PASTA
PASTA SHAPES AND SAUCES
Throughout South Italy, home cooks make tubes of fresh pasta using a ferretto. The thin metal rod is made from iron (ferro in Italian); it might be custom-made or improvised with a knitting needle or bicycle spoke—I have even seen cooks use a stick or reed in a pinch.
The resulting pasta shape goes by nearly as many names as villages that produce it, but in the rural mountain village of Pietraroja, deep in Campania’s Sannio region, the homemade tubes are called carrati (see this page). I learned to make them from Lucia Parente, who has been crafting them her whole life. She rolls the pasta into a thick sheet and cuts it into 1-inch-long segments before pressing the ferretto into the dough and pushing it forward with a decisive motion to create a uniform tube, which she sets aside to rest before boiling. Lucia’s technique can translate to a variety of tubular pastas, including filjie (see this page), which are essentially long carrati.
CARRATI IN DUE MODI
Carrati Two Ways
Carrati, a hand-rolled pasta made with a ferretto (see this page), is typical of Campania’s Sannio region. It is served with one of two condiments, depending on the season: in the winter the pasta is paired with ragù di castrato, a viscous mutton sauce perfect for cold weather, while in the summer, it is tossed with ricotta and grated walnuts for a lighter, warm-weather meal. The Sannio region is known for its sheepherding, so to re-create the recipes most authentically—and flavorfully—use mutton meat and sheep’s-milk ricotta. You can substitute ground beef or veal and cow’s-milk ricotta, respectively, but the flavors will be much less intense.
CARRATI CON RAGÙ DI CASTRATO
Carrati with Mutton Ragù
Serves 4 to 6
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound ground mutton or veal
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 carrots, diced
2 onions, diced
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1 bay leaf
1 cup dry white wine (I like Fiano)
1 cup Brodo di Agnello (lamb stock; see this page), or water
1 pound fresh carrati (see this page) or dried cavatelli
½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium-low heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the mutton, a pinch of salt and black pepper, and cook until the meat is browned and the fat is rendered, a few minutes. Move the mutton to the side of the pan and add the carrots, onions, garlic, bay leaf, and a pinch of salt and cook until the vegetables have softened, about 15 minutes. Add the wine and cook until the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes.
Add the stock, reduce the heat to low, and return the mixture to a simmer. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally and adding more water as needed to keep the pan from drying, for about 1½ hours.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil over high heat. Heavily salt the water (see this page). When the salt has dissolved, add the carrati and cook until the raw bite is gone, about 3 minutes. Drain the carrati, reserving the pasta cooking water, and add the pasta and ¼ cup of the pasta cooking water to the mutton ragù, stirring to coat. Add a bit more water to loosen the sauce as needed. Season with salt and pepper. Plate, sprinkle the Parmigiano-Reggiano on top, and serve immediately.
CARRATI CON RICOTTA E NOCI
Carrati with Ricotta and Walnuts
Serves 4 to 6
2 cups ricotta (I like sheep’s-milk ricotta)
⅔ cup plus 3 tablespoons finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano
1½ cups roughly chopped toasted walnuts
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ pound fresh carrati (see this page) or dried cavatelli
In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, ⅔ cup of the Parmigiano-Reggiano, 1 cup of the walnuts, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well.
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil over high heat. Heavily salt the water (see this page). When the salt has dissolved, add the carrati and cook until the raw bite is gone, about 3 minutes. Drain the carrati, reserving the pasta cooking water, and add the pasta and ¼ cup of the pasta cooking water to the ricotta mixture, stirring to coat. Add a bit more water to loosen the sauce as needed. Plate, sprinkle the remaining ½ cup walnuts and 3 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano on top, and serve immediately.
ORECCHIETTE, RASCHIATELLI, E CICATIELLI
Flour-and-Water Pasta Shapes
Makes about 1⅓ pounds
This basic flour-and-water dough can be used to form several pasta shapes and due to its strength and gluten potential works best with short, tight pasta shapes.
3½ cups (400 grams) farina di semola (semolina flour; see this page), plus more as needed
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons warm water
Semolina, for dusting
Pour the flour onto a work surface and make a fist-size well in the middle. Add the water, then mix with a fork, working from the edges of the well into the center, gradually incorporating it into the flour to form a shaggy dough. The dough should feel tacky but not sticky. If the dough sticks to your fingers, add 2 tablespoons more flour.
