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

Spiced Poor Mans Pasta

My latest pasta addiction is a breadcrumb and anchovy based “sauce”.  Yes – anchovy.  But don’t turn away to the next blog because of the A – word.  If its not quite your thing, but you’re a bit adventurous,  this is a good way to introduce them into your diet.  I am speaking from experience here.  They are to be smashed up, so you don’t get the texture of them which is major turn off for some.  It fits the not-quite-winter-yet-not-quite-spring flavouring, takes little effort and most of the ingredients you can have on hand.   So get your salted pot boiling, add your pasta of choice  and follow the rest.   Will serve 2.

Add a good glug of extra virgin olive oil, a smashed garlic clove, some chilli flakes, a sliced anchovy and finely diced shallots into a fry pan.  Saute over a medium heat until shallots are translucent.  Add a third of a cup of breadcrumbs and allow the oil to soak through.  On a medium heat the breadcrumbs shouldn’t burn but become crisp.  Finely grate the rind of half a lemon and add it at the last minute with a handful of torn rocket (if the rocket/arugula is too long, the dining elegance factor will be disrupted while trying to manoeuvre the long stems into the mouth).  The rocket only needs to go in at the last minute to wilt and become a vibrant green.

Drain the pasta well before adding it to the breadcrumbs.  Otherwise the crispy breadcrumbs will become too soggy. The contrast in texture of the crispy breadcrumb against the soft pasta is all part of the attraction with this dish.  Add a good serving of  Parmigiano Reggiano cheese or another hard cheese and have the option of adding more olive oil available.

Filed under: In 15 minutes, Recipes , anchovies, breadcrumbs, garlic, lemon, rocket, shallots

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