Yellow Violets at Steepletop and Rigatoni all’Amatriciana!

It is always a thrill to discover the first illusive and secretive yellow violets of spring. The delicate plants with their characteristic heart shaped leaves thrive in sunny spots. We walked downhill towards the marsh at the Steepletop Preserve in New Marlborough, Massachusetts and magically there they were, cozily surrounded by leaf cover in the same place as last season! Their name, viola, is derived from the Greek name lo. According to a Greek myth, Jupiter protected his beloved by transforming her into a heifer surrounded by violets for her to feed upon.

We continued on the rest of our walk around the marsh area and it was as lovely as ever.

Reentering a wooded area, fiddlehead ferns newly opened, like graceful scrolls on a string instrument, lined the sides of the trail.

It was a warm day and at the end of the 2 mile loop, a stone bench with an inscription from Walt Whitman’s A Song of Joys beckoned to us: “sit, relax and enjoy the peaceful surroundings”!

Like any self respecting foodie, I currently subscribe to three different food magazines. The April 2024 issue of Food and Wine Magazine is titled: “The Italian Way”. On the cover, Rigatoni All’ Amatriciana was artfully photographed. The recipe called for a few high quality ingredients, including the Italian cured meat, guanciale (gwann-chaa-lay) and pecorino cheese. We decided that we deserved a rich treat! I found guanciale at Guidos Fresh Marketplace in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. I read in America Test Kitchens that guanciale is from the cheek or jowl and is cured with salt, pepper, garlic, rosemary and sage. Since it is from the cheek, it has a higher fat content (thus more flavor) than pancetta, which is from the pork belly.

I slowly sauteed lardons of guanciale to render the fat and crisp up the bits of meat. Our house was filled with a lovely peppery and enticing aroma.

The recipe uses all of the rendered fat in the tomato and pecorino sauce; I just used a small amount of the fat for flavor and this was fine! Made with sauteed onion, red pepper flakes and tomato paste that was browned with sauteed garlic and added to high quality pureed whole tomatoes with freshly grated pecorino; this was one of the best sauces I have ever tasted.

We purchased the best quality imported Italian Rigatoni that we could find and with the crispy bits of guanciale in the sauce, freshly ground pepper and more grated pecorino; the dish was simple perfection! Not necessary, we also served a side dish of steamed broccolini simply seasoned with fresh lemon, salt and extra virgin olive oil.

ENJOY!!

Rigatoni All’ Amatriciana- based on Food and Wine- April 2024 Issue

Ingredients

• 1 medium-size (9-ounce) yellow onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
• 5 ounces guanciale, cut into 1-1/4 inch batons
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper or more to taste
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 (28-ounce) can whole plum tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1 pound uncooked rigatoni pasta
• 2 ounces pecorino Romano cheese, finely shredded (about 1 cup), plus more for serving

Directions

1. Heat a large high sided skillet over low heat. I used a cast iron enamel pot. Add guanciale, cook, stirring often and guanciale is crisp and fat is rendered about 20-30 minutes. Transfer guanciale to a paper towel to drain. Remove almost all of the fat from the pot- you could add a small amount of extra virgin olive oil.
2. Add onion, and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 4 minutes. Stir in crushed red pepper.
3. Add garlic, stirring about 30 seconds. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly until darkened to a rusty red color.
4. Using your hands or a wooden spoon, crush tomatoes; add tomatoes and their juices to skillet. Bring to a boil over medium-high; reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring often, until flavors meld and mixture thickens, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Add cheese and half of guanciale to tomato mixture.
5. While sauce cooks, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high. Add rigatoni, and cook according to package instructions for al dente, about 13 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid.
6. Add rigatoni to sauce in pot. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens and coats pasta, adding extra reserved liquid if necessary. Serve with additional pecorino cheese, freshly ground pepper and reserved bits of guanciale.

AND: Here’s the “Tree of the Week”!

I end with a rare White Trillium that my husband Paul found while bushwhacking through the Great Mountain Forest in Norfolk, CT.

HAPPY SPRING!!