Knead the dough energetically until it is a smooth, compact mass, 10 to 12 minutes. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and allow to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before shaping.
To make all shapes, flatten the dough into a disc about ½ inch thick. Cut off a strip of dough about ½ inch wide, then follow the shaping instructions of your choice following.
To shape orecchiette: Roll the dough into a long strand about ¼ inch thick by pressing down on the dough with your fingertips in a back-and-forth motion. Press a knife into the edge of the strand and use it to drag the dough across the work surface, forming a roughly ¾-inch circular curled-up pasta shape. Set aside on a plate dusted with semolina. Repeat with the remaining dough.
To shape raschiatelli: Roll the dough into a long strand about ¼ inch thick by pressing down on the dough with your fingertips in a back-and-forth motion. Cut the strand into ½-inch pieces. Using your index, middle, and ring fingers, press into the far edge of each pasta piece while pressing down on the dough and rolling it toward you, dragging it along the work surface to form an irregular curled pasta shape. Set aside on a plate dusted with semolina. Repeat with the remaining dough.
To shape cicatielli: Roll the dough into a long strand about ¼ inch thick by pressing down on the dough with your fingertips in a back-and-forth motion. Cut the strand into 1-inch pieces. Using the end of a knife, gently press into the middle of each pasta piece while pressing down slightly and rolling it toward you to form a curled pasta tube. Set aside on a plate dusted with semolina. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil over high heat. Heavily salt the water (see this page). When the salt has dissolved, add the pasta and cook until the raw bite is gone, about 3 minutes. Serve with the condiment of your choosing.
NOTE The raw, unshaped dough can be tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week; it does not freeze well. Shaped pasta can be tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and frozen for up to 1 week.
FILJIE E CARRATI
Egg Pasta Shapes
Makes about 2½ pounds
This egg-enriched dough can be used to make pasta shapes like filjie and carrati, both of which are made with a metal rod called a ferretto (see this page). The protein and fat from the egg give the dough a nice elasticity ideal for “wrapping” around the rod.
6 cups (1 kilogram) farina di semola (durum wheat flour; see this page), plus more as needed
1 egg
2 cups plus 1 tablespoon warm water
Semolina, for dusting
Pour the flour onto a work surface and make a well in the middle. Add the egg to the well and beat it with a fork. Working from the edges of the well, incorporate a bit of the flour into the egg. Add the water to the well a little at a time, gradually incorporating the flour, working from the edges into the center to form a shaggy dough. The dough should feel tacky but not sticky. If the dough sticks to your fingers, add 2 tablespoons more flour.
Knead the dough energetically until it is a smooth, compact mass, 10 to 12 minutes. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and allow to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes, then follow the shaping instructions of your choice.
The raw, unshaped dough can be tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week; it does not freeze well. Shaped pasta can be tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and frozen for up to a week.
To shape filjie: Working in batches as needed, roll the dough into a rectangle about ⅛ inch thick. Cut the dough into 5 × ¼-inch pieces. Gently press a ferretto (see this page) into the center of the dough and, with a decisive movement, roll the ferretto away from you while pressing into the dough. The dough will wrap around the ferretto, forming a long tube. Slide the pasta off the ferretto and set aside on a plate dusted with semolina. Repeat with the remaining dough.
To shape carrati: Working in batches as needed, roll the dough into a rectangle about ⅛ inch thick. Cut the dough into 1 × ¼-inch pieces. Gently press a ferretto (see this page) at a slight diagonal into the center of the dough and, with a decisive movement, roll the ferretto away from you while pressing into the dough. The dough will wrap around the ferretto, forming a short tube. Slide the pasta off the ferretto and set aside on a plate dusted with semolina. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil over high heat. Heavily salt the water (see this page). When the salt has dissolved, add the pasta and cook until the raw bite is gone, about 3 minutes. Serve with the condiment of your choosing.
