Pasta alla Norcina

Pasta alla norcina is a pasta dish that showcases flavorful pork sausage in a light cream sauce. For an authentic-tasting version, we had to make our own sausage. We streamlined the process by starting with store-bought ground pork and making a strong brine with salt to speed its effect. To ensure the juiciest (and most flavorful) possible sausage, we added baking soda and seared the sausage in the form of a patty on both sides before chopping it into small pieces and gently finishing it in the sauce of cream, wine, and mushrooms.

White mushrooms may be substituted for the cremini, and short pasta such as mezzi rigatoni, farfalle, or shells for the orecchiette.

1/4 teaspoon baking soda
8 ounces ground pork
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/4 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, trimmed
7 teaspoons vegetable oil
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 pound orecchiette
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 ounces Pecorino Romano cheese, grated (3/4 cup)
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1 tablespoon lemon juice

1. Grease large dinner plate with vegetable oil spray. Dissolve 1 1/8 teaspoons kosher salt and baking soda in 4 teaspoons water in medium bowl. Add pork and fold gently to combine; let stand for 10 minutes.

2. Add 1 teaspoon garlic, 3/4 teaspoon rosemary, nutmeg, and 3/4 teaspoon pepper to pork and smear with rubber spatula until well combined and tacky, 10 to 15 seconds. Transfer pork mixture to greased plate and form into rough 6-inch patty. Pulse mushrooms in food processor until finely chopped, 10 to 12 pulses.

3. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add patty and cook without moving it until bottom is browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip patty and continue to cook until second side is well browned, 2 to 3 minutes longer (very center of patty will be raw). Remove pan from heat, transfer sausage to cutting board, and chop into 1/8 to 1/4 inch pieces. Transfer sausage to bowl and add cream; set aside.

4. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large Dutch oven. Add pasta and 2 tablespoons kosher salt and cook stirring often, until al dente. Reserve 1 1/2 cups cooking water, then drain pasta and return it to pot.

5. While pasta cooks, return now-empty skillet to medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil, mushrooms, and 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt; cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms are browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in remaining 2 teaspoons oil, remaining garlic, remaining 1/2 teaspoon rosemary, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in wine, scraping up browned bits, and cook until completely evaporated, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in sausage-cream mixture and 3/4 cup reserved cooking water and simmer until meat is longer pink, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove pan from heat and stir in Pecorino until smooth.

6. Add sauce, parsley, and lemon juice to pasta and toss well to coat. Before serving, adjust consistency with remaining reserved cooking water as needed and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Chicken Baked in Foil with Potatoes and Carrots

Food baked in foil packets or en papillote has been lauded for both healthfulness and ease, but our first attempts turned out overcooked chicken, mushy vegetables, and overall blandness. We chose quick-cooking boneless chicken breasts, and to ensure that they’re seasoned throughout, we sprinkle them all over with salt before assembling the packets and then refrigerate them for at least an hour before cooking. Leaving headroom at the top of the packet allows maximum steam circulation for even cooking, and checking the temperature of the chicken through the foil lets us monitor its progress. Finally, layering the heartier potatoes under the chicken insulates it from the hot pan. Some assertive seasonings and a few splashes of extra-virgin olive oil and no one would mistake this for diet food.

To ensure even cooking, buy chicken breasts of the same size. If using table salt, use only 1/8 teaspoon for each entire breast. Refrigerate the pouches for at least 1 hour before cooking.

5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

6 garlic cloves, sliced thin

1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

12 ounces Yukon Gold potatoes, unpeeled, sliced 1/4 inch thick

2 carrots, peeled, quartered lengthwise, and cut into 2 inch lengths

1/2 large red onion, sliced 1/2 inch thick, layers seperated

4 (6-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons minced fresh chives

1. Spray centers of four 20 by 12 inch sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil with vegetable oil spray. Microwave oil, garlic, thyme, and pepper flakes in small bowl until garlic begins to brown, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Combine potato slices, carrots, onion, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and garlic oil in large bowl.

2. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Sprinkle 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt evenly over each side of each chicken breast, then season with pepper. Position 1 piece of prepared foil with long side parallel to counter edge. In center of foil, arrange one-quarter of potato slices in 2 rows perpendicular to counter edge. Lay 1 chicken breast on top of potato slices. Place one-quarter of vegetables around chicken. Repeat with remaining foil, potato slices, chicken, and vegetables. Drizzle any remaining oil mixture from bowl over chicken.

3. Bring short sides of foil together and crimp to seal tightly. Crimp remaining open ends of packets, leaving as much headroom as possible inside packets. Place packets on large plate and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.

4. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 475 degrees. Arrange packets on rimmed baking sheet. Bake until chicken registers 160 degrees, 18 to 23 minutes. (To check temperature, poke thermometer through foil of 1 packet and into chicken.) Let chicken rest in packets for 3 minutes.

5. Transfer chicken packets to individual dinner plate, open carefully (steam will escape), and slide contents onto plates. Drizzle lemon juice over chicken and vegetables and sprinkle with chives. Serve.

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

For our Stuffed Cabbage Rolls, canned tomato sauce had a smooth texture tasters liked and was thin enough to properly coat the rolls without becoming pasty. Sautéed onions and garlic provided a savory foundation, and ground ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg added the requisite warm spice flavor to the sauce. Tasters preferred brown sugar to white for its more complex flavor, and red wine vinegar to white for its bite.

We supplemented the beef filling with bratwurst, a mild German sausage, to boost the meaty flavor. A panade (paste) of milk and bread helped keep the filling soft and moist.

If the tops of the cabbage rolls appear dry after the foil is removed in step 4, spoon some of the sauce over them before returning to the oven.

1 medium head green cabbage, cored  
1 tablespoon vegetable oil  
1 onion, finely chopped  
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground ginger  
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon  
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg  
1 (28-oz) can tomato sauce  
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar  
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 slices hearty white sandwich bread, torn into pieces  
1/2 cup milk  
3/4 pound 85% lean ground beef  
3/4 pound bratwurst, uncooked, casings removed

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Place cabbage in large bowl, wrap tightly with plastic, and microwave until outer leaves of cabbage are pliable and translucent, 3 to 6 minutes. Using tongs, carefully remove wilted outer leaves; set aside. Replace plastic and repeat until you have 15 to 17 large, intact leaves.

2. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Cook onion until golden, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer half of onion mixture to small bowl and reserve. Off heat, stir tomato sauce, sugar, vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper into pot with remaining onion mixture until sugar dissolves.

3. Pulse bread and milk in food processor to smooth paste. Add reserved onion mixture, beef, bratwurst, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and pulse until well combined, about ten 1-second pulses.

4. Trim tough ribs from cabbage leaves, roll 2 heaping tablespoons of meat mixture into each leaf, and arrange rolls, seam-side down, in 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Pour sauce over cabbage rolls, cover with foil, and bake until sauce is bubbling and rolls are heated through, about 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake, uncovered, until sauce is slightly thickened and cabbage is tender, about 15 minutes. Serve.