Rigatoni with pajata

This Roman dish was banned from Italy for 14 years thanks to mad cow disease, but it’s firmly back on the menu. That might not be good news to people who find the thought of milk-filled calves’ intestines less than appealing… Pasta with pajata is a great dish of Jewish tradition and dates back to the mid-1500s. The Jews prepared it, obviously without adding tomato and pecorino cheese. Are you curious to know the original recipe of Roman pajata? 

So, let's see how to prepare this typical Lazio first course.

Ingredients for 4 people 

800 gr of veal straw (or pajata)

400 gr of rigatoni 

750 ml tomato puree

1 small onion

1 stalk of celery

4 cloves 

1 glass of Trebbiano 

4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil 

Pecorino Romano 

half chili pepper

salt to taste

Preparation

Take the pajata already peeled from the butcher and wash it thoroughly. Cut it into pieces about 30 cm long and then tie the ends with the skin forming a donut. Finely chop the onion and celery and fry them in oil. Add the cloves and cook for about 10 minutes, then add the pajata and cook for another 10 minutes. Add the wine and blend. Then add the tomato puree, salt and chilli. Leave to cook over low heat for about 2 hours. Drain the pasta and stir it with the prepared sauce. Put on each plate some donuts of pajata and add the grated pecorino cheese.

Paired wine: Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, a great Italian red wine. Most vineyards are in hilly areas of which 75% are in the province of Chieti. The wine spends 10 months in large oak barrels and four months in bottle before release. 

This is a full-bodied red wine with rich ripe fruit and hints of plums, black cherry, notes of rosemary and a touch of pepper.