Spaghetti aglio, olio e peperoncino (spaghetti with garlic, olive oil and chilli)
I feel like every family in Italy must eat this, or a variation of it, a couple of times a week for lunch. It really doesn’t get any easier than this. The only thing to remember is that the garlic needs to be finely grated (or very finely chopped) and cooked slowly, so the dish doesn’t taste of raw garlic.
Serves 2
225g quality dried spaghetti
100ml olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, finely grated
1 long red chilli, finely chopped
3 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
2 tbsp finely grated parmesan
Sea salt
Pangrattato (see recipe below), to serve (optional)
Cook the spaghetti in plenty of boiling salted water until al dente, according to the instructions on the package.
While the spaghetti is boiling, warm the olive oil in a frying pan over low heat and gently cook the garlic and chilli until the garlic is translucent. When the garlic and chilli are at the perfect point, stop them cooking any further by removing the pan from the heat and adding a splash of the boiling pasta water. Set aside until the pasta is ready.
Drain the pasta (reserving some of the pasta water) and add to the frying pan, then toss over low heat until it is well coated, adding enough of the pasta water to loosen the sauce.
Sprinkle in the parsley and parmesan, season with salt and keep tossing until well emulsified – the sauce should be thick and oily, and flecked with garlic, chilli and parsley. Serve in warmed bowls, sprinkled with pangrattato, if using.
Orecchiette with cime di rapa, anchovy and pangrattato
Making the orecchiette is time-consuming but also fun and rewarding once you get the hang of it. I recommend making just enough for one or two servings to start with, and don’t worry if they don’t look perfect. I like to use some rye flour in the dough because it’s more textural and more rustic. And if you don’t have time to make your own orecchiette, you can of course use 225g of dried orecchiette instead.
Although this sauce is simple, it is full of flavour – we always use cime de rapa (also known as broccoli rabe or turnip tops) when it’s in season, but at other times of year try broccolini instead.
Serves 2
100g cime di rapa (about half a bunch), washed and drained really well
60ml olive oil (¼ cup)
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
½ long red chilli, finely chopped
4 anchovy fillets in olive oil (ideally Sicilian), drained
Finely grated zest of 1 small lemon
1 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
2 tbsp finely grated parmesan
Pangrattato (see recipe below), to serve
For the pasta dough
100g light rye flour
40g durum wheat semolina flour
240ml water, heated to 80C
To make the pasta dough in an electric mixer, put all the ingredients into the bowl and mix with the hook attachment for five to six minutes until smooth and elastic. Alternatively, you can mix this dough by hand, as it is easier to work than an egg pasta dough. In a large bowl, mix both flours together, then make a well in the centre and pour in the hot water. With a fork, slowly mix the water with the flours until it has a crumble-like consistency. Transfer to a clean work surface and knead with your palms, pushing forward and folding, until the dough is elastic and smooth but not too soft – about 10 minutes. Tightly wrap the dough in plastic film or reusable food wrap and leave to rest for at least 30 minutes. I find this dough is best used on the same day it’s made.
To shape the orecchiette, cut off a small piece of dough – about 50g is a good size – and roll it into a log around 1cm wide, then cut off 1cm nuggets. On a lightly floured bench, use a dinner knife to press down on each nugget of dough, pushing away from you and keeping the pressure consistent – the dough should wrap around the knife. Gently ease the dough off the knife, pushing your thumb inside and turning the orecchiette inside out, then set aside on a semolina-dusted surface. Repeat until all the orecchiette are made, then leave to dry while you start the sauce.
To prepare the cime di rapa, trim off and discard the woody ends, then thinly slice the stalks. Keep the leaves and florets in fairly large chunks.
Place a large frying pan over medium-low heat, add the olive oil, and slowly cook the garlic, chilli and anchovies for one to two minutes. Add the cime di rapa and cook for two to three more minutes, or until just tender, then remove from the heat and add a splash of water to stop the cooking and avoid burning.
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Cook the orecchiette in plenty of boiling, salted water until al dente, four to five minutes, depending on how long the pasta has been drying for. Drain the pasta (reserving some of the pasta water) and add to the frying pan, along with the lemon zest, parsley and parmesan. Toss everything together over low heat until the oil and parmesan have emulsified, adding a little of the reserved pasta water to bring the sauce together, if needed. Serve in warmed bowls, with a good amount of pangrattato on top.
Pangrattato
Don’t be tempted to skip the big, absorbent panko breadcrumbs – they make all the difference – and if your pasta sauce contains tinned or jarred anchovies, you could also substitute some of the olive oil with oil from the tin. The pangrattato keeps well, I tend to make a big batch and keep it in a jar to use throughout the week – it can be sprinkled on top of pretty much any pasta.
Makes about 100g
50g panko breadcrumbs
40–50 ml olive oil
2 tbsp finely grated parmesan
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
Sea salt
Preheat a non-stick frying pan over medium-low heat and slowly toast the breadcrumbs until they start to turn golden brown. Add the oil progressively, in two or three batches, and keep tossing the breadcrumbs until they start frying, about two minutes. Take off the heat, add the parmesan and lemon zest and season with salt. Leave the pangrattato to cool before storing in an airtight container for up to a week.
Casarecce with pork sausage and radicchio
Preparing the sausage meat yourself will always give you a superior result, but to make this dish even easier, source some quality sausages from your butcher.
Serves 2
200g Italian-style pork and fennel sausages, casings removed
2 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped
½ long red chilli, finely chopped
1 tsp finely chopped sage leaves
50ml dry white wine
225g quality dried casarecce
75g radicchio (about half a small head), washed and torn into large chunks
2 tbsp finely grated parmesan
1 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
Olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
To cook the sausage, place a large frying pan over medium-high heat and add two tablespoons of olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the sausage meat in large pieces and fry for about four to five minutes, or until golden all over. Reduce the heat to low, add the garlic, chilli and sage and cook for one to two minutes, making sure the garlic doesn’t get too dark. Pour in the wine, stirring to deglaze the pan, and simmer until it has almost completely evaporated.
In the meantime, cook the casarecce in plenty of boiling salted water until al dente, according to the instructions on the packet.
To finish, pour a ladle of the boiling pasta water over the sausage mixture, then add the radicchio and cook for one minute, just to soften it a little. Drain the pasta (reserving some of the pasta water) and add to the sausage mixture and radicchio, along with the parmesan and parsley. Toss everything together thoroughly, then taste for salt, toss again and add some of the reserved pasta water, if needed. Serve in warmed bowls, with a drizzle of olive oil and a heap of freshly ground pepper.
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This is an edited extract of Tipo 00: The Pasta Cookbook by Andreas Papadakis, photography by Mark Roper, illustrations by Robin Cowcher. Available now through Murdoch Books (RRP $49.99).