Going through ye olde faithful Sledge Recipe Book, I rediscovered the famous Minjanesca and made a big pot of it.
Here's the recipe if you'd like to try it.
Ingredients (serves two):
Lots of garlic, chopped very fine
A large, medium-hot chilli (or 2-3 birdseyes if you're adventurous) -- leave this out if your guest is a vicar or a pooftah
1 kilo ripe roma tomatoes
Splash of Worcestershire sauce (Lea & Perrins)
25 gr capers
80 gr anchovies
As many smoked mussels as you can afford
Small tub of chopped black olives
Handful of chopped walnuts
Fettucini
Half cup of chopped parsley
Good bowl of shaved parmesan or a sharper formaggio (e.g., pecorino)
Method:
In a large enamel pot, slowly and lightly cook the garlic and chilli -- just let them soften and blend, don't overcook -- nothing worse than burnt garlic.
Chop the tomatoes as finely as you can, including the skins.
Add the tomatoes to the pot and simmer until you have a basic sauce.
This is where you splash in a bit of Worcestershire: a strange thing for an Italian dish but, if you look at the ingredients, it makes sense.
Chuck in the capers, anchovies, mussels, olives and walnuts.
Turn off the heat and let the whole thing sit for at least an hour.
Warm up the sauce in time for serving.
Just before serving time, cook the fettucini.
Garnish with chopped parsley and have the shaved parmesan (or alternative) on the table.
Buon appetito.Sledge
