Delfina’s Spaghetti
Delfina is one of my favorite restaurants in San Francisco, and it happens to be just two doors down from the Market! Although much of their menu changes daily, this spaghetti is always on offer, and I think it’s one of the best things they make. It’s a great example of how a few high-quality ingredients (most of them pantry items) can come together for a simple but nourishing meal. Chef-owner Craig Stoll was generous enough to share his recipe. Craig employs the classical Italian technique of par-cooking the pasta and then finishing the cooking with the sauce. This not only thickens the sauce but also lets the sauce cook into the pasta. He says, “The result should be juicy and shiny and full of flavor, but with no residual sauce. All of the sauce should be contained within the body of the spaghetti. The last bite of pasta should bring the last bit of sauce with it.”
Recipe information
Yield
SERVES 2 OR 3 AS A MAIN COURSE, 3 OR 4 AS A FIRST COURSE
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Working over the opened can of tomatoes, break open each tomato, scrape the seeds back into the can, and put the seeded tomato in a bowl. Squeeze the seeded tomatoes in your hand to break them up slightly, then strain the juice from the can into the bowl with the tomatoes. Discard the seeds.
Step 2
Chop the garlic coarsely, sprinkle with a pinch of salt, and use the side of a chef’s knife to smash and press the garlic into a paste. Put the garlic paste and the olive oil in a medium heavy-bottomed skillet, cover, and put over medium-low heat. Cook the garlic very slowly until soft and feathery-looking but still creamy in color, 5 to 6 minutes (lower the heat if it starts to brown).
Step 3
Add the tomatoes and juice, along with the chile flakes, 1 1/2 cups water, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring just to a boil, skimming off and discarding any foam (be careful not to skim off the oil, though). Lower the heat to a rapid simmer and cook, continuing to skim the foam, until the sauce has reduced to a scant 2 cups, about 45 minutes. (Stir occasionally as the sauce thickens to prevent sticking or burning.)
Step 4
Remove the sauce from the heat. If you have an immersion blender, pulse the sauce a few times to break up some of the larger chunks. Otherwise, remove one-third of the sauce and puree in a food mill or pulse in a food processor. Return the pureed sauce to the pot and tear the basil leaves into the sauce.
Step 5
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. (Any more than a tablespoon or so of salt will make the final dish too salty.) Add the spaghetti, cook for 6 minutes, and drain, reserving at least 1 cup of the cooking water.
Step 6
Put the sauce in the same pot you used to cook the pasta, adding another pinch of chile flakes if desired. Add the spaghetti and 3/4 cup of the cooking water and bring to a rapid simmer. Cook, stirring frequently, until the pasta is cooked to al dente, the liquid is completely absorbed into the pasta, and the sauce is reduced to a very thick purée, 5 to 7 minutes longer. (Add up to 1/4 cup more of the pasta water if the sauce reduces before the pasta is al dente.)
Step 7
Taste and season with more salt as needed. Top each serving with Parmigiano and serve right away.
NOTE
Step 8
You can make the sauce up to 2 days ahead. Because it also freezes well, consider making a double batch of the sauce and freezing half of it for a rainy day. If making ahead, reserve half the basil leaves and add them when you combine the sauce with the spaghetti.
