pasta with herbed madeira cream sauce & pancetta
If I were being feeling silly, I would call this sauce “Witch’s Brew” since it contains a little of this, a little of that, and a little of the other thing as well.
And yet, despite the hodgepodge of ingredients, it comes together, as if by magic, into a lightly creamy and remarkably fragrant sauce. I believe the success of this sauce rests on using fresh sage.
pasta with herbed madeira cream sauce and pancetta
Ingredients
- 1 cup Madeira wine
- 4 fresh sage leaves
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 4 oz. pancetta, chopped
- 2 1/2 tbsps. unsalted butter, divided
- 1 small Vidalia onion, finely chopped
- Salt and freshly ground white pepper
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 3/4 lb. tagliolini, tagliatelle or small, ridged penne
- Freshly-grated Manchego cheese, for serving
How To
- Bring the Madeira to a boil in a small saucepan and continue to boil until reduced almost by half (this will concentrate its flavor, including acidity and sweetness). Remove from the heat.
- Set 3 sage leaves aside and very thinly slice (paper thin!) the fourth one. Set aside. Remove one third of the leaves from the sprig of rosemary and mince. Leave the rest of rosemary sprig as is and set aside.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the olive oil and increase the heat to medium. Once the oil begins to swirl on the surface but is not yet smoking, add the pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally, until it renders its fat and turns a golden caramel color, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pancetta to a small bowl.
- Add 2 tablespoons of the butter to the skillet and raise the heat to medium-high. Once it melts and stops foaming, add the onion, a couple pinches of salt, and white pepper to taste, and stir. When the onion starts to sizzle, adjust the heat to low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until very soft, about 20 minutes.
- While the onion cooks, put a large pot of water on to boil for the pasta. Once it’s boiling, add salt (1 tablespoon for every 4 cups water) and stir. Add the pasta, stirring for the first minute to prevent any sticking. Cook according to the package (or recipe) instructions, draining the pasta 2 minutes short of the directed cooking time. The pasta should be soft but still very firm. Right before draining the pasta, reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta water.
- When the onion is cooked and you’ve added the pasta to the water, raise the heat to medium-high under the skillet and add the cream and reduced Madeira. Cook, stirring a few times, until the sauce thickens a bit, about 8 minutes.
- Drain the pasta and return the pot to the stove. Immediately turn the heat to high and add the remaining ½ tablespoon butter and reserved pasta water. Add the drained pasta and toss. Add the onion mixture and cook, tossing continuously, for 2 minutes.
- Divide the pasta among four warmed bowls. Serve piping hot topped with the crispy pancetta bits and a good dusting of Manchego cheese (or pass the grated cheese at the table).