Giuseppe Di Martino, founder of my favorite pasta brand, Pastificio dei Campi, may like pasta more than any other human I know (and that’s saying a lot). It’s not just the family business, though the Di Martinos have been making pasta since 1912: Giuseppe is purely and unwaveringly devoted to eating pasta, which he does all over the planet. Equal parts businessman and artisan, he is just as at home on the road promoting his pasta (both his aforementioned personal brand as well as the family brand, Pastificio Di Martino) as he is in his hometown of Gragnano.
Gragnano, which overlooks the Bay of Naples, is naturally disposed to pasta production. The town center follows a crescent of terrain that traps an elliptical breeze, which delivers a constant, humid wind. Before the early twentieth century, when pasta was made by families, home cooks would hang their long spaghetti strands outside on broom handles to dry in these ideal conditions. When the pasta industry became mechanized just before the turn of the century, production moved indoors, and rather than being shaped by hand, the pasta dough began to be extruded through metal dies. The drying process was streamlined and improved, and large fans would churn air through open halls.
Today, Pastificio dei Campi dries its pasta in a way that merges technology and history. Giuseppe’s pasta-drying machines are calibrated to dry the pasta slowly—24 hours for short shapes and more than 48 for long ones—in rooms that replicate Gragnano’s temperature and humidity conditions gleaned from the era before climate change.
The long drying periods are essential to a quality pasta, allowing the starch and gluten to be undisturbed when they drop into the boiling water, resulting in a stronger cooked product. Consider that international companies like Barilla dry their pasta four times faster, in hot rooms, which essentially cooks the pasta before it’s packaged. Giuseppe’s choice of raw material also differs from the industrial Italian brands, which import wheat from Canada and Ukraine, among other distant sources. Each package of Pastificio dei Campi features geocoordinates for the fields on the Puglia-Campania border where the grain for Giuseppe’s pasta is harvested every summer. That means wherever you are, eating Pastificio dei Campi pasta is a ticket directly to the flavors of the south.
CICATIELLI CON PULIEIO
Cavatelli with Tomato and Wild Mint Pesto
Serves 4 to 6
Pulieio in dialect—puleggio in Italian—is a wild herb from the Irpinia subregion of Campania. It’s similar to mint, but with a more intense and persistent flavor and aroma. Locally, it’s used for both medicine and food thanks to its digestive and anti-inflammatory properties. Here this tomato-enriched pulieio pesto dish is a terrific reminder that in Irpinia, food doesn’t just provide sustenance—it’s seen as medicine, a fact that is reinforced by the menthol and balsamic notes of the sauce. If you can’t get your hands on pulieio, fresh mint (the wilder, the better) makes a fine substitute.
4 garlic cloves
Sea salt
1½ cups loosely packed fresh pulieio (wild spearmint) or mint
1½ cups loosely packed fresh basil or parsley
7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon peperoncino or red pepper flakes
1 (14-ounce) can whole tomatoes, crushed by hand
1 cup Roma tomatoes, halved
1 pound fresh cicatielli (see this page) or dried cavatelli
Chile oil (optional)
In a mortar, crush the garlic and a heavy pinch of salt into a paste with the pestle. Begin adding the mint and basil little by little. Add a bit of olive oil, but only as much as the herbs need in order to hydrate into a paste, no more than 3 tablespoons. If you add too much oil, the pesto will quickly turn from green to a blackish-olive color.
Heat the remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the pesto and cook, stirring frequently, for several minutes. Add the peperoncino and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the canned and Roma tomatoes, season with salt, and simmer until the tomatoes begin to fall apart and the sauce begins to thicken, about 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil over high heat. Heavily salt the water (see this page). When the salt has dissolved, add the cicatielli and cook until they lose their raw flavor, about 3 minutes. Drain the cicatielli, reserving the pasta cooking water, and add the pasta to the sauce, mixing well. Adjust the consistency of the sauce with pasta cooking water as needed. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce loosely clings to the pasta, about a minute. Season with salt. Serve immediately, drizzled with chile oil, if desired.
