You know the KISS protocol, right?
Sometimes the simple is the best solution.
That was my approach to lunch today.
One of you readers sent me some colatura di alici.
I had never had it before. I am now very grateful.
Oh my! Is this stuff good.
Do you remember my posts on the ancient Roman garum? Check here and here.
Well I tried my colatura today. I wish I had made twice as much for lunch!
Colatura is similar to the ancient garum. It is highly concentrated anchovy sauce used in southern Italy around Naples in Campania. Cetara is just inland from Salerno.
The preparation is simple.
Chop very finely or grind up a clove (or more) of garlic. Put it in a bowl. Chop some parsely. Put it in the bowl. Put a three or four spoons of the colatura in the bowl. Chop up some peperoncino (really hot peppers) or use flakes. Put it in the bowl. Let it all macerate while you cook some pasta. Leave it all raw, uncooked. The heat from the pasta will add whatever heat is needed to blend the flavors.
The tag on the bottle recommended a fine pasta, such as vermicelli. Clearly the idea is that you should have lots of surface for the pasta for the sauce to cling to, so it should be small or fine.
When the pasta is done, drain it very well but quickly, and toss it all together in the bowl.
Settle in to enjoy.
This stuff is super fast, simple, and out of this world.
Given the cost of a bottle, and small amount you use for a portion, this is a cheap meal.
Thank you to FGZ for sending the colatura.
You readers can buy some using amazon. Buy two bottles! You’ll really not like not having it around when you finish the first… in a couple days or so.
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Mmmmm! I have recently discovered a love for anchovies… it all started when I bought a tin for Caesar salad dressing, and then I realized they are in a good one-third of the recipes in my Italian cookbooks. Hm… I wonder if they have this at Cosetta’s market section…
Anchovy and pineapple pizza. It sounds so wrong, it tastes so right.
Mary:
I love them and consider them to be a spice. I put anchovies, garlic, and hot pepper in my sauce last night.
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My hometown of Rochester, NY, is chock full of fellow paisans. You can’t swing a dead cat without hitting an Italian import store that stocks this sort of thing. How I miss it. I’ll be heading to Rubino’s* during my trip home this Christmas to pick up a bottle.
* Rubino’s sells the best Italian sausage in North America. Period.
Cetara is a lovely little fishing village on the Amalfi Coast north of Salerno.
I used to stop in to visit the priest at San Pietro church, patron of the local fishermen, and we would chat and sample Father’s homemade “granito” -Italian lemon ice made from local fruit.
Buon appetito!
For a second there, I thought Father might have discovered a new love for operatic singing….