Nothing beats a big bowl of pasta when you're craving something comforting, and Toronto's Parcheggio is just the place for simple and hearty Italian fare in a laid-back setting. Here's a recipe for Parcheggio’s Rigatoni Alla Carbone, if you want to get a taste of the menu.
Parcheggio passata sauce
Pass tomatoes through a food mill to remove seeds and skins. If you don’t have a food mill, lightly purée the tomatoes, leaving some texture.
In a large pot over medium heat, sauté the garlic in the extra virgin olive oil.
When the garlic is very soft and translucent, add the tomatoes. Season with salt to taste.
Bring the garlic and tomatoes to a simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, and then drop the basil in. Cover the pot with a lid, and take it off the heat.
Allow the sauce to steep for 15 to 20 minutes, and then place in the fridge to chill.
Rosé Sauce alla Carbone
In a large pot over medium heat, sauté the onion and garlic in the extra virgin olive oil until very soft.
Add the chilies and roasted peppers and sauté for a few more minutes.
Add the passata sauce and bay leaves, season with salt and pepper, and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes.
Add the cream and simmer another 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaves and take off the heat.
In a blender, and in small batches, puree the sauce until it is very, very smooth. The texture should be velvety and extremely fine.
Adjust seasoning if needed.
Assembly
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil, and season liberally with salt.
In a second pot, warm your rosé sauce slowly over medium heat.
Cook the pasta. (Important: if the package says to cook for 10-12 minutes, only cook it for 8-10. You’ll be finishing the pasta in the sauce.)
When the pasta is almost cooked, whisk in the mascarpone and butter into the rosé sauce.
Ladle a bit of pasta water into a bowl and set aside, then drain your pasta.
Add the pasta to the rosé sauce.
Cook the pasta in the sauce for a couple of minutes, adding a splash of the reserved pasta water if the sauce gets too thick.
The texture should be soft, silky, velvety and smooth.
Just before serving, throw in the handful of whole basil leaves.
Serve with plenty of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
