Returning to my love of what I call cucina rustica, or rustic cooking, this new pasta dish is incredibly easy to do and requires minimal ingredients: Spicy Pancetta Linguine with White Wine-Sage Sauce, paired with an intense Malbec wine from Chile.
Pancetta is pork belly meat, and literally means “little belly” in Italian. In this recipe, it’s the star of the show, with a supporting cast of red pepper flakes and fresh sage to enhance the flavor, rendering a nice piquant and earthiness essence to the dish.
The secret to great tasting pasta is to toss it in the sauce when still hot, making sure every strand or piece is evenly coated to ensure maximum flavor with every bite.
Let‘s get cooking!
Spicy Pancetta Linguine with White Wine-Sage Sauce
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 1/2 package of linguine pasta
- 1 (4 ounce) package of pancetta, cut in small cubes
- 2 tablespoon of fresh sage, finely minced
- 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup of white wine
- 1/4 cup of vegetable stock
- 2 tablespoons of extra Virgin olive oil
- Parmesan cheese to taste
Directions
- Heat up large frying pan on medium heat. Add pancetta and cook through for about 8 minutes. Remove pancetta from pan and place on paper towel-lined dish to drain excess fat. Leave pancetta fat on frying pan.
- Meanwhile, boil linguine per package instructions. Once cooked, toss linguine in olive oil.
- Add red pepper flakes to pan and heat through, stirring, for 1 minute. Add sage and stir for 2 minutes. Add wine and stock, then reduce heat to low. Simmer for 3-5 minutes.
- Add butter, stir, and simmer for another 2 minutes. Transfer pasta to sauce pan to coat with finished sauce.
- Serve equal portions to four dishes, making sure there are plenty of pieces of pancetta on each plate. Sprinkle some Parmesan cheese on top and serve.
Buon appetito! Enjoy!
Wine Pairing with Spicy Pancetta Linguine
Altamana Grande Reserve Malbec is a blend of grapes from the Maule wine region in Chile. The vines are more than 60 years old, located in a temperate area, cooled by ocean breezes and the Andes mountain range.
These vines have a naturally low yield, producing grapes of high quality and complexity. Soils are in part granitic and partly clayish with rocks. All vines are managed without irrigation because they have grown very deep root systems over decades, thus can tap into deep water reserves.
Aged for 12 months in new French oak, this 100% Malbec wine is elegantly structured and retains the pure aromatic expression of the Malbec grape. The wine is intense and has a lively dark ruby color. It shows aromas of raspberry and Morello cherry with floral notes, well-rounded tannins, and great balance. The finish is intense and very long.
