Dirty Cajun Pasta
- Level: Advanced
- Yield: 8 to 10 servings
- Total: 12 hr 50 min
- Active: 2 hr 5 min
Ingredients
Gumbo:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup bacon fat
1 cup finely chopped celery
1 cup finely diced onion
1 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
1 cup finely chopped green chile
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 pound hot links, sliced into half-moons
1/4 pound chopped smoked chicken thighs
Demi-Glace Gravy, recipe follows
24 ounces Fra Diavolo, recipe follows
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup medium hot sauce
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
4 bay leaves
5 tablespoons gumbo file powder
Dirty Cajun Pasta:
12 ounces smoked hot links, sliced into half-moons
12 ounces smoked pulled pork
One 16-ounce jar Hatch green chiles, diced
One 16-ounce jar salsa verde
16 ounces Fra Diavolo, recipe follows
Two 16-ounce boxes penne pasta, cooked and drained
12 ounces shredded mozzarella
12 ounces Wisconsin white Cheddar cheese curds
Pinch granulated garlic
Pinch oregano
Basil, for garnish
Demi-Glace Gravy:
2 pounds raw beef bones
One 6-ounce can tomato paste
2 ounces olive oil, plus more for rubbing the bones
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 large carrot, sliced
1 clove garlic, left whole
1 large yellow onion
1 cup red wine
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 sprig fresh thyme
Salt, to taste
Fra Diavolo:
One 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
One 6-ounce can tomato paste
2 tablespoons grated Romano
1/2 tablespoon crushed red pepper
2 teaspoons parsley
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon brown sugar
Directions
Special equipment:
an immersion blender- For the gumbo: Make a roux by whisking the flour and bacon drippings together in a large, heavy saucepan over medium-low heat to form a smooth mixture. Cook the roux, watching the heat carefully and whisking constantly so that it doesn’t burn, until it turns a rich mahogany brown, about 45 minutes.
- Place the celery, onion, green bell pepper, green chiles and garlic in a food processor, and pulse until the vegetables are very finely chopped. Stir into the roux, then add the hot links and chicken to the pan. Bring the entire mixture to a simmer over medium-low heat, then cook until the vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes. Add the Demi, Fra Diavolo and 1 quart water and stir together. Reduce the heat to a simmer and mix in the granulated sugar, salt, hot sauce, Worcestershire, cayenne, thyme and bay leaves. Simmer the soup over low heat for 1 hour, then turn off the heat and whisk in the gumbo file powder.
- For the dirty Cajun pasta: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a medium pot, sauté the hot links, pulled pork, green chiles and salsa verde until hot. Add 16 ounces gumbo (save the remaining gumbo for another use) and Fra Diavola and stir to incorporate. Cook until it starts to bubble. Add the penne and mozzarella and mix until incorporated. Add the mixture to a large casserole dish and top with the cheese curds. Bake until the cheese starts to brown, about 20 minutes. Garnish with the granulated garlic, oregano and basil.
Demi-Glace Gravy:
- For the demi-glace gravy: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Add the raw bones to a sheet tray. Liberally rub the bones with the tomato paste and some oil. Roast for 30 minutes.
- In a large pot, add the oil, celery, carrots, garlic and onions. Saute the vegetables until they start to sweat, then deglaze the pot with some wine. Add the cooked beef bones to the pot. Deglaze the sheet tray with the remaining wine. To the pot, add the peppercorns, thyme, deglazed drippings and 1 gallon cold water. Bring to a boil. Reduce to low and cook for 8 hours, skimming off the fat occasionally. Remove the beef bones and vegetables and strain the liquid through mesh. Reduce the gravy in a stockpot until thick. Add salt to taste.
Fra Diavolo:
- For the fra diavolo sauce: Combine the tomatoes, tomato paste, Romano, crushed red pepper, parsley, black pepper, oregano, salt, granulated sugar, cayenne and brown sugar in a bowl with an immersion blender. Blend until smooth.