Christmas pasta dishes to try out over the festive season

Every region in Italy has its’ own speciality for Christmas – here are some simple and tasty recipes to try out over the festivities. Buon appetito

In Tuscany you can try Spaghetti with sundried tomatoes:

• 50 grams of spaghetti
• 200 grams of fresh basil
• 60ml of olive oil
• 180 grams of sun-dried tomatoes
• Three cloves of garlic
• 60 grams of pine nuts

Place the spaghetti in a pan of boiling water and cook until al dente
Chop the sun-dried tomatoes, garlic and most of the fresh basil and add to a blender.
Add 40 ml of olive oil to the blender with 50 grams of the pine nuts and the nutritional yeast
Blitz in the blender until you have a roughly chopped paste.
Add another 20 ml of olive oil and blend again
Add the pesto to the pasta and heat through stirring all the time.
Serve with the remaining basil, tomatoes and pine nuts sprinkled on the top.

Photo by Mgg Vitchakorn on Unsplash

In Sardinia, any excuse is good for a first course with clams:

Serves 4

• 1kg fresh small clams
• 2garlic cloves peeled
• 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil.
• 2-3tablespoon tomato concentrate
• ½cup fresh parsley chopped
• 5Lts water (6 cups)
• 6-8tablespoon toasted fregola (a small couscous type of pasta)

Wash the clams and place them in a large bowl with water and salt.

Leave them at least an hour and then rinse again.

Transfer them to a large pan and heat rapidly, shaking and stirring the pan.

As the clams open, remove them with a slotted spoon and place them in a bowl.
When they are all open, separate the shells from the clams (discard the shells).

Pour the liquid remaining in the pan into a bowl through a fine sieve covered with gauze or a thin cloth.

Chop the parsley and peel the garlic cloves.

Heat the olive oil in a separate pan that’s wide and has high edges. Add the two peeled garlic cloves and cook until they start to brown and soften. When the garlic is cooked remove it and add the tomato paste. Stir with a wooden spoon and then add the hot water and bring the sauce to a boil.

When the liquid has boiled for a few minutes, it will be slightly reduced. Add the prepared clams, clam water and a handful of chopped parsley. Bring back to the boil, then add the fregola and cook over medium heat for about twenty minutes.

In Puglia you can dine on orecchiette with turnip tops:

Serves 4

• 400g of orecchiette (fresh if possible)
• 3 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1/2 red chilli, sliced
• 5 anchovies in oil
• 300g of turnip tops or tenderstem broccoli
• pecorino, to serve (optional)

Cook the orecchiette (you can use shop-bought, if preferred) in salted boiling water

Meanwhile, gently fry the garlic and chilli with the anchovies in a little of their oil until soft and the anchovies have melted.

2 minutes before the pasta is ready, add the broccoli rabe to the pasta pan to cook

Drain and add the pasta and broccoli to the anchovy pan, tossing to coat the pasta evenly.

Serve hot with an extra drizzle of olive oil, plus a little grated pecorino, if desired.

In Sicily, spaghetti with anchovies and breadcrumbs.

Serves 4

• 400gr spaghetti
• 6 slices of sandwich bread
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 50gr of celery stalks
• 5 oil-packed anchovies, drained and chopped
• parsley
• olive oil
• salt to taste

Cook spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente and drain.
Pulse the bread in a food processor until coarse crumbs form.
Finely chop the white part of the celery and cook in 3tbsp olive oil along with onion until soft. Add breadcrumbs, stirring well, and let toast.
Finally, add chopped anchovies.
Toss spaghetti the sauce until coated. Garnish with 1-2 Tbsp. chopped parsley and serve.

In Umbria, spaghetti Nursina with thinly sliced truffle and anchovies

Serves 4

• 400g spaghetti
• fat clove of garlic
• 30g black truffle
• 2/3 anchovy fillets in oil
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• black pepper

In a large frying pan warm the oil and add the garlic clove cut in two pieces and the anchovy fillets.
On a low heat, let the garlic start to colour and the anchovies melt into the oil – about 7 mins.
Grate the truffle into the oily mixture, stir gently and turn off heat. Leave aside to the flavours can soak into oil.
Cook the spaghetti and when ready turn the heat back on under frying pan.
Drain the pasta, keeping a cup of the water aside, and add to the frying pan.
Mix well and add a drop of the pasta water if needed.
Serve on to plates and add a little more grated truffle to the top of the pasta and some freshly ground pepper.

Photo by CHUTTERSNAP on Unsplash