Orecchiette with Ricotta, Sage & Citrus

Orecchiette alla ricotta, salvia & agrumi

Puglia is a wonderful region in Italy.  After just returning from a week of gastro-indulgence between Bari and Taranto I have brought back some pasta, oranges, oil and wine and I’m keen to continue this style of food and flavours for now at least.  But – saying that, I need to cut back on the quantity and calories and this pasta dish does it.

All the ingredients used in this pasta dish (including the pasta) is typical of this area.  We hiked along the gravines of Massafra and the wild shrubs of sage, thyme and rosemary were brushing against our clothes, the scent permeating and following us on our trip.  ( I couldn’t help to think about how some wild boar or goat would taste that could be grazing on these).

It is a light and delicate pasta recipe, not as robust as what is typical from this area.  The ricotta is added at the last minute so the dish will not be hot, for me it suits the sunny days that are approaching this spring.

This is very quick and simple.  Serves 2.

3 handfuls of orrechiette, 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, 7 fresh or dried sage leaves crumbled or torn, finely grated rind of half a lemon and orange *, a few shakes of dried chili flakes,  2 tablespoon of ricotta, a few fresh fennel fonds finely chopped (optional, but highly recommended – I added these half way through my meal and I loved it)

Prepare the water for the pasta and meanwhile over low heat, put the oil in a frypan with the sage, citrus rind and chilli.  Allow to slowly heat up.  The oils of the citrus and sage will infuse the olive oil.  After 5 minutes, turn off and read a book or something while you wait for the pasta to be al dente.

When the pasta is pronto, drain it very well (otherwise the oil wont stick to the pasta and it will be a watery oily mess) add the pasta to the oil and mix well so it coats the pasta.  Add the ricotta too and mix.  Serve on plates and finish with the fennel tips.

* grating citrus fruits for pasta requires a very fine grater for the best results.  Chunky bits of lemon or orange rind isn’t pleasant for most.  A fine microplane grater works best, or a zester followed by some crafty knifework to get the pieces tiny will work if you’ve got the patience.  Also make sure that when you grate you don’t grate in one place for too long.  The white pith is bitter!

Filed under: In 15 minutes, Puglia, Recipes , lemon, orange, orecchiette, quick, ricotta, sage, vegetarian

Spaghetti alla Puttanesca

My fridge is becoming quite bare as I’m approaching a week away down in Puglia.  So it is a good reason to cook puttensca today for lunch.  The puttanesca sauce comes from Naples and refers to the “working ladies” that either had no time to cook, shop or the money to.  It essentially consists of a “soffrito” of olive oil, onion, garlic, olives, anchiovies, capers and chilli, with a tin of tomatoes added.  So this is my version, but like most pasta recipes, be flexible to what you’ve got on hand and your personal taste for the amounts used.

Pasta – use long style such as spaghetti, linguine etc and prepare according to the package instructions for 2 people.  To a saucepan, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, half an onion finely diced, 1 bruised garlic clove, a handful black de-pitted olives, 2 tsp capers (if salted rinse first), 3 anchovy fillets and some chilli to your tasting.  Sweat on medium heat (you don’t want to bbq the onions) and when the onions are translucent, add half a tin of canned tomatoes.

Allow the sauce to simmer away while the pasta cooks.  When the pasta is ready, the sauce will be ready too.  The longer you cook any tomato sauce, the better it will be though.  After 20 minutes of simmering, it will start to turn slightly orange.   This  mean that some tasty chemical reactions have taken place  – making the sauce more delicious.

As with most sauces, drain well your pasta when it is al dente, add to the sauce (or mix in the dry pot of the pasta, which ever has room) and mix through.  Remove the garlic clove and  serve with a hard cheese and extra olive oil.

Filed under: Napoli , anchovies, capers, garlic, olives, spaghetti, tomatoes

Orecchiette with salsiccia, radicchio, ricotta & lemon

Well I have been dreaming about this pasta for the past 2 days. I don’t know if that is a good thing to admit or not. I’ve been adding and deleting ingredients in my head as I walk around town. Finally I finished off the shopping this morning so I could indulge in my fantasy for lunch.

