A Bridge Apart, Connected by Pasta
From Durso’s in Flushing to La Chitarra in Bronxville, family heritage and a new generation of chefs carry Italian tradition forward in New York.
New York’s pasta game goes back many generations and lives throughout many neighborhoods. There is a long history of tradition, passion and family behind so many of the early pasta shops- which are somewhat of a dying breed these days. In the earlier days, immigrants who had moved to America would open a pasta shop to support their family and eventually pass along the business to the next generation. Now those next generation family members have moved into the corporate world of finance, marketing and content creation. But there are still some old school shops standing strong and even some newcomers emerging. In the first piece for our series, Flour-ish, we visited two shops that are connected by culture and a bridge.
In the borough of Queens, is a treelined block in the Flushing, NY neighborhood that was home to many Italian, Irish and Jewish immigrants in the 1960’s. This is where the Durso Family opened up Durso’s Pasta & Ravioli Company in 1967. Durso’s is an example of a multi-generational family run business that is still standing. In a neighborhood that has seen many Italian American families move in to the suburbs, many still come back to Queens to pick up their specialties, as if they still lived down the block. When you enter their store you will be kindly greeted by one of the Durso family members, who will answer any questions you have about the dozens of homemade pasta choices. They have a wonderful selection of prepared foods, imported goods and homemade breads to accompany the nicely stuffed raviolis that you can take home either freshly made that day or frozen.
Only sixteen miles and a bridge away, in Bronxville , NY is La Chitarra, powered by a team of entrepreneurs who honed their skills in some of NYC’s finest dining establishments. These classically trained culinary experts were also raised in classic immigrant kitchens in the Bronx and have blended the old and the new to serve up beautiful homemade pasta sold in “The Pasta Shop” or cooked up in their attached restaurant. The Pasta Shop has a wonderful selection of homemade pastas, imported cured meats and cheeses as well as their homemade focaccia sandwiches. The Pasta Shop reminded me of a place I visited in Trastevere, Rome, called Pastaficio Mammi, that had a similar glass pasta case when you enter the store.
We purchased two very different pastas that I suspect will be equal in quality. And given that we are in September here on the east coast, the ingredients that we select will highlight the quality of each pasta. For the ravioli from Durso’s we will be making a fresh tomato sauce with garlic and basil, topped with shaved Pecorino Romano. And for the Campanelle pasta from La Chitarra, we will be making a fresh broccoli and pancetta pasta topped with a Cacio di Bosco cheese, which is an aged pecorino with truffles. Recipes are below. Enjoy!
Durso's Ricotta Ravioli with East Coast Summer Tomato Sauce
Durso's Ricotta Ravioli with East Coast Summer Tomato Sauce
Durso's Ricotta Ravioli with East Coast Summer Tomato Sauce
Durso's Ricotta Ravioli
with East Coast Summer Tomato Sauce
Serves: 4–6
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 30–40 minutes
Ingredients
- 3 lbs of your favorite local tomatoes, chopped up and discard some of the seeds
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed so that they can be removed after cooking
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 handful of fresh basil, torn
- 1 tsp sea salt (or Kosher) plus more to taste
- Pinch of red pepper flakes, the tomatoes are the star here so don’t over power
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter if you want
Method
1. Prepare the tomatoes.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, cut a small "X" into the bottom of each tomato and quickly blanch for about 30 seconds and transfer to an ice bath. Peel away the skins, remove the cores and set aside in a bowl. If they need to be chopped up a bit feel free to do so with a knife or crush with your hands.
Blanching is not required if you would like the sauce to have a more rustic texture.
2. Sauté the garlic.
Heat extra virgin olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-low heat. Slice the garlic thin and sauté 1–2 minutes or until fragrant and a light golden brown. Do not let it brown too much or the garlic will get bitter.
3. Cook the tomatoes.
Add in the tomatoes and season with the salt and a pinch of red pepper flakes and bring to a gentle simmer.
4. Cook the sauce.
Cook the sauce on a low simmer for 25–35 minutes, stirring occasionally. Do not overcook here so that the tomatoes don’t lose their sweetness.
5. Tear up the basil.
Remove the pan from the heat and tear up a generous amount of torn basil, about a handful. Taste and add more salt if needed. And if you want to thicken the sauce up a bit feel free to add in some grass fed butter.
5. Ravioli Time!
In a large pot of boiling water, salt heavily and add in your fresh ravioli. Lower the head just so the water is gently boiling, this will ensure the ravioli do not burst. Wait until they all start to float. With a slotted spoon gently remove and serve with the fresh tomato sauce and top with Pecorino Romano and more basil!
La Chitarra Campanelle Pasta with Broccoli, Pancetta & Garlic
Durso's Ricotta Ravioli with East Coast Summer Tomato Sauce
Durso's Ricotta Ravioli with East Coast Summer Tomato Sauce
La Chitarra Campanelle
Pasta with Broccoli, Pancetta & Garlic
Serves: 4
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 lb pasta (I am using fresh Campanelle but you can use Cavatelli or Rigatoni)
- 1 large head broccoli, cut into small florets
- 8 oz sweet Italian sausage, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
- ½ cup finely grated Pecorino Romano
- Sea salt (or Kosher) for taste, remember the pancetta is salty so taste first
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1–1½ cups reserved pasta water
- Lemon zest and reserve the juice
Method
1. Cook the broccoli.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once the water starts to boil add in the broccoli, salt and blanch for about 3 minutes or until the broccoli starts to soften. Using a slotted spoon move the broccoli into a large ice bath. Once this cools off, place the broccoli onto a cutting board and chop up into small pieces. This is a rustic dish so don’t worry if it looks messy, you want that as it will create a better sauce. Keep the water boiling for the pasta in a few steps.
2. The Sausage.
Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a large sauce pan over medium-low heat. Add in the sausage and cook slowly for 3-4 minutes or until the fat renders and the sausage starts to brown. With a wooden spoon start to break apart the sausage. Do not overcook but do get some browning on the sausage.
3. Build the base.
Now add in the garlic and cook until lightly browned. At this point add in the chopped up broccoli and continue to mash up with a wooden spoon. This will create the texture for the sauce.
4. Cook the pasta.
Using the same broccoli water, cook the pasta for your desired about but remove the pasta 1 minute shy of al dente so that it can cook through in your sauce. Reserve at least 1½ cups pasta water on the side.
5. Bring it together.
Now add your pasta back into the sauce pan. Slowly add in the pasta water about a 1/2 cup at a time and cook over medium heat, while stirring to combined the ingredients and so that the pasta can incorporate the sauce.
6. Finish with Pecorino Romano.
Remove the pan from heat and add in the Pecorino Romano along with freshly ground cracked black pepper. Top with some lemon zest and lemon juice reserve and toss one last time before serving.