's really a beautiful base. Oh man maybe this weekend.

[Britishbane]

Any recos on the type of white wine to use? We only have some chardonnay in the house - I think chardonnay tastes like BO so I'm hesitant to put it in the sauce. Thoughts?

I've used Benziger's Sav-Blanc. One it tastes okay and OP said to use white wine. Two, I've been to the winery and like the memories this semi-cheap ($14) wine invokes.* Like EddyB I've thrown meatballs in there, used red wine too, sausage as well. Its always damn good.

*edit: three, its got a screw top which is nice for those midweek meals where over-doing it isn't welcome.

[echelon_john]

If I only had Chardonnay, I'd use it, but it wouldn't be my first choice. You want something less sweet, and drier. Sauvignon Blanc, Pino Grigio or the like would be better. Our go-to white of the moment is Oyster Bay Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. About $10-11/bottle, nice flavors, good drinking and cooking.

As to the question above about fresh tomatoes, it won't work well. Too watery; not concentrated enough flavor. I make some summer sauces with fresh tomatoes, but don't recommend them for this one.

[jitahs]

Rookie question........Just out of interest, with the talk of using quality tomatoes, anyone tried this recipe using fresh tomatoes?

A variation is to use a sauté with lots of evoo, garlic, pepper, sweat it, throw in pre-cooked tomatoes done.

You smash the tomatoes in a pan then cook until they're not really really wet, only 1-2 mins max.

Trader Joes block white box wine is serviceable for the recipe, stays fresh longer than bottled wine. Too acidic to drink for me though.

[Dude]

Went ahead with the chardonnay and it is fine. I'm actually using it as a pizza sauce tonight but stoked to have a "daily driver" pasta sauce. Thanks for the recipe and advice!

[spopepro]

Last night:
Primo: spaghetti alla vigliacca
seconda: filetti di orata alla gardesana con bietola
wine: santa cruz pinot grigio

It was very, very good. I was sad I didn't have a slice of ricotta pie for after.

[fc356]

Si
A slice a good ricotta cheesecake would have been the perfect dolce for this.

Zio Franco

[JoB]

This has become my 'daily driver' sauce as someone else said. I just got 15 lbs of tomatoes from the friendly local organic farmer ($1.21/lbs for seconds which were beautiful ... hello back, SC PA!) and am cooking it down.

My take on fresh is that whatever tomatoes you use, the sauce will still be better than almost anything else. It's important to use very ripe only, include at least 1/3 plum or other starchy/sauce varieties, and cook it down a bit at the end. I try to reduce volume by slowly simmering until I have reduced volume by 25% or so. Oh, also, if you are taking out the gel-like center of the tomato, you are doing it wrong.

Great sauce, and I am waiting on the meat sauce recipe!

If I only had Chardonnay, I'd use it, but it wouldn't be my first choice. You want something less sweet, and drier. Sauvignon Blanc, Pino Grigio or the like would be better. Our go-to white of the moment is Oyster Bay Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. About $10-11/bottle, nice flavors, good drinking and cooking.

As to the question above about fresh tomatoes, it won't work well. Too watery; not concentrated enough flavor. I make some summer sauces with fresh tomatoes, but don't recommend them for this one.

[ABiCi]

Good bump. I seriously make this pasta sauce at least once every week. Been serving it the last few times with orrecchiette or pan-fried gnocchi.

[deepsix]

i'm with you guys. this is on heavy rotation.
i will say: the original dose of salt is plenty- no need to keep adding through the process. also- 1/2 tsp of crushed peppers makes it hot enough for anyone i know. 1 tsp is overkill.

[profkrispy]

Thank you so much for posting the recipe.
We had it last night with bucatini and a nice chianti.
Enough sauce left tonight for a pizza.

[spopepro]

i'm with you guys. this is on heavy rotation.
i will say: the original dose of salt is plenty- no need to keep adding through the process. also- 1/2 tsp of crushed peppers makes it hot enough for anyone i know. 1 tsp is overkill.

I think it depends a bit on your ingredients. I came across some crushed sweet calibrian chilies and they are magic in this, but need quite a bit and still aren't really spicy, but oh so good. If you are using crushed cayenne then yes, backing it off is probably right.