Just finished trying Scott Conant’s (of NYC’s Scarpetta) spaghetti recipe. Two things are certain. It’s a great recipe, and I can make anything complicated. That said, the directions were a bit unorganized- but I’m willing to overlook it because the dish is so ridiculously good. If you ever try to make this pasta, it makes the most sense to think of it in three major parts: 1) Heat and mash the tomatoes for the sauce. 2) Make the Olive oil infusion. 3) Combine the two with the nearly cooked spaghetti and add the finishing components.
Siege and I concluded it’s the best spaghetti we’ve eaten…maybe ever. I’m not patting myself on the back here either. The credit goes to Mr. Conant. The idea of infusing extra virgin olive oil with garlic, crushed red pepper flakes and basil is absolutely genius and yet, seems so basic and simple. This step, I believe, is the backbone of the dish that takes it to the next level. The herbacious floral qualities of the basil with the heat from the pepper and aromatic hum from the garlic are enough to send a person into rabid food frenzy. Soooo delicious.
The tomatoes from the store looked pretty weak so I used canned San Marzano tomatoes that worked great. It’s the first time that I recall not missing the meat in a variation of spaghetti. Usually, if spaghetti, or any pasta for that matter, does not have meat it falls a bit flat for me. Not this time. The Parmesan, butter, and fresh basil added to the end are really a great touch. The spaghetti had great texture too, with the noodles holding just the perfect amount of tomato sauce. Very rich and comforting, indeed was this pasta (says Master Yoda). The recipe can be found by clicking here.
Siege and I shared a wonderful bottle of 2008 Segromigno from Unti Vineyards. I’d never had Unti’s Segromigno prior to about a month ago. I tried it in their quaint little tasting room and almost immediately fell to its charms. Segromigno is actually a town in Tuscany near Lucca where George Unti’s dad was born. This particular Sangiovese blend, however, is similar to a wine called Rosso Piceno, which hails from the Le Marche region of Italy. But lucky for me, Mick and George Unti have Sangiovese and Montepulciano clones growing in the Dry Creek Valley of Sonoma, California. Bless their heart!
The wine, was delicious with the rustic french loaf we devoured before the pasta, but unfortunately didn’t work as well as we thought it would with the spaghetti. The Segromigno shows good fruit character, cherry notes, with some licorice, and some earthiness. I’m thinking the crushed red pepper flakes were the cause of the bad pairing. Too much heat going on for the wine- it seemed to make the wine more astringent and diminished the fruit flavors. In any case, it was an enjoyable meal all the same and look forward to making it again and finding a suitable wine for it. I’m sure there plenty of good bottles out there to do right by this glorious pasta. Do you have a favorite pasta wine pairing? Or perhaps a pairing that got away from you like this one?
The Roasted Beast 
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