Mastering Pasta

Pappardelle with Rabbit Ragù and Peaches

I ve always been fascinated by the way fruits play so well in savory cooking. Porcini and peaches. Oxtail with Italian mustard fruits. Duck with grapes. When we started making
this rabbit ragù, it needed a little pop, but adding vinegar or lemon juice wasn t enough. Fruit gave it so much more acid, sugar, aroma, and something to bite into. Pappardelle
are traditionally cooked with a ragù made from game meats, and in Tuscany, the game is often wild hare or rabbit.

Pasta Swap For a ragù like this, I prefer a thicker noodle. That s why I went with pappardelle. But square fazzoletti make a great substitute. They will wrap around the meat and sauce nicely and give you a big bite of pasta.

1 rabbit (about 3 lb/1.4 kg)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons (45 ml) grapeseed or canola oil
1 3 cup (41 g) peeled and chopped carrot
1 3 cup (34 g) chopped celery
1 3 cup (56 g) chopped red onion
1 3 cup (79 ml) dry white wine
¾ cup (135 g) cherry tomatoes, halved
8 ounces (227 g) Egg Yolk Dough (page 26), rolled into sheets about 1 8 inch (3 mm) thick
¼ cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
6 tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter
¼ cup (25 g) grated Parmesan cheese, plus some for garnish
2 ripe peaches, halved, pitted, and thinly sliced

Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C).

Rinse the rabbit and remove the innards and excess fat deposits. Reserve the innards for another use. Remove the hind legs and forelegs by driving your knife straight through the hip and shoulder joints. Cut each leg in half through the center joint. Snip through the breastbone with kitchen shears, and then cut the rabbit crosswise into 6 to 8 pieces. Season the rabbit pieces all over with salt and pepper.

Heat the grapeseed oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the rabbit pieces, in batches if necessary to prevent crowding, and sear them, turning them once, until they are

recipe list
Introduction: Pasta Sensibility 

1 | Tradition and Innovation 
2 | Wheat Flour 
3 | Fresh Pasta 
4 | Baked Sheet Pasta 
5 | Ravioli and Stuffed Pasta 
6 | Extruded and dried Pasta 
7 | Playing with Flavor 
8 | Hand-Formed Pasta
9 | Gnocchi
10 | Risotto

Stocks, Sauces, and Other Basics 
Sources 
Acknowledgments 
Selected Bibliography 
Index

Marc Vetri is the chef and founder of Philadelphia s Vetri Family of Restaurants, which operates a collection of the country s most critically acclaimed Italian restaurants: Vetri, Osteria (Philadelphia and Moorestown, NJ), Amis, Alla Spina, Pizzeria Vetri, and Lo Spiedo. Classically trained in Bergamo, Italy, Vetri is known the world over for bringing a bold, contemporary sensibility to classic Italian cooking. He is a member of Food & Wine magazine s 1999 Best New Chefs class and the 2005 winner of the James Beard Award for Best Chef Mid-Atlantic. He is also the author of two cookbooks, Il Viaggio di Vetri and Rustic Italian Food. Outside the kitchen, Vetri is the driving force behind the Vetri Foundation, a non-profit organization whose mission is to help kids experience the connection between healthy eating and healthy living. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife, Megan, and their three children. 

David Joachim has authored, edited, or collaborated on more than forty cookbooks, including the multi-award-winner The Science of Good Food and million-copy bestselling series A Man, A Can, A Plan. He writes a column for Fine Cooking magazine called The Science Of . . . and his writing and recipes have appeared in numerous magazines such as USA Today, Men s Health, Better Homes & Gardens, Cooking Light, Women s Health, Cook s Illustrated, Fine Cooking, and Bicycling. He is also the co-founder of Chef Salt, a line of artisanal salt seasonings. Joachim lives in Center Valley, PA, and his favorite cooking tool is a leaf blower.

In my mind, Marc Vetri is one of the best pasta chefs on the planet. This is the pasta bible, written in the most beautiful way. Everyone needs a copy of this book on their shelf. Jamie Oliver, chef, restaurateur, cookbook author, and media personality

Marc Vetri is not your Nonna, but he s the next best thing, marrying Old World technique with New World flavors. A thoroughly modern and mouthwatering pasta master class. Dan Barber, chef and co-owner of Blue Hill and Blue Hill at Stone Barns

Mastering Pasta is a true ode to one of the most beloved foods in the world. This is a cookbook that captures Marc Vetri s passion for his craft and talent as a chef. Nathan Myhrvold, author of Modernist Cuisine

When it comes to pasta I have never had any better than those that come from the hands of Marc Vetri and that includes dozens of trips to Italy.  I have said it for years that if there is one chef that could cook my last meal it would be Marc, and although I adore all his food, I think I would ask for ten courses of pasta because it is just that transcendent.  This book will become the bible of all things pasta and help all of us continue to understand the perfect marriage between different flours that help create its magic.  I'm sure Marc is not only proud of this masterpiece but also happy that chefs from around the globe will stop calling, texting, and emailing him for his fantastic recipes, techniques, and insight on all things pasta, since he put all the secrets right in this book! Michael Symon, chef, restaurateur, television personality, and author

I love Italian food but I am kind of a bozo in the kitchen. Marc s cookbooks have been great guides for me and I know this book will help me step up my pasta-making skills. Alright, that s enough. Quit reading this and go eat pasta! Aziz Ansari, actor and comedian

Early on in Mastering Pasta, Chef Vetri tells us that recipes need cooks.