ORECCHIETTE CON BURRATA, POMODORINI, E PESTO
Orecchiette with Burrata, Tomatoes, and Almond Pesto
Serves 4 to 6
There are few pairings on earth as magical as oven-roasted tomatoes and burrata, cream-drenched mozzarella curds sheathed in mozzarella skin. The name, which comes from the Italian word for “butter” (burro), is just as decadent. This cheese is never heated, and is rarely paired with more than one other ingredient: salted anchovies, shaved bottarga, roasted or sun-dried tomatoes. On rare—and delicious occasions—you will find it served with almond-basil pesto and tomatoes and tossed with pasta. This summer dish popular in Puglia respects the burrata’s integrity by applying only the heat that comes from the cooked pasta. I like to use a mix of red and yellow tomatoes for a nice color and flavor contrast. It’s a room temperature dish best enjoyed with a view of the Adriatic Sea, not far from its origins in Andria.
FOR THE ROASTED TOMATOES
1½ cups cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon dried oregano
Sea salt
FOR THE PESTO
¼ cup almonds, finely chopped
1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, plus more for garnish
Sea salt
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
FOR THE PASTA
1 pound fresh Orecchiette al Grano Arso (this page) or dried orecchiette
7 ounces burrata di Andria
Make the roasted tomatoes: Preheat the oven to 250°F.
In a medium bowl, combine the cherry tomatoes, olive oil, and dried oregano. Season with salt.
Transfer to a medium baking dish and roast until the tomatoes are shriveled and dry, about 90 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the pesto: In a mortar, crush the almonds, ¼ cup of the basil, and a heavy pinch of salt into a paste with the pestle. Add a bit of olive oil, but only as much as the herbs need in order to hydrate into a paste, no more than 3 tablespoons. If you add too much oil, the pesto will quickly turn from green to a blackish-olive color. When you have a smooth paste, stir in the Parmigiano-Reggiano and set the pesto aside.
Cook the pasta: Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil over high heat. Heavily salt the water (see this page). When the salt has dissolved, add the orecchiette and cook until they lose their raw flavor, about 3 minutes. Drain the orecchiette and transfer to a large bowl. Add the pesto, stirring to coat. Stir in the tomatoes and the burrata. Plate and serve immediately, garnished with basil.
PACCHERI ALLA CILENTANA
Paccheri with Capers, Olives, Anchovies, and Fried Bread Crumbs
Serves 4 to 6
The first time I drove along Cilento’s Tyrrhenian Coast, I was astounded by the natural spectacle of the place. Caper plants clung to sheer cliffs around one turn, while the next revealed olive orchards teetering on impossibly vertical terraced farmland. Cilento’s verdant beauty is occasionally interrupted by a tiny village where fishermen cast their nets into some of Italy’s most pristine waters, raising wriggling anchovies from the Tyrrhenian Sea. After many visits to the Amalfi Coast, which is just a one-hour drive north of Cilento, it’s impossible to not be floored by how unspoiled certain areas of Campania remain, totally untouched by the mass tourism and cruise ship itineraries that shape the Amalfi Coast today. This pasta dish is an homage to Campania’s most unspoiled coastline, where olives and capers grow beside a sea teeming with anchovies. The tube-like paccheri “scoop” up all the savory sauce.
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to finish
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
4 salted anchovy fillets, cleaned (see this page)
¾ cup Gaeta olives, rinsed and pitted
3 tablespoons capers, rinsed
Sea salt
1 pound paccheri
½ cup Pane Grattugiato Fritto (fried seasoned bread crumbs; this page), for serving
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over low heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the garlic and anchovies and cook until the garlic begins to turn golden and the anchovies have melted into the oil, about 2 minutes. Add the olives and capers and cook, stirring, for 1 minute more. Turn off the heat and let the ingredients bloom in the hot oil.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil over high heat. Salt the water (see this page). When the salt has dissolved, add the paccheri and cook until al dente (see this page). Drain the paccheri, reserving the pasta cooking water, and add the pasta to the pan with the olives and capers, stirring to coat. Add some pasta cooking water as needed to loosen the sauce. Season with salt to taste. Plate and sprinkle each portion with the fried seasoned bread crumbs and drizzle with olive oil.
NOTE I cannot overstate the importance of using high-quality olives. With the south’s super-simple recipes, each flavor is conspicuous—the reason such basic recipes are so good is that they rely on ingredients at their peak. In Italy, it’s not a luxury to have a family olive grove. It’s not as common as it once was, but plenty of home cooks still have access to hand-harvested and naturally cured olives. So short of moving to Italy and befriending a farmer or buying a country house, invest in the best-quality olives you can afford. Avoid canned or presliced olives. If you don’t have a good Italian deli in your neighborhood, look for purveyors of Greek, Turkish, North African, or Middle Eastern foods. If you can only find seasoned olives, rinse them before using, or cure your own (see this page).
