UNICO

CUISINE
Recipes
RIGATONI PANNA,
PESTO, E POMODORI
(Creamy Rigatoni)
1/2 pint heavy cream
12 ounces chopped tomatoes,
well drained
2 tablespoons pesto (see above)
4 cups rigatoni
1/2 cup freshly grated Romano or Parmigiano
cheese
Pour the cream into a large skillet,
add the chopped tomatoes and cook over
very low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring
occasionally. Remove the pan from
the heat and stir in the pesto. Meanwhile,
cook the rigatoni in a large pot of boiling
salted water until it reaches the al dente
stage. Drain the pasta, gently rewarm the
cream sauce and add some of it to the
pasta. Toss it and place it in a prewarmed
serving dish. Spoon the remaining
sauce over the pasta and sprinkle
with the cheese.
— Dolores Sennebogen
INSALATA DI
POMODORO E BURRATA
(Tomato and Burrata Salad with Pesto)
4 heirloom tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
Sugar to taste (optional)
Fruity extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound fresh burrata cheese
Pesto sauce
Blanch and shock the tomatoes
quickly in boiling salted water, and then
peel them. Slice them into rounds and
season with salt, pepper and a little of
the optional sugar. Cut the burrata into
rounds and season with salt,
pepper and a generous
drizzle of the olive oil.
Stack the tomatoes and
burrata in alternating layers,
seasoning each layer
with the pesto. Serve with
a chilled white wine.
— adapted from Chef
Christopher Daly
PASTA
CON PESTO
E ‘NDUJA
(Pasta with Two Sauces)
1 pound pasta of
your choice
1/2 cup Ligurian pesto
1/4 cup Calabrian ‘nduja (see note)
A little fruity olive oil
Grated Parmigiana or Pecorino cheese
Cook the pasta in boiling salted
water until al dente. Meanwhile, dissolve
the two sauces and a bit of olive oil
in a saucepan over low heat. Drain the
pasta and combine it well with the
mixed sauces. Serve in a preheated bowl
with grated cheese to taste.
NOTE: ‘Nduja (pronounced en-dooya)
is a spreadable mixture of ground
cured pork (usually salami) seasoned
with Calabrian chilies. You can purchase
it online or in Italian specialty stores. For
spicier pasta, use equals portions of
pesto and ‘nduja.
— adapted from cooker.NET
PASTA COL PESTO
ALLA TRAPANESE
(Pasta with Sicilian Pesto)
4-6 very fresh garlic cloves, cut up
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1/3 cup flat leaf parsley
1 cup blanched almonds,
roughly chopped
4 large ripe tomatoes, peeled and
chopped
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Black pepper
1-1/2 pounds bavette or bucatini
Pound the garlic, salt, basil and parsley
into a paste in a mortar. Add the almonds
little by little and then the
tomatoes. When all the ingredients are
reduced to a pulp, add some of the oil
and the pepper. Add the remaining oil a
little at a time until the sauce is smooth
and creamy. Cook the pasta in boiling
salted water. Drain and toss in a serving
bowl together with the pesto until everything
is distributed evenly.
NOTE: This can be done in an electric
blender, in which case you should
add a small amount of the oil in the first
step and the remainder with the tomatoes.
You can reduce the garlic, according
to taste. Variations also include lightly
toasting the almonds, or adding one
minced pepperoncini (seeds removed).
— Dolores Sennebogen
▼ COOK’S TIP ▼
If you aren’t going to use all of your
homemade pesto right away you can
refrigerate it for 5 to 7 days. However,
be sure to store it in a glass jar filled almost
to the top. Then cover it with a
thin layer of olive oil before sealing
tightly. This keeps it from oxidizing and
turning an unpleasant color. You can
also freeze leftover pesto t in ice cube
trays so that you can defrost small
amounts to use in soups, sauces or
pizza toppings.
FRA NOI for ComUNICO September 2015 73