Recipe From Our Garden

Italian Pumpkins

Paccheri Con Zucca~ Paccheri Pasta With Pumpkin
Courtesy of Chef Raffaele, Positano
Serves 4

500 g Pumpkin (sliced or cubed)
1 Garlic clove, minced
½ Onion, diced
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 Sprig of Rosemary
Salt, Pepper, and Fresh Basil, to taste
Fresh Grated Parmesan Cheese
400 g of Paccheri Pasta
*(when boiling pasta, reserve 1 cup of pasta water for later use)

Sauté the garlic, onion, basil (reserve some for later), rosemary in olive oil.

Add the pumpkin and allow to sauté a few minutes then add about ¼ cup of reserved pasta water and allow to cook about 15-20 minutes, adding more pasta water as necessary, until sauce becomes creamy.

Cook paccheri in a pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Add the paccheri to the pumpkin sauce. Add fresh Parmesan cheese and sauté together for a moment. Serve with fresh basil and grated Parmigiano Reggiano, as desired.

From my Grandmother's home town of Pico, Italy Fettuccine con Scampi e Gamberoni ~ Fettuccine with Shrimp and Prawns
Serves 4

Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 clove Garlic
8 fresh Prawns and 8 Shrimp
Salt and Pepper
Cherry tomatoes, quartered
Parsley
14 oz. of homemade Fettuccine
Crushed Red Chili Pepper

Boil water for pasta.

Place a skillet on the stove heat the oil with the garlic. Add shrimp and prawns, salt, and pepper. Cook for about 10 minutes, remove the garlic and add the chopped tomatoes, cook for another 10 minutes.

Add the pasta to the boiling water, when ready transfer to the pan with the sauce. Lightly sauté and serve immediately with a sprinkle of parsley.

Cooking Up Summer Zucchini

Cooking Up Summer Zucchini
Mamma Marie Lucia’s
Paccheri Con Zucchine
Paccheri Pasta With Zucchini
Serves 4

4 Zucchini
½ cup Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
½ cup Pecorino cheese
4 tablespoons of extra virgin first-cold-pressed olive oil
3 oz heavy cream
1 small pat of unsalted butter
1 Onion
Fresh Basil
Salt & Pepper, to taste
14 oz Paccheri Pasta
1 small red chili pepper

Wash and wipe the zucchini. Slice the zucchini into rounds keeping them about ¼ inch thick. In a frying pan, warm up olive oil and add the thinly sliced onion and one small red chili pepper. After a couple of minutes, add a little water in the pan. Sauté until soft. Add a small pat of butter and once cooked you can turn off the heat.

Meanwhile, cook the Paccheri pasta in a generous pan of boiling water, salt to taste, until al dente.
As the pasta cooks, keep a cup of pasta water, you will use later. As the pasta is almost done, turn on the zucchini and add the 3 to 4 ounces of heavy cream. Drain the pasta and put into the pan with the zucchini. Add the grated Parmigiano and Pecorino and gently stir together. You can add little pasta water, about ¼ to ½ cup if the sauce is too thick and to loosen the mixture. Garnish with fresh basil and serve.

RECIPE: Pasta With Pesto

Courtesy of Le Tre Sorelle, Positano 

2 cloves Garlic

60 g Pine nuts

1 Bunch Fresh Basil, leaves only, not stems

½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

100 g Parmigiano Reggiano, grated

100 g Pecorino, grated

Salt, to taste

400 g Fresine, or other thin long pasta 

Prepare the pesto either with a mortar and pestle or in a blender/food processor.  First blend together the garlic and pine nuts.  Add the washed basil little by little and a bit of olive oil.  Next, add the grated cheeses and blend.  With the blender on, add the remaining olive oil slowly. 

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in boiling salted water until al dente.  Add the pasta with the pesto sauce and toss together for a moment to combine, then serve. 

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