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9 hours ago
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In her encyclopaedic but not at all stuffy book about Neapolitan food, Jeanne Caròla Francesconi provides half a dozen recipes for pasta with raw tomato sauces suitable for hot days. The one I always notice is vermicelli all’insalata, because of the arrangement of the words. Not the familiar insalata di pasta (pasta salad), but all’insalata (like a salad), which serves as a reminder that, as with salad, the important thing with this family of recipes is that the pasta is treated like leaves of salad and tossed gently but thoroughly with plenty of tasty and suitably cut condiments and dressing.
The dressing in this instance is the result of mixing two recipes that we used to make during cooking lessons on hot days at the old Latteria Studio: pasta with courgette, and pasta with double tomato sauce. The courgette softened in plenty of olive oil with spring onion is the warm part of the recipe, while a raw and juicy salsa of tomato, garlic and herbs provides the room-temperature element.
As we all know well, temperatures this year mean that room temperatures are significant. Not that this is a bad thing for the tomatoes, which need to sit for about 20 minutes in order that they get juicy. But some people leave them for much longer. For chef and writer Valentina Harris, this sort of sauce is her sugo di vacanza (holiday sauce): diced tomatoes left macerating in oil, herbs, maybe olives, capers, minced anchovies, too, while everyone goes to the beach. By the time they return a few hours later, the bowl of magnificently juicy red bits is ready to be mixed with pasta, and on the table in no time.
If possible, use a selection of tomatoes: a few sweet cherry ones, a more fleshy variety, plus a harder, slightly green tomato for texture. In terms of courgettes, most varieties work, although smaller dark green ones or the pale green or yellow varieties tend to be sweeter and juicier. When softening the courgettes, remember to carry over some of the starchy cooking water from the pasta pan, which helps both to soften them and with the coming together at the end.
Both long and short shapes work here: long, thin shapes that form a thin net – spaghetti, spaghettini, capelli d’angelo, maccheroncini di campofilone – but also shapes that catch, such as farfalle, radiatori or fusilli, or the caved-in types, such as orecchiette or cavatelli.
As with salad, toss again before serving, so the juices coat the pasta and the condiments are well distributed. Add more olive oil, if you think it needs it, and you can’t have enough ripped basil. You could also add blobs of ricotta, if you want, or ripped mozzarella for a tricolour pasta all’insalata for a hot day.
Pasta with courgette, spring onion and raw tomato salsa
Pasta with hot and cold vegetables: the hot element is a soft mix of courgette and onion cooked in olive oil until soft; the cold is diced tomato with olive oil and basil. Both long and short pasta shapes work here, but especially linguine, spaghetti, pici, farfalle and radiatori, all of which trap the condiment.
Serves 4
2 large courgettes
3-4 spring onions
400g ripe tomatoes
7 tbsp olive oil
1 small handful basil leaves, ripped, plus extra for serving
1 pinch dried oregano
1/2 small garlic clove, peeled and finely minced
Salt
450g linguine, spaghetti, pici, farfalle or radiatori
Bring a large pan of water to a boil for the pasta. Top and tail the courgettes, then either grate them or cut into slender batons (a puntarelle cutter is very useful here). If you grate the courgettes, wrap them in a tea towel and squeeze to eliminate any extra water. Trim the spring onions, then finely slice both green and white parts.
Finely dice the tomatoes, making sure to catch any juices, then put them in a bowl with three tablespoons of olive oil, the ripped basil, a pinch of dried oregano, the garlic and some salt. Mix and leave to sit.
Salt the pasta water, stir, then add the pasta and set a timer according to the packet instructions.
Working in a frying pan or wok large enough to accommodate the cooked pasta later, too, gently warm four tablespoons of olive oil, add the spring onion, and saute, stirring, to soften. Add the courgettes, stir again, then fry gently for about five minutes, adding a bit of the starchy pasta cooking water so the veg softens rather than browns. By the end of the cooking, the courgettes should be soft and surrounded by a small amount of oily juices.
Lift the pasta directly into the courgette pan, toss vigorously to coat and emulsify, then add the diced tomato and stir again. Tip into a large bowl or platter and add more basil for colour.