ORECCHIETTE AL GRANO ARSO
(Toasted-Flour Orecchiette)
Makes about 1 pound
Orecchiette, ear-shaped pasta, is a classic pasta type in Puglia where durum wheat grows and is milled into flour for use in cooking and baking. Local legend states that as the region was becoming industrialized, starving peasants would take to the fields after large mechanical combines had harvested the grain, collecting little burned bits of durum that the machine had left in its wake. More accurately, fields would be burned at the end of the season, and hungry farmers would harvest the bits of charred grain and mill this so-called grano arso (burned grain) to make flour for pasta.
320 grams (2½ cups) farina di semola (durum wheat flour; see this page), plus more as needed
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm water
Semolina, for dusting
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Place 1 cup (130 grams) of the flour on a rimmed baking sheet, distributing it evenly in a thin layer. Toast the flour in the oven until golden and nearly smoking, about 35 minutes. Set aside to cool for about 5 minutes.
In a medium bowl, combine the toasted flour with the remaining 1½ cups (190 grams) flour.
Pour the flour mixture onto a work surface and make a well in the middle. Add the water, then mix with a fork, working from the edges of the well into the center, gradually incorporating it into the flour to form a shaggy dough. The dough should feel tacky but not sticky. If the dough sticks to your fingers, add 2 tablespoons more flour.
Knead the dough energetically until it is a smooth, compact mass, 10 to 12 minutes. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and allow to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before shaping. (At this point, the raw, unshaped dough can be tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week; it does not freeze well.)
When the dough has rested, flatten it into a disc about ½ inch thick. Cut off a strip of dough about ½ inch wide. Follow the instructions for shaping orecchiette (this page).
The shaped pasta can be tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and frozen for up to a week.
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil over high heat. Heavily salt the water (see this page). When the salt has dissolved, add the pasta and cook until the raw bite is gone, about 3 minutes. Serve with Burrata, Pomodorini, e Pesto (this page) or the condiment of your choice.
FILJIE CON RAGÙ CALABRESE
Fusilli with Calabrian-Style Pork Ragù
Serves 4 to 6
Ragù is a loaded word—like so much food terminology, its meaning depends on where you are and to whom you’re talking. Mention ragù in Naples, and the word conjures a viscous sauce made with onions, lard, beef, pork, and tomato. In the Sannio, ragù is made from mutton simmered in tomato sauce. Meanwhile, throughout Calabria, ragù denotes a pork-driven tomato-based sauce. Of course there’s lard in this Calabrian-style ragù; fat and flavor sources for villages 850 meters above sea level remains pork to this day. The pasta is often served with a side of personal peperoncino, a single fresh chile pepper and a knife for each diner, so guests can regulate the heat of their own dishes. This recipe makes 1½ quarts of ragù, plenty for serving four to six people with sauce left over, which you can freeze. Salt the ribs 24 hours in advance.
2 tablespoons lard
1 pound pork spareribs, cut into 2-inch pieces or whole, salted in advance
3½ ounces pancetta, diced (¾ cup)
2 onions, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Sea salt
¼ cup tomato paste
1 cup dry red wine (I like Cirò)
1 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes, crushed by hand
1 pound fresh filjie (see this page) or dried fusilli
½ cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Whole fresh peperoncino (see this page) or chile oil
Melt the lard in a large pot over medium-high heat. When the fat begins to shimmer, add the ribs and cook, turning occasionally, until browned, about 10 minutes, then remove the ribs and set aside. Reduce the heat to medium, add the pancetta, and cook until the fat has rendered, about 10 minutes. Add the onions, celery, carrots, nutmeg, and a pinch of salt. Cook until the vegetables are soft and the onions are translucent, 15 to 20 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook until it turns a deep brick red, about 2 minutes. Add the wine, scraping up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan, and cook until the alcohol aroma dissipates, 2 to 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and ribs and enough water to cover, then season with salt. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the pork is fork-tender, 1 to 2 hours. Keep the pork at least halfway submerged, adding water as needed.
