This zesty, flavorful sauce is a recipe of my mother’s that I am particularly fond of and have made minor changes to. It may seem uncharacteristic of Italian cooking to use so many different ingredients, but they all balance each other well and the result is perfect harmony. This sauce is also good with fusilli corti, penne, and elicoidali.
This recipe was excerpted from ‘The Classic Pasta Cookbook’ by Giuliano Hazan. Buy the full book on Amazon. See more of Giuliano Hazan’s favorite pastas →
Ingredients
Serves 4
Preparation
Step 1
Put the olive oil and onion in a large skillet over a medium-low heat and cook until the onion turns a rich golden color.
Step 2
Raise the heat to medium-high and stir in the garlic, red pepper flakes, and parsley. Sauté for about 30 seconds. Add the pancetta and cook until it is lightly browned but not crisp.
Step 3
Pour 4 quarts of water into a large pot and place over a high heat.
Step 4
Add the strips of bell pepper to the skillet with the onion mixture and cook, stirring occasionally until the peppers are just tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook until they are no longer watery, about another 5 to 6 minutes.
Step 5
Season with salt, stir in the olives, capers, oregano, and basil, and after about 30 seconds, remove the skillet from the heat and set aside.
Step 6
When the water for the pasta is boiling, add 1 Tbsp. salt and drop in the pasta all at once, stirring until the strands are submerged. When the pasta is cooked al dente, drain it and toss it with the sauce, adding the grated cheeses. Taste for salt and serve at once.
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Reviews (5)
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Anonymous
2/18/2024
Used the short fusilli as that was easier to find. It was a little labor intensive but worth it. This makes a humongous amount of pasta and we had it for 3 meals. Took some effort to make but definitely worth it.
CBB
NC
9/14/2023
Made this last night and really enjoyed it. It’s takes longer than you might think to prepare. I prepped all the veggies and herbs earlier in the day, which helped. One thought: it calls for cooking the onions until they are golden. I first thought it meant caramelize them. But don’t go that far or they will be blackened by the time you sauté all the other ingredients with them. Definitely worth repeating!
A cook
Franklin, MI
2/20/2023