Chef Isabellas Now Famous Pepperoni Sauce Recipes

MIKE ISABELLA'S PEPPERONI SAUCE (FOR PASTA)

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, until the oil shimmers.
• Add the onion and garlic; cook for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until they are golden and fragrant.
• Stir in the pepperoni; cook for about 5 minutes, until fragrant and evenly coated, then add the toasted fennel seed and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute, stirring.
• Add the tomatoes and their juices (to taste), the broth and the bay leaf; stir to incorporate.
• Once the mixture starts to bubble at the edges, cover and cook for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• The pepperoni slices will be soft, with a deeper color.
• Remove from the heat.
• Working in batches as needed, transfer to a food processor or a high-powered blender (including the bay leaf); puree until smooth.
• The sauce is ready to use. Or cool, cover and refrigerate or freeze.
• NOTE: Toast the fennel seed in a small dry skillet over medium heat, shaking the skillet often to keep the seeds from burning. They will become fragrant and slightly darker in color. This only takes a couple of minutes.
• He also recomends using San Marzano tomatoes for this recipe.

PEPPERONI PASTA WITH LEMON AND GARLIC

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook, according to package directions, until about 2 minutes shy of al dente so that the pasta can finish cooking in the sauce. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta.
• While the pasta is cooking, in a large skillet or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium. Add pepperoni and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisped and brown, 3 to 4 minutes.
• If the pan looks dry, drizzle in a little more oil. Add garlic, fennel seeds, red-pepper flakes (if using) and a large pinch of salt, and cook until garlic is lightly golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook until it darkens, about 1 minute.
• Add the drained pasta, lemon zest and 3/4 cup of the reserved pasta water to the skillet. Stir until the pasta is al dente and well coated with the sauce. Add more pasta water, if needed, until the sauce is glossy and the pasta is cooked to taste.
• Cut the zested lemon in half and squeeze some juice into the pasta. Stir in herbs and taste, adding more lemon juice and salt, if needed. Cut the remaining half lemon into wedges and serve it alongside the pasta, which should be garnished with more herbs and a drizzle of oil, and sprinkled with Parmesan, if you like.

CHEF ISABELLA’S “NOW-FAMOUS” PEPPERONI SAUCE

Steps:

• In a pot, sweat onions in olive oil for five to seven minutes. Add garlic and continue to sweat for two minutes. Add the pepperoni and cook for about three more minutes. Add spices and cook for an additional minute. Add the crushed tomatoes with the juice and cook for five more minutes. Lastly, add chicken stock and simmer for 40 minutes. Remove the mixture from heat and puree in a blender. Season with salt and pass it through a fine china cap. Finally, add the splash of vinegar.