Reverse Engineering Pasta Sauce

There’s a pasta dish that’s only served at a handful of Italian restaurants on Long Island. It’s called Penne Madeira, it’s my favorite thing on the island to eat, and nobody would tell me how to make it.

On one occasion my server came back from the kitchen and explained that the chefs thought I was a competing chef trying to steal from thier menu. She told me not to feel bad: The chefs were so paranoid they refused to tell her how to make the shrimp pasta she loved.

I couldn’t find it online. The search results were countless recipes for The Cheesecake Factory’s Pasta Da Vinci, which also incorporates Madeira wine and penne pasta. If any other Penne Madeira recipes are out there, they are buried deep in cheesecake.

My friend Kevin is a talented cook. A month ago I convinced him to try it and asked if he thought we could reverse engineer the recipe from taste, pictures, and menu descriptions. He said it was worth a shot. I pulled out my phone and took pictures.

The original up close

In the photo above you can see sliced chicken breast, shredded parsley, chunks of mozzarella, one cherry tomato, and a light brown sauce with minced shallots. My friend guessed based on taste that the sauce had a beef base rather than chicken, which is consistent with other Madeira wine sauces.

Three weeks later we rolled up our sleeves and got started. After a bit of trial and error we found a way to make it. You will need:

• 1 pound penne pasta
• 1/2 pound mozzarella
• 2 chicken breasts
• 2 cups high-quality beef stock
• 3/4 cup Madeira wine
• 1/2 bunch parsley
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 2 shallots
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon tomato paste
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
• salt and pepper

The above serves four adults with normal appetites. High-quality or homemade stock is the secret to this dish. We incorporate a modified version of ATK’s Madeira sauce, and grocery store stock is missing the flavors and consistency that reduce the way we want this to.

1. First, butterfly the chicken breast to 1/4 inch thickness. I used this technique. Heat 2 tablespoons of butter and cook the chicken, slice it against the grain into strips, and set it aside.

2. Next, prep the parsley by repeatedly bunching it together and carefully chopping through it with a knife. Cube the mozzarella into 1/2 inch to 1 inch pieces.

3. Boil the penne until just barely al dente. It will cook a little further once we add it to the sauce. Drain the finished pasta, lightly coat with olive oil, then set it aside.

4. Add the remaining butter to your chicken pan. Turn the burner to 1/3 heat, add shallots and thyme, and cook until the shallots are translucent. Use a spatula to scrape up the chicken fond.

5. Add the flour little by little while stirring constantly. Add tomato paste, incorporate, and cook for about a minute.

6. Add the beef broth and Madeira wine. Bring the mixture to a boil at 2/3 heat then let it simmer until it reduces to about half the initial volume of liquid. Be patient!

7. As the sauce reduces, taste it periodically. You’ll notice a major change in flavor over half an hour. The initial sweetness of the wine should dissipate and the end result should be savory.

8. Add back the chicken, mozzarella, and parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

That’s it! You’ve made near-perfect Penne Madeira. It isn’t exactly the same as what you’ll find in restaurants, but it scratches the itch and tastes fantastic. Bon appetit.