I’m finally posting about my favorite food.
PASTA.
Honestly, I’m shocked I’ve held out as long as I have.
I could eat pasta every single day. Confession: I might have actually done that in college and ballooned 40 pounds. So, I have learned the hard way that, no matter how much I want to, I cannot eat pasta every day.
But, if I could request to eat only one food for the rest of my life, it would be pasta. (And maybe Chinese takeout. And some lobster. So, okay, maybe I like a lot more foods than I realize… But pasta is definitely in the top five!)
My favorite pasta dish is penne vodka, but my second favorite was called Fusilli ala Colucci, and it was a signature dish at my neighborhood Italian restaurant when I was growing up.
Colucci’s Ristorante was the real deal — a hole-in-the-wall place with dim lighting, mirrors on the walls, some 50s and 60s crooner hits playing over the loudspeaker, and a friendly “how ya doin?” Italian owner who walked around to each table and greeted his guests every night. And, most importantly, it had THE BEST Italian food.
Colucci’s was where my family celebrated all our milestones, as well as just a random Wednesday night pasta craving. I had been going there since I was a baby, and my mother had been going there since she was a little girl. The restaurant was an extension of home.
Colucci’s meals would always start you off with a complimentary homemade soup of the day, and then you were treated to a feast, no matter what you ordered. Everything there tasted like it was made by a little Italian grandma on a Sunday afternoon after church. They served up the perfect comfort food, especially on dark winter nights, though there was really no wrong season to have a Colucci’s meal.
Needless to say, we were all devasted when Colucci’s closed down about five years ago. That restaurant holds a million memories, but one of the reasons I miss it most is because it was the only place I could get Fusilli ala Colucci.
I especially crave this dish in the summer — probably because my birthday is in the summer, and Colucci’s was my go-to celebratory restuarant. This year, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I called upon all my powers of remembrance and (re)created Fusilli ala Colucci.
Only, this time, it’s “Ziti ala Colucci” because my supermarket was out of fusilli.
The base for Ziti ala Colucci is a classic tomato basil cream sauce. But, this sauce contains an unusual ingredient that really helps set it apart from others: NUTMEG.
I know, I know. It seems a little weird to pair a baking spice with a tomato sauce. (Maybe this recipe should have been used for my “awkward pairing” post!) You may have heard of chefs adding a pinch of nutmeg to spinach or other leafy greens, or even to simple cream sauces, like for mac and cheese. The addition of nutmeg brings an unexpected warmth to the Colucci sauce, and it works well with the cream to tone down the acidity of the tomatoes.
An abundant use of basil also packs a punch of traditional Italian flavor. Fusilli ala Colucci always smelled wonderfully of basil and nutmeg, so be sure to really steep the basil leaves in the sauce to infuse it with that taste and scent. I recommend leaving the leaves atttached to the stem, if you can; this way, you can easily pull them all out at once when you’re ready to serve.
For a final touch, I like to sprinkle the pasta with freshly grated pecorino romano cheese. I know most people use parmesan, but I like the sharp bite of the percorino over the buttery flavor of the parmesan.
I say this recipe serves four people, but I won’t judge you if you eat the entire skillet by yourself. Because I sure didn’t do any such thing…
Kidding.
Kinda.
Ziti ala Colucci
Ingredients
- 1 lb box of ziti rigate
- 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small garlic clove, grated
- 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
- 1/4 cup packed basil leaves, whole
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 2 tbsp chopped basil leaves for garnish
- grated pecorino romano cheese, to taste
Instructions
PREP INSTRUCTIONS:
- Grate garlic clove and set aside.
- Chop two tablespoons of basil leaves and set aside.
- Grate pecorino romano cheese and set aside.
COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:
- Start cooking the pasta first. Fill a medium pot with water and add the ziti rigate to the pot. Cover with lid and place on high heat for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, water should be close to boiling. Uncover the pasta, give it a quick stir, and then reduce heat to medium-high and cook until al dente, another 7-8 minutes. Drain pasta and set aside.
- While the pasta is cooking, make the sauce. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan on medium heat. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add crushed tomatoes, ground nutmeg, salt, pepper, and brown sugar. Stir to combine.
- Add the whole basil leaves, pushing them under the sauce and bruising the leaves lightly with the back of the spatula to release the oils into the sauce.
- Partially cover saucepan and let simmer on low for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- After 10 minutes and season additionally if needed. Remove whole basil leaves with a pair of tongs and discard.
- Turn off the heat and add the heavy cream to the sauce, stirring to combine. Sauce will turn light pink.
- Add the cooked ziti to the pan and stir gently to coat pasta with sauce.
- Serve immediately and garnish with chopped basil and pecorino romano cheese.
… and the “house red” which slid down so easily! Thanks for the trip down memory lane!
One of the few times I really enjoyed a glass of wine with my meal!
Awe I’m sorry your favorite place closed down. This pasta looks great 🙂 Haha, I might be able to eat it all myself!
I think you should give it a try. 😉 If eating an entire skillet of pasta is wrong, I don’t wanna be right!
Omg this look so good and delicious! I can’t wait to try it. Thanks for sharing ♥️ ♥️ By any chance you are interested on doing collaborations, you can check out the collaborations portal of Phlanx.com and connect with amazing brands!
Xoxo,
Tiffany