Dear All,
Yes, it has been a while since my last note.
After some months in the states I'm happy to say I'm back in Calabria to
enjoy "Primavera".
Tonight to celebrate, I prepared my favorite Calabrian
meal ...spaghetti. Gee, how novel you say.. but wait.. This is my very
special "spaghetti alla verdura", or "veggie spaghetti" if you like.. and it is
a treat!..
A great thing about this meal is that it only takes
the time required to boil the noodles.. Take your pick.. I chose Elicoidali 22
(which is like a ziti noodle that wants to be a rigatoni).. It is just
a little larger than the ziti and has ribs.. but you can
use spaghetti, rigatoni, pene.. which ever you like the best. It is
so good that it makes any occasion special.. In fact, if you don't mind, I'll
make it and eat it with you.. We will prepare enough for two with no
leftovers if we each have a little second plate.. Here goes..
Check the cupboards.. have we got:
olive oil (extra virgin)
peppers (long green/red ones if you can find
them)
onion (yellow works for me)
Knur stock cube (Delicate) or veggie works
too
garlic (nice fresh big cloves)
diced tomatoes (optional depending on my
hunger)
zucchini (the light green ones.. very
delicate)
salt and pepper
grated hard cheese (maybe a Parmigiano Reggiano or a
pecorino)
red wine (Sangiovese Puglia if handy)
First let's have a glass of wine to get in the mood.. Do
you have any old grape jelly glasses? Yes those short ones.. Oh you
do! Great! I'll use that one. Oh, the Sangiovese.. How did you know I
love it?
How about some music? Something Italian.. Maybe
Josh Groban.. Tony Bennett? Excellent! Pavarotti? Even
better!
Va bene! Andiamo!
Let's boil enough water for 1/2 bag (or box) of the pasta
(about 250mg.). A medium sized pot should be fine. Add a
liberal amount of olive oil, and three pinches of salt right away and leave it
to do it's thing. Now where is that large fry pan? Do you have a
non-stick, if so, let's use it. I'd use a large burner on moderate
heat and add a generous amount of olive oil to cover the bottom.. Now the
veggies. It is really just a matter of starting with the ones
that take the longest to cook.. Let's start with the peppers as they take
the longest. Two average peppers are enough. Got one red and one green?
great, or perhaps a yellow one for more color.. va bene.. Gut them and
cut them crosswise into small ribbons. Is the oil getting hot?
Perfect! Put them in and stir them into the oil. They should cover the bottom of
the pan.. Next, let's add the onion.. I'd use a whole (rather small) yellow
onion.. just dice it up and throw it in on the peppers.. stir them together
well.. Let's add 1/2 of a Knorr soup/gravy stock cube.
I prefer the one called Delicato. Chop it up fine and add it to
the pan.. stir it in to the oil. How is the wine? Good isn't
it? More stirring? Enough oil? ehh..Perhaps just a little
more..
Where do you keep the fresh garlic? Ok, lets add
two big knuckles.. no, don't crush them.. just slice them nice and thin, then
dice them.. and toss them in! Stir that mix.. Maybe a touch more of
oil. Ummm.. smells great doesn't it? Yes, the wine is very
good! Sure, I'll have a little more. Careful, We need to save some
for the meal! Another bottle? sure.. Oh.. the water.. I see
it's boiling. Ok, add the noodles.. let's see.. Should be about 10
minutes or so and we'll be eating! What's left? Oh, right.. the
zucchini and tomatoes.. Can't forget the zucchini can we.. Why don't you
slice a few up.. not too thick.. sure, leave it in rounds. They
will be like little coins floating on our noodles!.. Wait.. before you add
the zucchini, let's push everything else to the side of the fry pan.
Sure, just bunch it all up in a pile.. We want the zucchini to fry up
nice on the bottom of the pan and absorb the flavors.. Now salt and pepper
the zucchini. Ummm. Now that the zucchini are done lets mix them
into the peppers and onions and add the diced tomatoes on top.. Sure, strain
them. We don't want them over cooked... just a little more salt..
Ahh... Smells great doesn't it? Let's cover the fry pan and
turn down the heat to a slow simmer until the noodles finish.. That's ok
if the onions are a little scorched.. It adds to the flavor and Joe prefers the
taste this way.
Shouldn't we set the table?
Well, that should do it! All that is left is to drain the
noodles, put them into our bowls, and cover them with the veggies.. and add
the grated Parmigiano Reggiano.. Thanks, that's just enough..
Buon
Appetito!
Grazie,
anche a te. mi piace molto la pasta!
Vino?
Sì, un po’. Non troppo! Devo guidare!
Dolce?
Perche no?
Grazie,
forse un caffè. Zucchero? No grazie! Latte? Sì solo un po’...
grazie!
Limoncello?
...Dio Mio!
Certo!
Grazie
per una cena e una serata meravigliosa! Oh, anche a te ... sei
proprio gentile!
Ciao
ciao.. ci vediamo a presto! Buona notte!
P.S.
If you like the recipie, please share it with your
friends. The same goes for our web-site. We have been
working to improve it for a while now. If you haven't been to
CalabrianLife recently, please do have a look. We have:
- packaged several of our own dual-language stories
into downloadable PDF booklets
- added 6 Italian lessons thanks to Curzio Caravati our
resident insegnante di Italiano,
- added three new screen savers with some great pictures
of Calabria..
- added two new packages of digital images of
Calabria!
Please don't hesitate to write back.. I
enjoy hearing from everyone! and would appreciate any comments or suggestions
for improving my "Dear All" letters or the CalabrianLife web
site...
More later,
Marty