Get the recipe for "Stanley Tucci's Greatest Dish in the World."
If there's anything we can trust, it's Stanley Tucci's instincts for creating tasty pasta dishes. And when we heard about his latest pasta dish that uses a secret ingredient to create a luscious, thick sauce, we had to try it for ourselves. Here's what we thought and what we'd do differently.
It's no secret that many great pasta sauces use reserved pasta water to help emulsify and thicken a sauce. That is a reliable method, but so is Tucci's secret ingredient, beans. That's right, this social media share-dubbed "Stanley Tucci's Greatest Dish in the World" by Desert Island Dishes-utilizes creamy, smooth cannellini beans to thicken the sauce. It's a great idea and we know, because we put it to the test.
Tucci (via this interview) claims this dish is something he enjoys having for lunch. He first cooks onions and garlic in olive oil until fragrant and softened. Then he adds beans, chicken broth, and tomatoes and lets it all simmer. Next up, he adds kale or Swiss chard and once it's softened, he pulls out a bit of the mixture and transfers it to a blender to purée. Once it's smooth, he adds that back to the skillet, adds a bit of pasta water and Parmesan cheese, and "long pasta." After portioning it all into bowls, he garnishes it with a little olive oil and some more Parmesan.
The video that accompanies the interview with Tucci shows the steps we describe here, but Tucci's verbal description of the dish doesn't exactly match. Like, what are these tomatoes? The video shows what looks like canned crushed tomatoes, but Tucci says "they're cooked.." Since it's not clear what he uses, I chose canned, crushed tomatoes to keep things easy. As for blending, he doesn't specify if he purées the dish before or after adding the kale. I tried it both ways and preferred the recipe when puréed without the kale. It's more appealing visually and I like the texture the kale adds to the dish. But it tastes the same either way, so it's up to you when you'd like to blend.