Fresh Taccozze Pasta with Sea Bass
- 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
- 1 pound red potatoes, peeled and cut in 1/2-inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 medium stalks celery with leaves, chopped
- 2 bay leaves, preferably fresh
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 12 cups (3 quarts) cold water
- 1 pound skinless sea-bass fillet, cut in 1 1/2-inch cubes
- 2 ripe medium tomatoes, cut in 1-inch cubes (about 3 cups)
- 1 batch (1 1/2 pounds) Fresh Taccozze (page 283)
- A wide, heavy-bottomed saute pan or saucepan, 13-inch diameter, with a cover
- To make the sauce: Pour the olive oil into the big pan, set it over medium heat, and scatter in the onion.
- Cook, stirring, for 3 or 4 minutes, until it begins to soften.
- Toss in the potato cubes, stir with the onion, and spread them out in the pan; cook for 5 minutes or so, tumbling them over occasionally, until they start to caramelize and stick to the pan bottom.
- Clear a space in the pan, and drop in the tomato paste; let it caramelize and toast in the hot spot for a minute, then stir together with the onion and potatoes.
- Drop in the celery and bay leaves, sprinkle on the salt, stir, and get everything sizzling, then pour in the cold water.
- Stir up the vegetables, cover the pot, and bring the water to a boil over high heat.
- Adjust the heat to keep it bubbling nicely, and cook for 30 to 40 minutes, until the potatoes start to fall apart and thicken the sauce.
- Drop in the cubes of fish and tomatoes, stir to distribute them, and heat the sauce back to an active simmer.
- Cook, uncovered, for 15 minutes or so, until the sea bass is cooked through and the tomatoes have softened and dissolved into the sauce.
- Before cooking the taccozzeright in the sauce itselfI shake the diamond shapes by handfuls in a colander or strainer, removing excess flour.
- Then I drop all of the pasta at once into the simmering sauce.
- Stir and lift the taccozze with tongs, separating the flat pieces if they are stuck together.
- Cover the pan, and bring the sauce to a boil over high heat; cook the taccozze for about 4 minutes, stirring frequently, until al dente.
- Serve immediately in warm soup bowls.
extravirgin olive oil, onion, red potatoes, tomato paste, stalks celery, bay leaves, kosher salt, cold water, fillet, tomatoes, batch, a wide
Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/fresh-taccozze-pasta-with-sea-bass-372355 (may not work)