• 300 g (10 1⁄2 oz) semolina wheat flour • a good pinch of salt • 150 g (5 oz) water at room temperature
Place the flour in a pile in the center of a large cutting board and make a well in the center. Pour the olive oil and most of the water, take a fork and begin to mix until the mixture is blended enough to dig in with your hands. Keep adding a little extra flour if necessary or a little bit of water if the mix is too dry. Once the ball of your basic pasta dough is firm and manageable you can begin to knead. When the dough is quite elastic and its surface nicely smooth, shape it as a ball, wrap in cling film and place in the refrigerator for at least half an hour. Before shaping the pasta, allow the dough to get to room temperature, then shape as you desire: cavatelli, caserecci, busiati, maccheroni...
Mt. Etna Ragu
Serves 4
• 240 g (9 oz) pork sausage with fennel seeds • 150 g (5 oz) mixed mushrooms • 1 carrot • 1 small onion • 1 stalk of celery • 1 tbsp of tomato paste • 1 bay leaf, 2 cloves, 1 small cinnamon stick • black pepper • red wine • olive oil • salt to taste
Chop the carrot, celery and onion in tiny pieces and place them on a saucepan with abundant olive oil. Gently fry for about 15 minutes (if necessary add a tablespoon of hot water); then add the sausage (without the casing) and break it into small pieces by using a big wooden fork or spoon. If you don’t have the sausage, just buy minced pork meat and season it with salt, black pepper and fennel seeds. Let it cook on high flame for about 10 minutes, then add red wine and let it evaporates. Then add the mushrooms and a tablespoon of tomato paste and two/three tablespoons of hot water. Finally, put cloves, bay leaf and cinnamon in a tea infuser (it’s the so called bouquet garni) and place it into the sauce, cover and keep on cooking on a low flame for about 45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes and adding hot water if necessary. Cook the pasta in salted boiling water until al dente, then drain it (remember to save a glass of the cooking water in case your sauce is too dry). Place the pasta into the saucepan (add a couple of tablespoons of Parmesan cheese if you like) and mix on a high flame for 2 minutes. Serve!
Peppers in agrodolce (baked version)
Serves 4
• 1 kg/ 2 lb red and green peppers • 1 red onion • 2 tbsp raisins • 2 tbsp chopped almonds • 4 tbsp white wine vinegar (or apple vinegar) • 2 tbsp sugar • extra virgin olive oil • fresh mint
Pre-heat the oven at 160°C (330° F). Cut the peppers into strips and put them in a bowl, add oil, salt, raisins, sugar and vinegar and mix well. Transfer everything into a baking dish, on a single layer, and bake for about 30 minutes or until the liquid has reduced. Let cool, then add the fresh mint and almond. Serve at room temperature, preferably a couple of hours after preparation. The sweet and sour (agrodolce) is very personal: you can taste it halfway through cooking and figure out whether to add more vinegar or more sugar. Remember that the final flavor will come out only when the dish is cold, so don’t be too generous! These peppers are perfect as an appetizer, along with some cous cous or to accompany grilled fish dishes.
