Erica De Mane

Anna Magnani, my  brooding muse.

Recipe: Penne with Brussels Sprouts, Pancetta, and Lemon

Anna Magnani is speaking to me again. She wasn’t for a while, and boy did that make me anxious. I think she was jealous of my relationship with La Saraghina. But things seem to have settled, and she’s again giving out much needed advice and being a good if somewhat haughty friend. She just told me I wasn’t eating enough pasta.  She knew that. It’s absolutely true. I was trying to knock off a little butt fat. Anna doesn’t approve of knocking off butt fat. She says it goes against my ancient responsibility.

So tonight I decided to follow her instructions and cook pasta with stuff I had on hand (you don’t need to shop, she told me; you need to go to your pantry).  Well, that can sometimes produce great pastas, but what I had on hand happened to be a bag of Brussels sprouts and a hunk of pancetta. That didn’t seem too promising, but she was right. I didn’t need to walk the entire half block to the grocery store to pick up more suitable ingredients. I winged it.

There’s only so much you can do with Brussels sprouts. Boil them up whole, making your kitchen smell like a Porta-Potty, or so I thought. But when I held a buxom Brussels sprout up to a piece of penne,  the only pasta I had an entire bag of, I realized something had to give. I decided the best way to go was to slice my Brussels sprouts thin, and sauté them raw. I used the pancetta, quite a lot actually, since I can’t really fathom eating a Brussels sprout without some kind of pork fat. I added white wine and lemon zest, just to balance all that deep cabbage-ness. And the dish was a success. Thank you Anna again, for your inspiration. And don’t go away for too long, ever again. My muse.

Penne with Brussels Sprouts, Pancetta, and Lemon

(Serves 6 as a first course or 4 as a main course)

Extra-virgin olive oil
1  ¼-inch-thick round of pancetta, cut into small dice
1 large shallot, minced
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
20 Brussels sprouts, trimmed and very thinly sliced
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup dry white wine
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
½ cup chicken broth
1 pound penne pasta
The juice and grated zest from 1 small lemon
Grated pecorino Toscano cheese

In a large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium flame. Add the pancetta, and let it get crisp. Then add the shallots, garlic, and sliced Brussels sprouts, seasoning them with salt, black pepper, and the allspice. Sauté until the Brussels sprouts are starting to soften, about 4 minutes. Add the white wine, and let it bubble away. Add the chicken broth, and continue cooking, uncovered, until the slices are just tender to the bite, about 4 minutes longer. Add the lemon juice and zest, and give it a stir.

Cook the penne al dente, and drain, saving a little of the cooking water. Transfer the penne to a warmed serving bowl. Give it a generous drizzle of fresh olive oil, and toss. Pour on the Brussels sprouts sauce. Add a heaping tablespoon of grated pecorino Toscano, and toss again. Add a little cooking water, if needed to loosen everything. Serve hot, with extra pecorino brought to the table.