This is a thoroughly traditional Istria-style pasta, the very best of its kind. The sauce, or sugo, is the kind of long-cooking sauce my grandmother made, patiently, from a tough courtyard hen, rooster, or rabbit. It would perk on the stove forever, or so it seemed: whenever I thought it was done, she would pour in a little more broth and let it cook longer. Finally, though, the sugo would be finished—velvety in texture, dense with meat, and rich with flavor. Then Nonna Rosa would use it to dress her handmade fuzi—little quill-like cylinders of fresh pasta. Though the sugo and fuzi would be delicious in other pairings, to me they are meant to go together, and that’s how I give them to you here. Today’s sugo will not take forever. With a smallish hen—organically raised and free-ranging, for the best flavor and nutrition—it takes only a couple of hours to make a thick, brothy sauce with concentrated flavor. For taste, texture, and convenience too, I recommend that you make the sugo the day before serving, so the flavor permeates the meat. The fuzi can be made a few hours ahead and kept at room temperature (or frozen long in advance, as detailed on page 20). If you want to make and serve everything in one day, mix the dough, start the sugo, then form the fuzi while the sauce is cooking.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 6
Ingredients
For the Sugo
For Cooking and Dressing the Fuzi and Serving
Recommended Equipment
Preparation
Step 1
Soak the dried porcini slices in 2 cups hot water for 30 minutes or longer. When rehydrated, lift them out of the container; squeeze out (and save) the soaking liquid. Chop the porcini into fine pieces.
Step 2
Cut the chicken into six or more pieces—divide the legs and breast pieces if the bird is big. Rinse the pieces well, pat dry, and season lightly with salt.
Step 3
Pour the olive oil into the saucepan and set over medium-high heat. Stir in the onions, 1/4 teaspoon salt, bay leaves, cloves, and rosemary. Cook, stirring, until the onions are wilted and lightly colored, then push them to the side of the pan, clearing the bottom, and lay in the chicken pieces. Fry, turning frequently, until golden brown on all sides. Clear a small space on the pan bottom, drop in the chopped mushrooms and chicken livers, stir them around until brown and caramelized, then mix them into the onions. Finally, clear another hot spot on the bottom, drop in the tomato paste, and stir it in place for a couple of minutes, until toasted and fragrant. Toss everything together, coating the chicken with paste and other seasonings.
Step 4
Pour in the reserved mushroom-soaking liquid, carefully leaving behind the sediment in the bottom. Turn up the heat and bring to a boil, stirring the meat and vegetables and scraping up the caramelization on the bottom and sides of the pan. Cook for a few minutes, until slightly reduced, then ladle in a cup or more of hot stock, enough almost to submerge the chicken pieces. Season with another 1/4 teaspoon salt, cover the pan, and set the heat so the broth is bubbling gently all over the surface.
Step 5
Cook, covered, reducing the broth steadily and slowly. Check and replenish the liquid every 15 minutes or so to keep the meat about three-quarters covered, and turn the pieces over occasionally, adjusting the heat if necessary. After 1 1/2 hours or so, when the meat is falling off the bones, turn off the heat. Taste the sauce, and add freshly ground black pepper and more salt if needed. Let the chicken and sauce cool completely in the pan.
Step 6
To finish the sugo, remove the chicken pieces, then pick out and discard the bay leaves, cloves, and rosemary. Strip all the edible meat from the chicken bones, and shred into bite-sized pieces; discard bones, skin, and cartilage. Fold the shredded chicken into the sauce. (You should have roughly equal amounts of meat and sauce—if there’s lots more meat, use it in other dishes.) Use the sugo within an hour or so, or refrigerate.
Step 7
To cook the fuzi, fill the big pot with 7 quarts of water, add 1 1/2 tablespoons salt, and bring to a rolling boil. Shake excess flour off the fuzi, and drop them into the pot. Stir briskly, cover the pot, and bring the water back to the boil rapidly. The fuzi will rise to the surface as they cook; stir them and boil until al dente, anywhere from 2 to 5 minutes, depending on how thick and dry they are.
Step 8
Meanwhile, heat the sugo to simmering in the large sauté pan or skillet. If the sauce is very dense, loosen it with more broth (or hot pasta-cooking water). If soupy, cook uncovered to evaporate moisture. Lift the fuzi from the pot with a spider, drain for a moment, and spill them on top of the simmering sauce. Toss together for a minute or two over medium-low heat, until all the fuzi are coated with sauce.
Step 9
Turn off the heat, drizzle 2 or 3 tablespoons olive oil over, add a cup of the grated cheese, and toss to incorporate. Serve immediately, passing more cheese at the table.
