WWII Italian Military Pasta

Garrison ration pasta with tomato sauce and sautéed carrots with plenty of parmesan

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City/Region: Italy

Time Period: 1932

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Pasta was a staple for the Italian troops at the beginning of WWII, but as the war wore on, food got tighter, but what affected the pasta ration the most was the rationing of water. Desalinated water had a funny taste, which made the pasta taste funny, and at times the water ration was so small that no one was wasting it on cooking pasta.

This recipe would have been made at the beginning of the war, when both food and water were plentiful. It has quite a bit of lard in it, possibly as a way to get more calories to the soldiers, but it is still delicious. The only salt comes from the cooking water for the pasta and the copious amounts of parmesan, but it’s perfect as-is.

“Military-style pasta
(Sauce quantities for 100 men).
Lard 1.5 kg
Onion 2 kg
Tomato paste 1.5 kg
Pepper 10 g
Cheese 1 kg
Put the lard and onion, well mixed together into a pan. Let them saute, stirring continuously so that the onions brown evenly. Moisten with the tomato paste diluted in about 4 liters of hot water. Add the pepper, let it boil for 20 minutes, and the sauce is ready.
Practical and simple, but certainly inferior to the first two methods described. For variety, this sauce may be made with garlic instead of onion, or with both garlic and onion together, and flavored with 100 g of rosemary. In that case, increase the pepper to 15 g.”

— Il Cuciniere Militare by Dario Fornari, 1932

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Ingredients:

• 5 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons (75 g) lard or olive oil
• 1/2 cup (100 g) diced onion
• 3 cloves (10 g) crushed garlic, optional
• 4 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon (75 g) tomato paste
• Generous 3/4 cup (200 ml) water
• 1/2 teaspoon (.75 g) pepper
• 2 tablespoons (5 g) chopped fresh rosemary, optional
• 1 lb (450 g) dried pasta, whatever you like
• 1/2 cup (50 g) freshly grated parmesan cheese

Instructions:

1. Heat the lard in a wide pan, then add in the onion. This recipe calls for a lot of lard for the amount of onion, so don’t be alarmed if the onions are swimming in it. Let the onions cook, stirring continuously, until they start to brown, about 5 minutes. When the onions have browned, add in the garlic and cook for about 1 minute.
2. Stir the tomato paste into the water, then add this to the pan along with the pepper. Reduce the heat and let it simmer for 15 minutes.
3. While the sauce simmers, cook the pasta to your desired doneness.
4. After the sauce has simmered for 15 minutes, stir in the rosemary and simmer for another 5 minutes.
5. Toss the cooked pasta in the sauce, then serve it forth with plenty of the cheese, the WWII Italian Military Carrots, and some watered down wine for extra authenticity.

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