My name is Jaclyn DeGiorgio and I’m a carboholic. The kitchens of both my Italian and Irish heritages celebrate these wonders in the form of two amazing starches: pasta and potatoes.
Pasta and potatoes is a traditional Southern Italian preparation. I know it might seem redundant, but this carb-on-carb combo can be found throughout Italy: pizza with potatoes, potato gnocchi and a traditional Ligurian pesto is served with potatoes and green beans.
I found so many recipes out there in cyberspace, so here is how I make it.
1 carrot
1 celery stalk
1 onion
Guanciale
24 baby tomatoes (when in season)
Heat the oil and stir the guanciale, then I add my soffrito (diced carrot, celery and onions) and salt cook for quite a bit until soft and the onion is translucent. At this point, I add the tomatoes if I’m using them and I sautee.
I’m not great at dicing potatoes, so I cut them my own way. Then, I add them to the pot and let them simmer for a couple of minutes constantly stirring, then I cover in cold water, taking care to add enough to cover the pasta I’ll be adding later. I always add salt to the water. You can add a herb like a bay leaf or rosemary, and a touch of tomato paste.
I let it simmer for about 20-30 minutes, once it boils I lower it. I stir and taste it, and when it seems right, then I add the pasta and some salt. It usually takes about 10 minutes for the pasta to cook, but I keep going back to check. When it’s done, I cover it in salty pecorino cheese.
