Every once in a while you encounter a piece of culinary equipment that makes your life easier and looks stunning. Our test kitchen cooks love the Hestan NanoBond line for many reasons. There’s its superior heat conduction, its brilliance—it shines thanks to 2,000 layers of titanium and stainless steel—and its wonderfully easy cleanup.
You can brown meat right in these pans, add noodles and tomato sauce, and pour the whole dish easily on to plates. (Since this line features rivets flush with the pan, nothing gets stuck under the rim.) Its stain-resistant surface means you can easily make Indian dishes and not worry about turmeric staining it, for instance. These pans’ scratch resistance means a worry-free approach to cleaning. They also won’t oxidize or tarnish, so you get to enjoy their glimmer every time you cook with them. You get the heating benefits of cast-iron (without the work) and the easy cleanup of non-stick (with better heat conduction).
Chef Brad Spence of Philadelphia’s Amis Trattoria concocted a genius pasta dish that truly takes advantage of NanoBond’s charms. Scroll down to see the recipe, and give it a whirl for supper tonight.
Rigatoni with Pork Sausage and Plums
Prepared by Chef Brad Spence of Amis Trattoria – Philadelphia, PA
Serves 6
Ingredients
• 1/2 cup olive oil, divided
• 1 pound fresh pork sausage, casings removed
• 1 onion, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, sliced
• 8 oz San Marzano tomatoes, undrained
• 1 pound rigatoni
• 5 plums, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 1 cup grated Pecorino or Parmesan cheese, divided
• Salt, to taste
Directions
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt to taste.
2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add ¼ cup olive oil and heat for 30 seconds.
3. Add crumbled pork sausage to skillet and sear until well browned, stirring occasionally.
4. Once sausage is browned, add onions and garlic and cook for another 5 minutes.
5. Add tomatoes and bring to low heat while pasta cooks.
6. Drop pasta into boiling water and cook for 1 minute less than package instructs. Drain pasta and add pork sausage mixture. Cook while tossing or stirring for 1 minute. Adjust sauce with more pasta water if dry or continue to cook for 30 seconds more if too wet.
7. When pasta is cooked, add plums, chopped parsley, remaining ¼ cup olive oil and half of cheese.
8. Toss or mix until pasta is coated. Serve on a warm platter and top with remaining cheese.