Check for doneness frequently after the 1-hour mark. When a toothpick or fork easily goes through the meat, it is cooked. Season with salt.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil over high heat. Heavily salt the water (see this page). When the salt has dissolved, add the filjie and cook until they lose their raw flavor, about 3 minutes. Drain the filjie, reserving the pasta cooking water, and add the pasta to the ragù, stirring to coat. Add some pasta cooking water to loosen the sauce as needed. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce loosely clings to the pasta, about 1 minute. Season with salt. Serve immediately, with Parmigiano-Reggiano sprinkled on top and fresh peperoncino on the side.
NOTE In South Italy, many sauces feature meat on the bone, which means you’re encouraged to pick up the meat with your fingers to polish it off. If you prefer a more refined (but perhaps less exciting) approach, pick the meat off the bone when the pork is tender and stir it back into the sauce; discard the bones.
’O SCARPARIELLO
Spaghetti with Garlic and Corbara Tomatoes
Serves 4 to 6
San Marzano tomatoes might have the best publicity—they have become by far the best known (and incidentally the most counterfeited) Italian tomatoes. Plenty of other varieties grow near Mount Vesuvius that are worth seeking out, including Corbara tomatoes. Named for the town around which they grow, these tomatoes thrive in the fields overlooking the Bay of Naples and the Agro Nocerino area. If you don’t, say, live on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius with easy access to fresh Corbara tomatoes, you can substitute bottled whole Corbara tomatoes or ripe plum tomatoes.
Use the pasta cooking water to your advantage to help the sauce cling to the pasta. The starchy water emulsifies with the oil in the tomato sauce to create a slightly creamy texture and glossy consistency.
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1 teaspoon peperoncino or red pepper flakes
1 pound Corbara, San Marzano, or ripe plum tomatoes, roughly chopped
5 or 6 basil leaves, plus more for garnish
Sea salt
1 pound spaghettoni or spaghetti
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over low heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the garlic and cook until it just turns golden, about 5 minutes. Add the peperoncino and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Discard the garlic, or leave it in (Neapolitans do either), then add the tomatoes and basil, season with salt, and cook until the tomatoes are very soft, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil over high heat. Salt the water (see this page). When the salt has dissolved, add the spaghettoni and cook until very al dente (see this page). Drain the spaghettoni, reserving the pasta cooking water, and add the pasta to the tomato sauce, stirring to coat. Add ¼ cup of the pasta cooking water to sauce, increase the heat to medium, and simmer, stirring vigorously, until the pasta is al dente. Add a bit more pasta cooking water to loosen the sauce as needed.
Plate and serve immediately, garnished with basil.
RASCHIATELLI ALLA MOLLICA
Pasta with Fried Bread Crumbs
Serves 4 to 6
Italians aren’t known for having a wild drinking culture—leave that to Anglo-Americans on holiday—but after a night out dancing, it’s not unheard of to come home a little buzzed. Pasta with fried bread crumbs is the south’s go-to drunk food. It’s simple to whip up with ingredients everyone has in their pantry; just combine pasta with garlic-and-chile-infused oil and top with seasoned bread crumbs.
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, smashed
1 peperoncino or 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Sea salt
1 pound fresh raschiatelli (see this page), dried cavatelli, or spaghetti
2 cups Pane Grattugiato Fritto (recipe follows)
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the garlic and cook until it turns golden, about 5 minutes. Add the peperoncino and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil over high heat. Heavily salt the water (see this page). When the salt has dissolved, add the raschiatelli and cook until they lose their raw flavor, about 3 minutes. Drain the raschiatelli, reserving the pasta cooking water, and add the pasta to the pan with the oil, stirring to coat. Add some pasta cooking water to loosen the sauce as needed. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the oil loosely clings to the pasta, about a minute. Season with salt. Serve immediately, with Pane Grattugiato Fritto sprinkled on top.
Pane Grattugiato Fritto
Fried Bread Crumbs
Makes 2 cups
“Frying” the bread crumbs in the oven instead of a frying pan helps them stay crispy.
