Pasta alla Primavera, which Italians call either garden or greengrocer's pasta (all'orto or dell'ortolano, respectively) is extremely refreshing and very nice in the summer months. It's also quite good ahead of fried mozzarella, which is much lighter than you might think. To serve 4 you'll need:
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
- For the first course:
- 2 meaty bell peppers of the color you prefer.
- A large white onion
- A clove of garlic, finely sliced
- A salted anchovy, rinsed, boned, and diced
- 2/3 pound (300 g) broccoli florets, broken up
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 12 ounces (320 g) mezze maniche or ziti
- Freshly grated pecorino romano
- --
- For the second course:
- 6 small (1 1/2 inch, or 4 cm diameter) mozzarella balls
- An egg, lightly beaten
- Breadcrumbs
- Oil for frying
- Decorated toothpicks
Preparation:
Begin by slicing your mozzarella balls in half and setting them to drain in a strainer; if you have time, for 2 hours. Otherwise, if you have one of those centrifuges one uses to drain salad, give the pieces a quick spin, turn them, and spin them again. In either case, dredge the slices in the beaten egg, and again in the breadcrumbs, put them on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper, and chill them in the freezer for a half hour. Set pasta water to boil.
In the meantime, stem, seed, and rib the peppers and cut them into strips that will lie flat. Run them under the broiler, skin side up, until the skins have blistered; you may have to turn the strips to blister the skins evenly. When the skins have blistered and blackened, put the strips in a bowl and cover it to let the steam generated by the cooking further loosen the skins. After a few minutes remove the skins, running the strips under warm water to rinse them clean, pat them dry, and dice them.
Peel the onion, slice it finely, and sauté it with the garlic in the olive oil; when it's translucent add the peppers and the anchovy and simmer over a low flame for about 15 minutes. By this time the pasta water should be boiling; salt it and blanch the broccoli florets for 2-3 minutes; remove them with a slotted spoon and add them to the pepper sauce.
Continue simmering the sauce while you cook the pasta, and set the oil in your deep fryer to heating. When the pasta is al dente, drain it, and return it to the pot with about half the sauce; cook, stirring, over high heat for a minute and serve the pasta with grated pecorino romano on the side.
When it comes time to clear the pasta bowls from the table, fry the mozzarella disks for about a minute in hot oil. Arrange them on a serving dish, stick a party stick into each, and distribute the remaining sauce over them. Serve with a tossed salad, crusty bread, and a brisk white wine, for example Gavi.
In the meantime, stem, seed, and rib the peppers and cut them into strips that will lie flat. Run them under the broiler, skin side up, until the skins have blistered; you may have to turn the strips to blister the skins evenly. When the skins have blistered and blackened, put the strips in a bowl and cover it to let the steam generated by the cooking further loosen the skins. After a few minutes remove the skins, running the strips under warm water to rinse them clean, pat them dry, and dice them.
Peel the onion, slice it finely, and sauté it with the garlic in the olive oil; when it's translucent add the peppers and the anchovy and simmer over a low flame for about 15 minutes. By this time the pasta water should be boiling; salt it and blanch the broccoli florets for 2-3 minutes; remove them with a slotted spoon and add them to the pepper sauce.
Continue simmering the sauce while you cook the pasta, and set the oil in your deep fryer to heating. When the pasta is al dente, drain it, and return it to the pot with about half the sauce; cook, stirring, over high heat for a minute and serve the pasta with grated pecorino romano on the side.
When it comes time to clear the pasta bowls from the table, fry the mozzarella disks for about a minute in hot oil. Arrange them on a serving dish, stick a party stick into each, and distribute the remaining sauce over them. Serve with a tossed salad, crusty bread, and a brisk white wine, for example Gavi.
