Ditalini with Potatoes and Provola

Name: Ditalini with Potatoes and Provola
Yield: serves 6
Ingredients: 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 1 cup chopped bacon, in 1/4-inch pieces; 1 onion, chopped (about 1 cup); 4 cups russet potatoes, peeled and cut in 1/2-inch cubes; 1/2 teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt, plus more for the pasta pot; 1 pound ditalini; 1 cup seeded and diced fresh tomato; 8 ounces smoked provola or mozzarella, in 1/2-inch cubes; 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano; A heavy-bottomed skillet or sauté pan, 12-inch diameter or larger

December 14, 2011

The 200-year-old L’Europeo, one of the best restaurants in Naples, serves the most delicious rendition of a favorite Neapolitan dish—pasta, patate, e provola. You can probably translate this yourself: pasta, potatoes, and provola cheese—the kind of cheese we usually call “provolone.” All varieties of provola (there are many) are pulled-curd cheeses, like mozzarella, but after they are formed into pear shapes they are hung to dry, and sometimes smoked. Neapolitans have strong opinions on what makes a good dish of pasta, patate, e provola. As prepared by my Neapolitan friend Bruno di Rosa’s mother, Rita, it is considered a soup and eaten with a spoon. At L’Europeo it was definitely a pasta, dense and cheesy and full of flavor—with all the comforts of baked macaroni and cheese.

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