In Bra, we have our own type of salsiccia (sausage) that is made with the local breed of cow and often eaten raw. It is deliciously sexy and I like to prepare it as the french steak tartare. For this pasta, I cooked half briefly and left the other half raw. Both were gorgeous.The lemon, please do not omit. You will be doing yourself a great disservice by leaving it out or substituting it with the fake concentrate. This recipe will easily serve 1-2 people. Just note the quantity of pasta per person. Orecchiette means “little ears” and is a traditional pasta from Puglia in the south.

Extra virgin olive oil 1 good splashing and more to serve

Garlic 1 clove

Salsiccia 70g, skin removed

Capers 4, if salted wash clean

Radicchio 2 leaves, sliced into small bite sized pieces

Ricotta 70g, the freshest you can find or substitute fresh goats cheese

Lemon juice & peel of half a lemon

Thyme and basil, washed

Orechiette 70g per person

This all really happens very quickly. By the time you have brought the salted water to the boil and you are ready to add the pasta, the prep for everything else is also done. Just some notes on the preparation. To have the best garlic and lemon, I recommend using a fine grade microplane. They grate wonderfully, saving so much time and it means no big garlic bits or likewise with the lemon peel. However, assuming you haven’t just rushed off to purchase one, chop both the garlic and lemon peel as finely as you can. With the lemon peel, avoid white pith as this is unpleasantly bitter.

Cook the pasta according to the instructions and suggested timing. When there is 3 minutes left, be ready to start cooking the sausage. Heat the oil and garlic in a frypan. When hot, add the sausage and capers. The radicchio will change colour with cooking, so to keep some of the vibrant purple, add in the final 30 seconds. Turn off the heat and add the lemon juice.

The pasta should be al dente by now, so drain well, especially for this dish.  Mix together the sausage “sauce” and pasta in the best suited frying pan/pot.  Stir well and then add the ricotta and lemon peel. Serve onto plates and top with the herbs and extra olive oil.

Filed under: In 15 minutes, Puglia, Recipes , lemon, orecchiette, pasta, radicchio, recipe, salsiccia

Pesto

I’ve just returned from 4 lazy days on the Ligurian coast in Italy’s north. It was crammed with young bronzed Ligurians tanning and flirting. They know how to party and eat. Gastronomically speaking, much of the attention is on its basil, the holy herb that is proudly responsible for pesto.

The basil (the Basilico di Pra variety please), pine nuts and olive oil all must be Ligurian. The Parmesan must be the Parmigiano-Reggiano from Emilia Romagna while the Pecorino (a hard ewe’s milk cheese) is from Sardinia. The garlic and sea salt I assume is also local. This rigid list makes up the necessary ingredients to make an authentic pesto. But who rules on the authenticity I hear you ask? Well none other than the ‘Order of the Cavaliers of the Brotherhood of Pesto’. They have applied for their own DOC label (Denominazione di Origine Controlla) as used by the wine industry, to inform the public it’s the genuine product. In this case ‘Pesto alla Genovese’ could only be used for these growers from Genova who comply.

If you can source this type of basil, great. I don’t know if it’s available outside of the region. I recall when I lived in Rome, my Tuscan housemate, came home one day incredibly excited as she had some in her possession. She made pesto and it was fantastic! But don’t be dismayed if Ligurian Basil is not available, use what is known as Pesto Basil. Please try to make this, if only once in your life. Commercial pesto is nothing like the fresh love story you’d have before you. Now aromatic fresh pesto clinging to fresh egg yolk pasta… oh dear I’d be in trouble!

Pesto
30 fresh Ligurian Basil Leaves
90ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil
30g Pine Nuts
30g Parmesan Cheese, freshly grated
30g Pecorino Cheese, freshly grated
pinch Sea Salt

Place the basil, oil, pinenuts and salt in a food processor and whiz at a medium speed until a slightly lumpy sauce. Add the cheese and blitz again briefly. Put in a jar, cover with a thin layer of oil to prevent mould and keep in the fridge or freezer to keep it longer.

Use: Cook pasta according to instructions. Drain the pasta, put back into the pot and immediately stir through enough pesto as your liking guides. At this point, you should be reaching heaven. If that’s not enough, you can also top with additional parmesan, or crumbled feta, toasted breadcrumbs or pinenuts.

Combines well with: spaghetti, gnocchi, egg dishes, chicken, asparagus, zucchini, toasted sourdough bread and mozzarella di bufula.

Filed under: Liguria, Recipes, Stories , basil, garlic, parmigiano reggiano, pecorino, pinenuts, sauce, vegetarian