Fettuccine alla papalina
Not long ago, my friend Alessandro and I were – as two foodies do – discussing the intricacies of Rome’s classic pastas. You know which ones I’m talking about: amatriciana, cacio e pepe, carbonara, and gricia, all of them united in their abundant use of Pecorino cheese, but divided with variations --the addition of an egg, the presence or absence of guanciale, a bit of tomato. In between shared outrage at the New York Times’s now viral “smoky tomato carbonara” and Alessandro’s insistence that there was no need to put olive oil in the pan when making amatriciana (the guanciale releases enough fat on its own to avoid sticking, fyi) arose the subject of fettuccine alla papalina.
According to Alessandro, fettuccine alla papalina was another classic Roman pasta; as both a chef (check out what he cooks here) and a Roman I trusted the source, yet was puzzled — here was a dish that I had never once come across in my 10 years in the Eternal City. I listened closely as. Alessandro explained it was similar to carbonara – there were eggs – but sometimes peas, lots of cheese, and always pork. I was intrigued. What was this mysterious dish, presumably the distant cousin of the above-mentioned pastas?!
So! A little research led me to discover that fettuccine alla papalina was created for Eugenio Pacelli — Cardinal Secretary of State at the Vatican at the time — who went on to become Pope Pius XII just a few years later, in 1939 (he’s an interesting guy — read more here). Legend has it that the future Pope asked the chef at Ristorante del Colonnato — right by the Vatican — to make a special pasta to impress a group of foreign guests. If we’re to believe the story, Eugenio-eventually-Pius XII requested a more delicate and aristocratic version of rustic carbonara, leading the chef to substitute guanciale with prosciutto crudo and Pecorino with Parmesan. He also included onion for extra flavor, and opted for butter rather than oil to render the egg-y sauce even richer. Hence fettucine alla papalina — a name I imagine it was given after Eugenio became Pope, as papa means “Pope”" in Italian – was born.
As I fell farther down the papalina rabbit hole, I found different versions of the recipe: some included cream, some called for peas, and still others opted for prosciutto cotto (ham, as non-Italians might know it) rather than prosciutto crudo. Some recipes listed onion as an ingredient; still others opted for slightly thicker tagliatelle rather than fettuccine. After careful deliberation, this recipe is my take on Pio XII’s dish: a glorious mountain of tangled fettuccine dressed in a velvety, eggy, sauce, dotted with savory prosciutto. packed with fresh Spring-y peas, and boasting a generous dose of Parmesan cheese and spicy black pepper. Unexpected twist: the humble onion, once cooked until soft in butter, offers a lovely sweetness and makes the dish sing. This is your luxurious Roman pasta, but lighter, fresher, subtler, a bit more refined — just as the Pope had (supposedly) intended it.
So: I am not sure why fettuccine alla papalina is rarely seen on menus here in the capital — I theorize that it perhaps slipped into obscurity, overshadowed by meatier, punchier carbonara or ridiculously simple but oh-so-delicious cacio e pepe? — but one thing is clear: though papalina may be a dish with many different versions, whose origins are not all together clear, it is wholly (or holy?!) delicious, and worth a little attention.
Speaking of more long lost Roman pastas: anyone ever heard of pasta alla zozzona?! Stay tuned.
A couple of notes: You can also use frozen peas here, if you’d like; just add them to the pan when cooking the onion rather than cooking them in the pasta water. You may also use pancetta instead of prosciutto — not exactly what the Pope called for but delicious nonetheless. Finally, as I mentioned above there are lots of different versions of this dish, so feel free to play around with it as you wish.
Looking for other Springy recipes? Click here. Looking for other Roman dishes? Click here.
FETTUCCINE ALLA PAPALINA
Serves 4 generously.
Ingredients:
400 grams (a little less than 1 pound) fettuccine
150 grams (5 ounces) of prosciutto (crudo, for those of you in Italy), sliced into strips
1 small yellow onion, diced
28 grams (2 tablespoons) unsalted butter
250 grams (about 2 cups) fresh peas, shelled
1 egg + 3 egg yolks
60 grams (a 2 ounce piece) of freshly grated Parmesan
Black pepper to taste
Salt to taste
Directions:
Put a pot of water on to boil to cook the peas and the pasta. Sauté the onion in a pan over medium heat with the butter, cooking until it is softened and translucent. While the onion is cooking, beat together the egg yolks and egg in a bowl until well-combined, then add the grated Parmesan, along with a lot of freshly ground black pepper and a pinch of salt.
Once the water comes to a boil, salt it well, and add the peas. Let the peas cook until tender but not mushy, about 3 minutes. Remove from the water with a slotted spoon and let them drain fully in a colander. Add the peas to the onion mixture along with your sliced prosciutto and stir well. Next, to the same pot of water, add the pasta, and let it cook according to package directions to make sure it is al dente. Before draining the pasta, remove a ladle-ful of cooking water. Add the drained pasta to the peas, prosciutto, and onion in the pan mixing well. Take the pan off the heat, and add the egg/Parmesan mixture, beating it well until a silky, smooth sauce coats the strands of pasta; if needed add a little starchy cooking water to bring it all together. Eat immediately with gusto.