Utica Riggies
Makes 4 to 6 servings
The environs of Utica-Rome, New York, attracted a large population of Italian immigrants from the mid-nineteenth century into the twentieth because nearby Ellis Island was the largest port of entry, and there were work opportunities in mills, masonry, and railroads. Over the decades, generations of these immigrants came up with new recipes using their classic pantry ingredients. The Chesterfield restaurant in downtown Utica claims to have invented Riggies; no doubt a cook there used ingredients on hand to create such a memorable concoction that a nickname (from the macaroni shape, rigatoni) was coined for it.
INGREDIENTS
- 1½ pounds (680 g) boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut onto bite-sized cubes
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 sweet red pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into 1½-inch-wide (4 cm) strips
- 1 onion, chopped (1 cup/100 g)
- 4 small garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 3 pickled cherry peppers, chopped plus ¼ cup (60 ml) of the pepper brine
- 1 cup (240 ml) white wine
- 1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream
- One 28-ounce (800 g) can whole tomatoes, pulsed to a puree
- 1 pound (455 g) rigatoni
- ½ cup (50 g) grated Romano cheese
DIRECTIONS
- Toss the chicken with a generous amount of salt and black pepper. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and swirl in the olive oil. When it glistens, add the chicken, spreading the cubes out to avoid crowding the pan, and sear until golden on all sides, about 6 minutes. Remove the chicken to a plate.
- Add the pepper strips, onions, and garlic to the pan and cook, stirring constantly, until lightly golden, about 4 minutes.
- Return the chicken (with any juices) to the pan and add the cherry peppers, then pour in the brine and wine to deglaze the pan and cook, scraping up the brown bits from the bottom, until the liquid is slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the cream and tomatoes, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced and thickened.
- Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Salt the water, add the pasta, and cook for 2 minutes shy of the package instructions; the pasta should be slightly soft with a firm chew to it. Scoop out 1 cup (240 ml) of the cooking water and drain the pasta.
- Add the reserved cooking water to the sauce, along with the drained pasta, and stir in the grated cheese. Cook over medium heat, stirring, for a minute or two, to coat the noodles and finish cooking them in the sauce. Serve hot.
PANTRY
Need help with the ingredients? Check our pantry list:
cook's note
Variation: Thinly sliced sausages, browned in a skillet until cooked through, can be swapped for the chicken. Some versions of Utica Riggies also include sliced mushrooms, added to the skillet at the same time as the red peppers.
