Chef Michael Bonacini’s recipe for a classic Apulian pasta dish – Orecchiette with Rapini. Michael uses his thumb to shape the homemade pasta into little ears, then cooks a sweet garlic and spicy chili sauce that plays off the sharpness of the rapini.

4 servings

gustotv.com/recipes

INGREDIENTS
2 cups (470 ml) flour
¾ cups (180 ml) semolina flour
½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) salt
¾ cup (180 ml) warm water
1 pound (454 g) rapini
6 tablespoons (90 ml) olive oil, plus more for drizzling
3 garlic cloves, sliced
1 teaspoon (5 ml) pepper flakes
½ cup (120 ml) pine nuts
Grated lemon peel
Grated parmesan, for serving
Salt

INSTRUCTIONS
To make the pasta, sift together flour and semolina flour in a bowl. Make a well in the centre of the flours.

In a separate bowl, dissolve the salt in the water. Pour the salt water into the well in the flour. Pull flour in from the sides of the bowl to the centre, mixing together, then kneading until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Break off pieces of the dough and roll into thin logs. Cut each log into rounds. Put a round in your palm, then press your thumb into it to form an indent. Set on a baking tray dusted with semolina to dry for a minimum of 1 hour. Repeat with the rest of the dough.

Bring a large pot of well salted water to a rolling boil. Add the rapini and cook until tender, 5-6 minutes. Drain.

In a separate pot of boiling, well-salted water, cook dried orecchiette until pasta is almost al dente, 4-5 minutes. Drain, but reserve ½ cup (120 ml) of pasta water.

In a skillet over medium-high heat, heat olive oil. Add garlic, pepper flakes, and pine nuts and fry until fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Add cooked rapini and pasta. Toss to coat. Add grated lemon peel. Add reserved pasta water, then swirl and toss the contents of the pan to form a silky sauce.

Serve sprinkled with parmesan and drizzled with olive oil.

Sicilian eggplant caponata is one of the best ways to utilize eggplant. Caponata is a salty, sweet and sour appetizer, bursting with flavor. It’s perfect by itself, on top of toasted bread or crackers, or used as a topping for sandwiches.

Serves 6

sipandfeast.com

INGREDIENTS
2 pounds eggplant
1 cup celery
1 cup red onion
1 cup pitted green olives
¼ cup pignoli nuts
¼ cup parsley
⅛ cup capers
¼ cup raisins
1 6 ounce can tomato paste
¾ cup olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 425F and begin by cutting 2 pounds of eggplant into approximately 1″ cubes.

Place all the cut eggplant into a large glass bowl and toss with a ½ cup of olive oil, a tsp of kosher salt and a ½ tsp of black pepper. Use enough oil to coat all the pieces.

On a large baking sheet (line it with parchment paper to avoid sticking) spread out the eggplant. Keep the pieces from touching and if necessary use 2 sheet pans. Place the eggplant on the middle oven rack and roast for 25-30 minutes.

While the eggplant is roasting begin cutting 1 cup of celery into smallish pieces like shown.

Cut 1 cup of onion into half-moon strips. You can cut the onion and celery any way you want! Some people like a chunkier caponata while others prefer a smoother one.

Toast a ¼ cup of pignoli (pine) nuts in a separate pan over medium-low heat for 5 minutes or so. Be careful, they burn easily. When finished toasting, remove the nuts and set them aside.

In a large pan saute the onion and celery for a few minutes in a ¼ cup of olive oil over medium heat. Again this is a preference/textural thing. If you like crunchy vegetables in your caponata only saute them for a minute or so.

Add in one 6-ounce can of tomato paste and cook for 3 minutes longer, spreading the paste all around the pan.

After 25-30 minutes the eggplant will be nicely roasted as shown. Use a fork and make sure they are soft on the inside and fully cooked. If not, another 5 minutes in the oven is fine.

To the pan add 1 cup of pitted good quality green olives, an ⅛ cup of rinsed capers, and a ¼ cup of raisins. Also, add 2 Tbsp of sugar and a ¼ cup of red wine vinegar. Cook for 5 minutes stirring occasionally to avoid sticking.

Add in the eggplant and pine nuts and cook for 3 more minutes to ensure the caponata is well mixed. Be careful while mixing in the eggplant to avoid mashing it too much. A gentle stir with a wooden spoon is all that’s required.

Finally, add a ¼ cup of chopped fresh parsley, give it one more stir, and a taste test. Adjust salt, pepper, and sugar if necessary. If satisfied, let it cool, then place it in a container and refrigerate.

SUBSTITUTIONS AND ADDITIONS

Zucchini – Add some zucchini to this caponata for a nice twist. Pan roast 2 cups of the same size pieces as the eggplant for the last 20 minutes of cooking.

Peppers – Use 2 large bell peppers, cut up into bite-size chunks for added texture and flavor.

Carrots – Roast 1 cup of carrots with the eggplant for added flavor or just sear them in the pan with the onions and celery to introduce a crunchy texture.

Anchovies – It wouldn’t be Sicilian cooking without talking about this ingredient. Saute 3-4 chopped anchovies until they melt with the celery and onion.

Herbs – Mint and basil are excellent additions!

For Spelt Spaghetti With Olives and Anchovies, the amount of pesto-like sauce you’re making here is so scant that you really do need a stick blender.

