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Chef Victor Casanova of Culina Beverly Hills shares his recipe for Spaghetti Alla Chitarra with San Marzano Tomato Sauce, Peperoncino and Fresh Basil. For added instruction, entertainment and a tip on how to keep fresh pasta from sticking, watch the video.
Ingredients for San Marzano Tomato Sauce:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 red onion, finely minced
4 garlic cloves, finely minced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
1/2 medium carrot, finely minced
2 (28-ounce) cans peeled whole san marzano tomatoes, crushed by hand
Salt
Directions:
1. In a medium sized saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
2. Add the onion and garlic, and cook until soft and light golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Add the oregano and carrot, and cook 5 minutes more, until the carrot is quite soft.
4. Add the tomatoes and bring to a boil.
5. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes until flavor has developed.
6. Season with salt and serve.
Ingredients for Fresh Pasta:
3 1/2 cups high gluten flour
4 extra-large eggs
2 egg yolks
Directions:
1. Mound the flour in the center of a cutting board.
2. Make a well in the middle of the flour, add the eggs.
3. Using a fork, beat together the eggs and begin to incorporate the flour starting with the inner rim of the well.
4. As you incorporate the eggs, keep pushing the flour up to retain the well shape.
5. The dough will come together when about half of the flour is incorporated.
6. Start kneading the dough with both hands, primarily using the palms of your hands. Add more flour, in 1/2-cup increments, if the dough is too sticky.
7. Lightly flour the board and continue kneading for 3 more minutes. The dough should be elastic.
8. Continue to knead for another 3 minutes.
9. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and set aside for 20 minutes at room temperature.
10. Pass through fresh pasta machine with a spaghetti attachment.
11. Reserve on a plate dusted with finely ground semolina.
To Finish:
Ingredients:
4 oz. fresh spaghetti
2 oz. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp peperoncino
2 tbsp fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces
2 tbsp grana padano, freshly grated into sauté pan
salt & pepper to taste
2 oz. extra virgin olive oil
Directions:
1. Heat a large pot of water to boil, make the water salty like the sea.
2. Heat a medium sized sauté pan with extra virgin olive oil, garlic and peperoncino.
3. Cook until fragrant, then add 3oz. of san marzano tomato sauce.
4. Drop pasta into water and cook for 30 seconds then add to the sauté pan with the tomato sauce.
5. Add 2oz. of the water that the pasta cooked in and turn the heat down to low.
6. Keep tossing the pasta and the pasta should take in the tomato sauce and slowly start to change color.
7. Start tasting the pasta and cook until desired doneness and flavor profile, if not done yet keep adding small increments of the pasta water to achieve proper consistency.
8. Add cheese, basil leaves, extra virgin olive oil season to taste and toss vigorously.
9. Serve.
Visit Chef Vic at Culina to experience his Modern Italian Cuisine | Four Seasons Los Angeles, 300 South Doheny Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90048 | (310) 860-4000
too bad chef never answered if his name was good in the kitchen vs. ladies..lol. great line of questions as usual!
LOL Hong & Kim — Thank you! That’s my best “Ashton Kutcher.” Sometimes the question is funnier than the answer (Chef Vic’s response was something like — ‘not so much anymore, I had my time’ — I think he’s married). Everything in this vid is edited… the question about the $20,000 pasta maker was the very last question I asked him ;)
One word come to mind: luscious.
The pasta looks good too.