Spaghetti alla milanese was brought to my attention by a New York City police officer. He’s a friend of a friend and I began following his Italian Sunday cooking adventures. He in turn, credits Pasquale Sciarappa for the recipe and it’s veramente buono!
My first draft said he cooks so well he missed his calling, but that’s not true. He’s a dedicated NYPD detective and was stricken by and recovered from covid-19. He contracted the virus while doing his job for the citizens of New York City. Kudos to him and all public servants and health care workers for putting their lives on the line for us.
This is a southern Italian version of a northern Italian classic. It’s a simple recipe that a beginning cook can execute flawlessly and an experienced one can appreciate for the beautiful color and flavor. Pancetta wasn’t available, so I had to substitute black forest ham. That in return required a little olive oil to fry the ham, but beyond that I prepared the recipe as written.
I served this with a toasted French baguette and butter. It took less than one hour, start to finish including prep and was a big hit with my toughest cooking critic. This was our 50th anniversary dinner – well, it and a bottle of champagne. Enjoy the photos and give this a try, you’ll like it.
Find it online: https://www.cooksavorcelebrate.com/spaghetti-alla-milanese/