8 to 10 slices dry rustic bread with crusts, torn into bite-size pieces
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons dried oregano or chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Sea salt
Preheat the oven to 250°F.
In a large bowl, toss the bread, olive oil, oregano, and salt until well combined. Spread out the bread pieces on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until crispy and completely dried out, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Transfer to a food processor and pulse until broken down to the size of coarse coffee grounds.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
As you drive along the coastal road between the Pugliese towns of Lecce and Otranto, turn on your radio and run through the stations. Between the Italian broadcasts, you’ll catch some waves sailing across the Adriatic Sea from Albania. It’s easy to forget how close the Balkans are from the heel of Italy’s boot, just forty-five miles at the closest point. It’s this proximity, coupled with historic ties between Albanian nobility and Italian kingdoms, that has led Albanians to Italy as refugees for the last five centuries.
Between the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries, as Ottoman forces conquered the Balkans, many Albanians escaped to South Italy, founding nearly one hundred villages in Calabria, Basilicata, Puglia, and Molise. The first refugees arrived in Italy in the late 1400s following the uprising and guerilla war that Albanian general Gjergj Kastrioti, known as Skanderbeg, waged against the Ottomans after defecting from their ranks. Skanderbeg negotiated a treaty with Aragon King Alfonso I of Naples under which he and his men would be vassals for Spain’s territories in Southern Italy. Over the third quarter of the fifteenth century, Skanderbeg traveled between Albania and Italy, battling against the Ottomans in the former, while fighting to secure Aragon sovereignty in the latter. After Skanderbeg’s death, King Ferdinand I issued a decree accepting Albanians into his kingdom, thus heralding the arrival of thousands of refugees in Italy.
Today, the majority of Albanian, or Arbëreshë, communities in Italy are clustered in Calabria and Basilicata. Perhaps the best known is Civita. Set between two peaks in a dramatic valley created by a now dried-up river, the village is the center of Arbëreshë life in the surrounding area. There are a pair of restaurants off the main square as well as the butcher shop and a deli selling typical Arbëreshë items. Most of the signage is bilingual Italian/Arbëreshë, but unless you are in town for Java e Madhe (Holy Week) or the springtime Le Vallje festival commemorating a historic Albanian battle, when locals dress in traditional garb and speak their fifteenth-century southern Albanian dialect, you might not notice the unique Arbëreshë cultural distinctions.
At Civita’s restaurants Agorà and Kamastra, you will find local specialties like rrashkatjel me mish derku (ferretto-rolled pasta with pork ragù), kangariqra kothra e ve (eggs with salami), and dromësat (a shaggy couscous-like pasta cooked in tomato broth). These, like so many Arbëreshë dishes, remain distinctly linked to this unique culture, while also showing the influence of their Calabrian surroundings through the use of local herbs and the techniques of handmade pasta.
SPAGHETTI CON COLATURA DI ALICI
Spaghetti with Anchovy Sauce
Serves 4 to 6
This dish is one of my favorites to whip up when I have almost nothing left in the cupboard except the bare necessities (yes, in Italy, colatura, a traditional fish sauce, is a standard pantry item). This pungent liquid, made from fermented anchovies, is rich in fishy umami. In Cetara, the town on the Amalfi Coast where the most famous colatura is made, some don’t cook the oil, garlic, or parsley at all, allowing the hot pasta to do all the work; others sizzle the aforementioned ingredients over low heat. Cetaresi are in universal agreement, however, that colatura should never be cooked, as it takes on an unpleasant flavor when heated, so be sure to add it off the heat. If you’re a newbie to the wonderfully fishy world of colatura, add just a few drops at a time to taste.
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, smashed
6 sprigs plus 2 tablespoons packed roughly chopped fresh parsley
Sea salt
1 pound spaghettoni or spaghetti
Colatura di Alici (see this page)
Heat the olive oil in large pan over medium-low heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the parsley sprigs and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil over high heat. Salt the water (see this page). When the salt has dissolved, add the spaghettoni and cook until very al dente (see this page). Drain the spaghettoni, reserving the pasta cooking water, and add the pasta and 1 cup of the pasta cooking water to the sauce, stirring to coat. Increase the heat to medium-high and stir until most of the water has been absorbed. Add a bit more pasta cooking water to loosen the sauce as needed. Remove the pan from the heat.
