Rigatoni with Sausage and Peas

Lavagna in NYC's East Village: a nearly perfect neighborhood Italian joint offering wood oven pizza, pasta and a number of secondi all done to a much higher standard than one would expect when thinking "pizza and pasta". A friend who claims not to be a fan of most seafood dishes swears by their fish specials. The place is consistent: you could order completely at random and get a great meal, with service and decor to match. For less than high end Italian places charge, which fits the neighborhood joint perfectly. That would be plenty to distinguish itself, but Lavagna also has a (not so) secret weapon in its arsenal: a dish that has attracted a cult following. Tell someone in the know you're heading to Lavagna for the first time and they'll tell you, "Get the rigatoni." The last time I was there my server joked that it ought to have its own Facebook page.

The first time I had the rigatoni at Lavagna I thought, "This is one step short of sinful." It's rich enough that a half-portion will satisfy all but the most voracious appetite, but the turkey sausage makes it seem deceptively light. About halfway through my plate I realized I could reverse engineer it in my own kitchen. I also realized I'd be better off using less cream and avoiding the pat of butter that was most likely involved in saucing the pasta. I don't mind rich, but I don't need to eat restaurant rich at home.

So here is my home cooking version of rigatoni with sausage and peas, inspired by Lavagna. Mine is much lighter than theirs, so much so that you may want to substitute penne for the rigatoni if you're particular about the shape of pasta matching the weight of the sauce. I still use rigatoni as an homage. (I go heavier on the peas as well). While it's no substitute for a visit to Lavagna, this dish will impress your guests. It pairs equally well with white or a medium bodied red wine.

This recipe is for half a pound of pasta, which will satisfy two hungry people with a little leftover. To serve four or five double the recipe. If you're cooking efficiently this will take about half an hour to make.

3 Tbs olive oil, plus a little for frying
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
pinch crushed red pepper (or more, to taste)
15 oz can whole tomatoes, drained and broken up by hand
3 1/2 oz vodka
1 Tbs tomato paste
heavy cream
freshly ground black pepper
2 Italian style turkey sausages, meat removed from casings (casings discarded)*
1/2 lb dried Rigatoni
3/4 cup frozen peas
shaved Parmasean cheese, to garnish

In a saucepan heat olive oil and fry garlic (do not brown). Add tomatoes, crushed red pepper, a generous amound of black pepper, vodka and tomato paste. Gently simmer for 20 min to cook off the alcohol (which neutralizes the acid of the tomatoes so the cream won't curdle). While sauce is simmering fry sausage in a small pan with a little olive oil. Break up the cooked sausage and add to sauce. Bring your pasta pot filled with salted water to a boil. Taste the sauce to make sure all alcohol has cooked off. (If it tastes remotely like a bloody mary it needs to simmer longer). Remove sauce from heat and stir in cream until sauce is pink in color. Boil pasta for five minutes, then add peas and cook until pasta is al dente. Drain, return pasta and peas to pot and stir in sauce. Plate immediately, and garnish with a generous amount of shaved Parmasean.

*Chicken sausage works equally well. If you use the "hot" kind you may not need the crushed red peppper. Poultry sausage is generally much saltier than pork sausage, which is the reason I add no salt to the sauce; it comes out salty enough, especially when garnished with Parmasean.

Sichuan Noodle Soup (Dan Dan)

Reader JonnyH commented that he didn't get the variety of foods I have available in NYC in Sydney. That left me a little surprised, having just visited Sydney on tour with Julian Casablancas. It's a world class food town. The good people from Frontier took us out for some of the best Thai I've had in my life at Arun Thai in Kings Cross. Of course, left to my own devices before a show I'm usually on the lookout for a hole in the wall serving up something exotic and tasty on the cheap. Which is how I ended up at Yee King on Sussex, right around the corner from BBQ King, where I had to stop for some takeaway BBQ pork. The Dan Dan noodles at Yee King were an inspiration. I've had many variations on this dish, but theirs sent me into my own kitchen immediately upon arriving home, where I reverse engineered the dish to my own specs. My wife was amused until she took her first taste. "Where did you learn to make this?" "Sydney," I replied.

Exotic ingredients you'll need:

Noodles - The hand pulled noodles at Yee King were good, but none of us are likely to pull noodles in our own kitchen. Japanese udon are a good substitute - the size and shape may be different, but the taste and texture are very similar. I use 1/4 lb cooked noodles per serving.

Chili Bean Sauce (Toban Djan) - Found in jars in Asian markets. Keeps well in fridge once opened. Also useful for making MaPo Tofu, which is my favorite tofu dish.

Chinese Chicken Broth - You can buy chicken broth in the supermarket, then turn it Chinese by simmering it with a pinch of sugar and a chunk of fresh peeled ginger. Alternately you can boil some chicken backs (or bones) for 45 min in enough water to cover with ginger, a pinch of sugar, salt and a glug of Chinese rice wine. Any leftover broth can be frozen for future use.

Shitake mushrooms: I prefer the fat ones from the Chinese greengrocer's, but the skinny Japanese style ones from the supermarket will work fine.

(This recipe makes two bowls of incredibly pedestrian, yet delicious noodle soup)

1/2 pound udon noodles, cooked, rinsed and divided between two bowls
1/3 pound ground pork
Tbs chopped ginger
2 Tbs Chili Bean Paste (or more to taste)
1 bunch scallions, chopped into thin rounds
4 shitake mushrooms, chopped
small handful of chopped peanuts
scant 3 cups Chinese chicken broth
oil for frying

Bring broth to a low simmer. In a small pan heat frying oil. Fry mushrooms over high heat until nearly cooked. Add ground pork and ginger and continue to fry until pork is nearly cooked. Add chili bean sauce, scallions and peanuts. Remove from heat. Pour hot broth over noodles in bowls, then divide fried mixture between the bowls. Eat with both chopsticks and a spoon, so as to enjoy every bit.