Pasta alla cucunciata: the recipe for the first Sicilian dish typical of the Aeolian Islands

The pasta alla cucunciata it’s a first course typically Sicilian Aeolian Islands, especially from Salina. A first lesson done with i caper fruits, known as cucunci: they form after the capers have bloomed and contain the seeds, they are also larger than capers, have a tapered shape and are more juicy and tasty. To prepare this recipe, all you need to do is make a vinaigrette with aubergine, green peppers or friggitelli, tomatoes, anchovy in oil, Olives And cucunci. As for the shape of the pasta, however, you can use the spaghetti, as in our preparation, or also choose i macaroni, rigatoni Where fusilli. A tasty and fragrant dish made from typical aromatic ingredients. Here’s how to prepare it.

If you can’t find the cucunci, you can replace them with desalted capers: rinse them well before adding them to the rest of the ingredients.

Also try the spaghetti alla pantelleria, another Sicilian recipe typical of the island of Pantelleria with capers, olives, tomatoes, anchovies, breadcrumbs and herbs.

How to prepare alla cucunciata pasta

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Trim the eggplants and cut them into cubes (1). Take a bowl and a colander. Sprinkle the eggplants with coarse salt and mix. Place the colander on the bowl and add weight to the eggplants for at least half an hour, so as to remove the vegetation water and the bitter taste of the eggplants. Wash the peppers (2) and grill them on a hot plate. Once cooked, remove them from the plate, gently remove the skin on the outside and cut them into strips, removing the seeds. Put the cucunci with the anchovies and a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (3) in the blender and blend until creamy.

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Squeeze the drained eggplants and set aside. Wash the cherry tomatoes and cut them in half. Brown the garlic in a pan with extra virgin olive oil, add the eggplants and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Also add the tomatoes and continue cooking for another 15 minutes. Add the grilled peppers, the pitted olives, the cream obtained from the mixture of cucunci and anchovies and mix, to mix well: season with salt and pepper (4) and add the basil. Cook the pasta (5) in a large quantity of salted boiling water, drain them al dente and add them to the saucepan with the sauce. Your pasta alla cucunciata is ready to be served sprinkled with grated pecorino (6).

storage

It is advisable to consume alla cucunciata pasta immediately after preparation. You can prepare the sauce ahead of time and cook the pasta just before serving the dish.