L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.com 12 GIOVEDÌ 21 AGOSTO 2014 L'Italo-Americano This is one your Sicilian nonna used to make. Also known as maccaruna di casa, busiate are made of durum wheat and water, and are perhaps Sicily's most famous pasta lunga. The deft hands of the Sicilian women can turn these out with utterly astonishing speed. Knobs of dough are for- med into ropes and rolled around a ferretto, or thin iron rod, something like a knitting needle. Some of the finest busiate are made by Molini del Ponte. The company uses an heirloom durum wheat, a variety indige- nous to Sicily known as Tumminia. This is not a pasta that you see in most American markets, but this spring Beatrice Ughi, owner and founder of Gustiamo (Gustiamo.com), one of New York's premier Italian food specialty shops, brought this unique pasta to our shores. Of the pasta maker Beatrice says "Filippo Drago is one of the most passionate farmers and pro- ducers I've ever met. And stub- born, too. It took him ten years to grow a decent quantity of Tumminia, which was in danger of extinction. Filippo stone mills the flour in his own mill and the busiate pasta is made by a small artisanal pastificio near him, in Castelvetrano. The pasta is dark in color, it's very tasty and easy to digest. Grazie Filippo!" Serve this with Pesto Trapanese, one of Sicily's tradi- tional pounded nut sauces. The condimento, heavy with the fla- vors of garlic, basil, and almonds, is one of the delights of island cuisine. Food writer Nancy Harmon Jenkins (NancyHarmonJenkins.com) writes that this sauce is also known as agliata trapanese or agghiata trapanisa. She recom- mends that it be topped with toa- sted bread crumbs rather than cheese. Having tried this dish both ways, I am now firmly in Ms. Harmon Jenkins' corner. Busiate col Pesto Trapanese For a real Sicilian experience, use a Sicilian oil such as Pianogrillo, along with Sicilian salt and almonds from Noto. Whether you make this pesto in a food processor or with the tradi- tional mortar and pestle, the goal is to make a thick, somewhat chunky emulsion. The pesto may be held at room temperature for two hours. Refrigerate for longer storage, bringing it to room temperature prior to dres- sing the busiate. •1 pound busiate •5 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and well chopped •2 garlic cloves, peeled •A handful of large basil leaves Busiate - Maccaruna di casa. One of Sicily's most popular dishes ADRI BARR CRoCettI •½ cup whole almonds, blan- ched and lightly toasted •Peperoncino flakes •Sea salt •Extra virgin olive oil •Pecorino or ¼ cup dry white bread crumbs Place the chopped tomatoes in a colander and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt. Set aside to drain. To blanch the almonds, fill a 2-quart saucepan half full with water and bring to a boil. Drop the almonds in and boil 30 seconds. Drain in a colander. Release the skins by holding the nut between your thumb and forefinger, pressing on the roun- ded end of the nut and giving a gentle squeeze. Discard the skins and set the almonds aside to dry thoroughly. To toast the almonds, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the dried, blanched almonds on a cookie sheet. Toast on center rack 10 minutes until lightly colored and mildly fragrant. The nuts will release some of their oil, developing an enticing sheen. Do not toast the almonds darkly or they will impart an unpleasant bitter taste to the pesto. Remove the nuts from the oven and set aside to cool. If you are going to use a mortar and pestle to make the pesto, chop the nuts finely. If you will be using a food processor for the pesto, the almonds may be left whole. To make the pesto in a food processor: place drained toma- toes, garlic, almonds, basil, ¼ teaspoon peperoncino flakes, and ½ teaspoon sea salt in the workbowl of a processor fitted with the steel blade. Process to a coarse paste. Turn the machi- ne on, remove the feed tube and slowly add 4 tablespoons of olive oil, blending well. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt or peperoncino, if desired. To use a mortar and pestle: grind the garlic and salt together to form a paste. Crush the basil leaves into the garlic paste. Add ½ teaspoon sea salt and ¼ tea- spoon peperoncino flakes. Blend well. Add the tomatoes in 4 additions, blending until thick, yet still chunky. Add the chop- ped almonds. Slowly add ¼ cup of olive oil in a thin stream, mixing constantly. Check for seasoning. If using the bread crumbs, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a small skillet. Add the bread crumbs and toast until light gol- den, stirring frequently to pre- vent burning. Turn bread crumbs out of the skillet to pre- vent scorching. Set aside. Bring 6 quarts of water to a rolling boil. Add 1 tablespoon of sea salt. Add busiate and cook about 10 to 11 minutes. Transfer pesto to a warmed bowl. Drain the busiate, reser- ving about 1 cup of the cooking water. Drop the cooked busiate onto the pesto, tossing to coat. Add pasta water, a tablespoon at a time, if necessary, to loosen the sauce. Serve at once topped with grated cheese or toasted breadcrumbs. Busiate, Sicilian oils, nuts and salt are available from Gustiamo.com Questions? Email me at adri@AdriBarrCrocetti.com or visit at AdriBarrCrocetti.com

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