Add colatura to taste, garnish with the chopped parsley, and toss well. Serve immediately.
CANDELE CON ’NDUJA
Candele with ’Nduja
Serves 4 to 6
It’s almost always sacrilege to break pasta before boiling it, but as with all things Italian, there are exceptions to the rule. Candele are two-foot-long (or longer) tubes of pasta that must be broken before being cooked—otherwise, they won’t fit in the pot. You will find them served with thick, fatty ragù in northern Campania, while down the peninsula in Calabria, they are dressed with viscous ’nduja sauce. ’Nduja is a spreadable Calabrian pork salami spiked with fermented chile. There’s quite a bit more fat in Calabrian ’nduja than in American versions like those made by La Quercia and Chicago-based ’Nduja Artisans (see Resources, this page), so expect it to be a touch lighter than its Calabrian counterpart. If you can’t find candele, substitute smooth ziti. You can also serve this dish with filjie (see this page).
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, diced
Sea salt
4 ounces ’nduja
1 (14-ounce) can whole tomatoes, crushed by hand
1 pound dried candele or smooth ziti, or fresh filjie (see this page)
2 ounces ricotta salata, coarsely grated
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the onion, season with salt, and cook until soft and translucent, about 15 minutes. Add the ’nduja and stir until all the fatty bits have melted, about 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook until the sauce thickens and the tomatoes have lost their raw flavor, about 15 minutes. Simmer for a few minutes more to allow the flavors to marry.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil over high heat. Salt the water (see this page). When the salt has dissolved, break the candele into approximately 3-inch pieces and cook until al dente (see this page). Drain the candele, reserving the pasta cooking water, and add the pasta and ¼ cup of the pasta cooking water to the sauce, stirring well to coat. Add a bit more pasta cooking water to loosen the sauce as needed.
Serve immediately, with the ricotta salata sprinkled on top.
NOTE The USDA strictly prohibits importing ’nduja directly from Italy, but if you’re willing to risk a fine and possible incineration of your fatty meat spread, grab some at fine delis (look for Romano brand) and have it vacuum packed for your transatlantic flight. I’m not encouraging you to violate the law, but I’m also not not endorsing a bit of meat smuggling.
SICCHIE D’A MUNNEZZA
Spaghetti with Dried Fruits and Nuts
Serves 4 to 6
Sicchie d’a munnezza, which translates to “garbage can,” doesn’t exactly conjure thoughts of deliciousness, but I assure you this Christmas-season dish is super tasty. The ingredients, a potpourri of scraps like dried fruits and nuts that might be left over from the preparation of a savory and sweet feast, are simmered in oil and tossed with spaghetti in the town of Sant’Anastasia near Mount Vesuvius. It’s the signature dish at ’E Curti, where cook Angela Ceriello prepares it in warped aluminum pans in her cavernous kitchen all year long. If you stop by, be sure to ask Angela for a peek at her collection of copper pots, and don’t forget to wrap up the meal with Nucillo (this page), their homemade walnut liqueur.
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, smashed
⅓ cup walnuts, roughly chopped
⅓ cup hazelnuts, roughly chopped
⅓ cup pine nuts
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
½ (14-ounce) can whole tomatoes crushed by hand
¼ cup Gaeta olives, rinsed, pitted, and roughly chopped
¼ cup capers, rinsed and roughly chopped
¼ cup raisins
Sea salt
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 pound spaghettoni or spaghetti
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over low heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the garlic and cook until it turns golden, about 5 minutes. Add the walnuts, hazelnuts, and pine nuts and cook until the pine nuts begin to color, about 5 minutes. Add the parsley and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds, then add the tomatoes, olives, capers, and raisins and season with salt. Simmer until the tomatoes have reduced slightly and lost their raw flavor, about 15 minutes, then add the oregano. Season with salt.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil over high heat. Salt the water (see this page). When the salt has dissolved, add the spaghettoni and cook until al dente (see this page). Drain the spaghettoni, reserving the pasta cooking water, and add the pasta and ¼ cup of the pasta cooking water to the sauce, stirring to coat. Add a bit more pasta cooking water to loosen the sauce as needed. Serve immediately.
