Rigatoni con la pajata

A classic Roman dish made with the intestines of an unweaned calf – fed only on its mothers milk. The veal intestines are cooked low and slow until soft and tossed through rigatoni with a rich tomato sauce.

Credit: Getty Images

• serves

  2

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  2 hours

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 1 onion
• 1 carrot
• 1 stalk celery
• 3-400 g veal intestines
• 1 cup white wine
• 1 large jar passata (approximately 700ml)
• Small pinch of oregano
• 200 g rigatoni
• Pecorino Romano, to serve

Instructions

1. The veal intestines come in a long strip. Cut the intestine into approximately 20 cm long pieces. Use a piece of cooking twine to tightly tie one end of the intestines along with the other into a ring. You end up with several rings of intestines which helps keep the milk in.
2. Finely dice the onion, carrot, celery. Heat a medium-sized pot/pan and add the olive oil. Add the onion, carrot and celery and cook stirring for a few minutes on medium-high heat.
3. Add the intestines then cook for a few minutes. Add the wine, oregano, the passata and a splash of water and season with salt and bring to a simmer. Cover with a lid. Reduce to a low heat and cook for 1.5-2 hours or until the sauce has reduced and intestines are tender.
4. Before serving, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the rigatoni and cook the pasta until al dente.
5. Meanwhile, remove the string from each ring of cooked intestine. Keep Intestines as they are or slice it into smaller pieces. Taste and season the sauce with salt and pepper to your liking.
6. Toss the cooked rigatoni into the sauce and combine everything together. Add a splash of water if needed. Divide onto plates and serve topped with grated pecorino.

 

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.