Serves 2

nigella.com

INGREDIENTS
8 ounces spelt spaghetti or other spaghetti
salt for pasta water (to taste)
10 pitted green olives
10 anchovy fillets from a can or jar (drained)
1 clove garlic (peeled and roughly chopped)
2 tablespoons pinenuts
leaves from 1 small (approx. 1oz) bunch Italian parsley
zest and juice of ½ unwaxed lemon
¼ cup olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS
Put a pan of water on to boil for the pasta. When the pan comes to the boil, salt the water generously, or to taste, and add the pasta; my spelt spaghetti needs 8-9 minutes, so I set the timer for 7 and start testing for doneness then.

To make the sauce, put the olives, anchovies, garlic, pinenuts, parsley, lemon zest and juice and olive oil in a small bowl and blitz with a stick blender (or in your mini processor bowl). Don’t worry about the odd unmashed pinenut (or olive); indeed, they are rather appealing.

Just before draining the pasta, remove a cupful of starchy cooking water and immediately add 2 tablespoons of it to the bowl of sauce, then give another brief blitz to combine those last ingredients.

Tip the drained pasta back into its pan, then pour and scrape the sauce on top and toss to mix, adding more of the cooking liquid if you feel you need the sauce to be looser.

Season to taste — you may want pepper or more lemon juice, but I can’t see salt being necessary — then toss again and turn out onto a warm serving dish or divide between 2 plates or bowls.

Zuni’s Pasta with Preserved Tuna is adapted from The Zuni Cafe Cookbook (which can never be praised enough). Judy Rodgers created the recipe as a way of saving leftover tuna on Sunday. I assume you do not have that problem, but if you do, take the time to preserve the tuna yourself. It isn’t hard and it is wonderful; you can find Rodgers’s method in the Zuni cookbook. What’s below is her adaptation for canned tuna — good olive oil-packed tuna. As for the pasta: Rodgers recommends penne, ziti, or ditali, but I’ve made this with spaghetti and perciatelli and I was pleased. Also, while we’re being heretical, have I substituted walnuts [why not roasted cashews?] for the pine nuts before? I have.

Serves 4

food52.com

INGREDIENTS
1 pound pasta (see above)
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon zest, in thin strips
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon chili flakes (optional, for the sake of small humans)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper (optional, for the same reason)
2 garlic cloves, slivered
1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/4 cup pine nuts or chopped roasted cashews
2 tablespoons capers, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon preserved lemon, rinsed and chopped (optional)
12 ounces olive oil-packed tuna (slightly more or less is fine)

INSTRUCTIONS
Set a large pot of salted water to boil.

In a small skillet, gently warm the olive oil with the lemon zest, bay leaf, chili flakes and black pepper (if using), garlic, and fennel seeds. Cook for about 15 minutes over very low heat to let the flavors infuse the oil. Then add the canned tuna, pine nuts, capers, and preserved lemon (if using). Gently nudge apart the tuna and let it warm up but not cook.

Meanwhile, once the water boils, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain well and toss in a serving bowl with the tuna mixture. Serve.

Serves 4

rachaelrayshow.com

INGREDIENTS
Salt
About 1/3 cup EVOO
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 rounded teaspoon (1/3 palmful) saffron threads
1 tablespoon each lemon zest and orange zest
1 scant teaspoon red pepper flakes or ground pepperoncino
½ cup vegetable or chicken stock or water
2 cups fresh ricotta cheese (sheep’s or cow’s milk)
1 cup grated pecorino cheese
1 pound short pasta, such as malloreddus, or other small-cut, thin penne
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
½ cup pistachios or pine nuts, toasted and chopped
Chives, finely chopped
Edible flowers (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS
Warm oil over low heat with garlic, saffron, zest and red pepper flakes. When it has bubbled a couple minutes, swirl in stock and let reduce 2 to 3 minutes.  Add ricotta to a food processor bowl, add the bloomed saffron oil to the cheese and combine until very smooth, then transfer to large bowl.  

Cook pasta a minute less than directions and reserve 1 cup of starchy water. Transfer with spider (or drain in strainer, then add) to bowl with sauce and add the hot water to melt it all together. Stir in the thyme.

Top pasta with nuts, chives and flowers (if using) and serve.

INGREDIENTS
1 medium eggplant, around 1 lb (454 g)
1 cup basil leaves (loosely packed)
½ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
1 tablespoon pine nuts
3 tablespoons jovial Extra Virgin Olive Oil
A pinch of salt
Two cracks black pepper
1 ¼ cups diced pancetta (150 g)
2 cups whole cherry tomatoes
Pinch of salt 1 package of jovial spaghetti of your choice (either Brown Rice, Traditional Einkorn, Whole Wheat Einkorn or Cassava)

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat an over to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. When the temperature is reached, pierce the eggplant a few times with a fork and place it into the oven on a baking sheet. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until softened and wrinkly. Place aside to cool.

Once cooled, cut the eggplant in halves, and scoop the interior into a blender or food processor using a spoon, discarding the skin. To the same blender add the basil, Parmigiano Reggiano, pine nuts, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Blend together until a smooth paste is formed.
Cook pasta according to instructions on the box.

While the pasta is cooking, heat a pan to medium-high heat, then begin cooking the pancetta. Pan fry until it appears slightly browned and crunchy, and a visible amount of fat has rendered. Remove the pancetta from the pan and set aside, leaving the rendered fat inside.

In the same pan, begin pan frying the cherry tomatoes in the rendered pancetta fat, salting slightly. Cook the cherry tomatoes until softened.

In the same pan add the eggplant cream and cook for a few minutes, until slightly reduced. Add the cooked pancetta and combine.

Once the pasta has finished cooking, reserve a quarter cup of pasta water, then drain and place directly into the sauce. Add the pasta water and continue cooking for a minute, or until the pasta is well coated. Serve immediately.

Serves 4