Pasta Modern by Francine Segan

oil
1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced
1 (14-ounce/400-g) can tomato puree
14 pitted oil-cured black olives
Fresh parsley
¼ cup (40 g) raisins or currants
1 tablespoon dried oregano
Freshly ground black pepper
⅓ cup (37 g) homemade coarsely ground breadcrumbs, toasted
¼ cup (30 g) chopped walnuts
1 pound (455 g) bucatini or any pasta
Submerge the baccalà in a bowl of water, cover, and let soak in the refrigerator for 2 days, changing the water twice daily. Thinly slice or flake the baccalà , reserving ½ cup (120 ml) of the soaking liquid.
In a large skillet, combine ¼ cup (60 ml) oil and the onion and cook over medium-high heat until the onion is golden, about 5 minutes. Add the baccalà , the reserved ½ cup liquid, the tomato puree, olives, ⅓ cup (30 g) of minced parsley, raisins, oregano, and pepper to taste. Simmer on very low heat for 1 hour, until the flavors have fully melded.
Meanwhile, in a dry nonstick pan, re-toast the breadcrumbs until they are light golden. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil and add the walnuts. Cook, tossing often, until the crumbs are dark golden.
Boil the pasta in salted water until it is almost al dente. Drain and toss into the sauce with a little of the cooking liquid to finish cooking. Serve topped with the walnut breadcrumbs.
NOTE: Baccalà can sit in your pantry for months, but it does need to rehydrate in water for two days before you can cook with it .



BLACK PASTA WITH MUSSELS
    { Pasta nera e frutta di mare }
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    SERVES 4 | REGION: Calabria and southern Italy
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Squid ink pasta is hands-down one of the prettiest pastas ever! Glistening black, it’s a glamorous canvas whose delicately briny flavor enhances any seafood. It is especially gorgeous against the lovely orange color of mussels.
In the photograph, the pasta is laid out straight, a style of plating popularized by Gualtiero Marchese, the Milan-born chef considered the founder of modern Italian cuisine. I’ve also seen modern Italian chefs arrange this pasta in a flat round spiral to look like the shiny black vinyl LPs of the past. Of course, you can serve it the conventional way too. It’s delicious no matter how it’s put on the plate!
3 garlic cloves, sliced
Olive oil
4 pounds (1.8 kg) mussels, scrubbed
1 (14-ounce/400-g) can diced tomatoes
½ cup (90 g) cooked small white beans like cicerchie or cannellini, optional
½ cup (60 ml) dry white wine
1 pound (455 g) squid ink pasta, preferably Felicetti or Rustichella d’Abruzzo brand
Salt
1 small fresh red chile pepper, thinly sliced, or red pepper flakes
Fresh parsley
In a large sauté pan over medium heat, cook the garlic in 3 tablespoons oil until it is aromatic. Add the mussels, tomatoes, beans, if using, and wine and cover. Cook until the mussel shells open, about 5 minutes, then remove almost all the mussels from their shells, reserving a few in the shell for garnish. Discard the shells and put the mussel meat back into the sauce.
To serve the pasta laid out straight, bring about 3 inches of salted water to a boil in two separate sauté pans, each wide enough to hold the pasta horizontally. Divide the pasta between the pans and boil until it is al dente. Using two tongs or a wide spatula, remove the pasta from the pans and, keeping it straight, lay it out onto a serving platter. (Alternatively, you can cook the pasta in a tall pot of boiling water and serve it in the conventional way.) Top with the sauce and reserved mussels in the shells. Season with salt and chile peppers. Serve topped with parsley.

SLOW-SIMMERED TUNA, CARAMELIZED ONIONS & “CANDLES”
    { Genovese di tonno }
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    SERVES 4 | REGION: Campania, especially Naples
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A bushel of onions simmer slowly for hours creating caramel-sweetness that’s accented with succulent, soft morsels of buttery tuna. This dish is traditionally served with candele , a long, thick candle-shaped pasta that’s cut into pieces before cooking. But any thick pasta is perfect with this fantastic sauce.
Even people