Pasta Val d’Arciere

Name: Pasta Val d’Arciere
Yield: Serves 4, as a main course
Ingredients: freshly grated Parmesan cheese; 3–4 oz / 85–110 g Parma ham trimmings, (from the knuckle end), shredded or chopped; 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar; chives or flat-leaved parsley, to garnish (optional); 1 tsp finely chopped oregano or sage; freshly ground black pepper; 2–3 cooked beetroot, peeled and diced; 3–4 tbsp red wine; 1 lb / 455 g red-coloured dried pasta; 1 red onion, peeled and chopped; 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Preparation info

Serves
4
, as a main course

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

The Times Cookbook

By Frances Bissell

Published 1995

About

I learned this method of cooking dried pasta from Eva Agnesi, the president of one of Italy’s largest pasta manufacturers. It works every time. If you use thick pasta like ziti or rigatoni, it should be boiled for 3 minutes, not 2.

Ingredients

1 lb / 455 g red-coloured dried pasta
1 red onion, peeled and chopped

Main course

Method

Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil, and put in the pasta. Bring it back to the boil and boil for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover with a tight-fitting lid (place a folded tea-towel beneath the lid, if necessary, to ensure a tight fit), and let it cook for the full length of time given on the packet. While the water is first coming to the boil, prepare the sauce in a large pan by