This delicious pasta became an LPGA veteran’s tournament-week go-to

For 11-year LPGA Tour veteran Marina Alex, life on the road was made a little bit more delicious when she had the chance to cook one of her favorite meals: Pasta alla Zozzona, a hearty dish that Alex describes as a combination of two classic Roman pastas: carbonara and amatriciana.

Alex stumbled upon the recipe while browsing her Instagram feed and decided to make it on a whim. It quickly became a favorite staple that she would routinely make for her team and fellow players during tournament weeks.

“I enjoyed making it for others and kind of bringing people together,” she says. “And it’s just really tasty.”

Alex, who recently announced her retirement, compiled an impressive playing resume, with two wins, 35 career top 10s and an appearance on the 2019 U.S. Solheim Cup team. Cooking, she says, was an appealing way to relax off the course.

“It’s a really great way to decompress and get out of your head for a little while,” she says. “Being in the kitchen just requires you to be present. You can’t be overly distracted. You need to be involved in what you’re doing.”

For home chefs hoping to replicate Alex’s dish, she has a few words of advice.

“You need access to a store that carries good, imported cheese,” she says. “That’s probably the biggest component of the dish. If the cheese is really good and high quality, it will cook better and mix better under temperature with the egg.”

Food

Alex also suggests getting all the ingredients prepped. “Make sure you chop everything up first, get the tomatoes out of the can, grate the cheese, separate the egg yolks,” she says. “Anything that might distract you or make you feel unsettled while you’re going through the recipe, just get all of those things out of the way ahead of time.”

What about garlic bread?

“I love garlic bread,” Alex says. “But that is just too many carbs!”

Marina Alex’s Pasta alla Zozzona

-1 onion, finely diced
-1 small red chili pepper, diced
-Guanciale (or pancetta), chopped
-1 can crushed San Marzana tomatoes
-3 egg yolks
-3/4 cup grated pecorino Romano cheese
-Ground black pepper to taste
-Pasta of choice
-White wine (for deglazing)

Cook guanciale/pancetta on medium heat. In a separate pot, boil salted water for pasta. Deglaze the pork with white wine after 10 mins. Continue to cook guanciale and pancetta until brown and the fat is rendered in the pan. Once complete, remove the meat and place aside on paper towel to reduce excess grease 

In the same pan cook the onion and chili pepper in pork fat also deglazing with a splash of white wine. Once the onions are soft and opaque, add the jar of crushed tomatoes. Simmer for 10-15 mins. 

Once water is boiling begin to cook pasta — check for cook time — remove pasta 1 min prior to recommended al dente cook time 

While tomatoes are still simmering and pasta is cooking, in a separate bowl mix 3 egg yolks, 3/4 cup grated pecorino Romano cheese, and ground black pepper to taste, adding a small splash of pasta water to make the egg/cheese mixture smoother. Once the pasta is ready, remove, and save a cup of pastawater. 

Add pasta into the tomato sauce and cook on medium heat for 1 minute, adding a splash of pasta water if needed. 

Turn off the heat and add the egg mixture with small amounts of pasta water to get both sauces to emulsify into one creamy sauce. Make sure you do not mix in the eggs on direct heat or they will scramble. Top with extra grated Pecorino Romano if desired.