ITALIANO
ENGLISH
HansHolidiary 
4 Comments Italian Cookbook: Spaghetti alla Carrettiera
As you may have noticed, there is no such thing as the Italian cuisine. There are so many regional differences that, although you could take Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well by Pelegrino Artusi as a guide book to Italian cuisine, you would soon realise that his is mainly a collection of Emilian, Romagnan and Tuscan recipes.
The variety is also noticeable with dishes that share the same name, but in different place are completely different. One of those is the pasta alla carrettiera. A Sicilian will tell you it’s originally from Catania and that you need bread crumbs and cheese, while a Roman will proudly claim it is an original Roman dish with tuna and mushrooms… Most versions share garlic, peperoncino chilis, and tomatoes, but I’ve seen one without any of those in Genoa.
Back in the old days, when the equivalent of our motorways were main roads between cities, lorry drivers were horse and waggon drivers and the Autogrill was a decent, independent inn, they must have decided that a simple pasta on the menu should be called after most of the customers, the carrettieri (waggon drivers), leaving us with an abundance of different plates sharing the same name!
Let me introduce you to the Florentine version of Spaghetti alla Carrettiera, which is by far my favourite pasta dish in the whole wide world!
- some olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic
- peperoncini chilis
- salt
- 400g peeled tomatoes
- parsley
- spaghetti
First we will prepare the tomatoes (unless we buy them canned; make sure you buy a good can though) by bringing a pan of water to the boil, plunging in the tomatoes for about half a minute and then letting them sit in an ice both for several minutes. You will now easily remove the skin. Cut them into small pieces. Cut the garlic and the chili(s) into tiny flakes or chunks. Heat some olive oil in a pan, add garlic, vinegar and a pinch of salt and sauté for a few minutes without burning the garlic. Add the peeled tomatoes and start cooking the spaghetti. Chop the parsley finely. When the spaghetti are done, drain them and add them to the pan with the sauce and add the parsley. Mix well, serve and enjoy!
by Hans
Dear frend… what a surprise for me to see a “carrettiera” recipe that includes vinegar in the preparation ! Whenever you like to have my version of it, please just ask ! There’s a couple of things made differently and a couple of ingredients missing… it could be a nice experience, like it surely will for me to try the vinegar into it ! Ciao amico…
Dear Francesco! Thank you for your comment. In fact, vinegar is not part of the traditional recipe, but a tiny invention by yours truely to enhance the taste of the garlic. Only a few drops though!
Linguine BologneseA ragu or Bolognese sauce can be made many different ways. The defotiniin for this type of sauce basically means to use more meat than tomatoes. This is completely different from the Bolognese sauce I make for my Stuffed Shells recipe. Bolognese sauce originated in Bologna, Italy and is very different from the Americanized version with is basically any sauce with meat. In Bologna they would use beef and maybe a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste to make their sauce.My adaptation uses four meats, cream, Parmesan cheese and wine. It’s very rich and best served with linguine or tagliatelle.Definitely add this Linguine alla Bolognese recipe to your list of things to do. You won’t regret it.INGREDIENTS•1/4 pound of ground chuck•1/4 pound of ground pork•1/4 pound of ground chicken•1/4 pound of ground veal•1 medium yellow onion finely chopped•1 carrot finely chopped•1 stalk of celery finely chopped•3 cloves chopped garlic•2 Tbls of butter•1 Tbls of olive oil•1/2 tsp of dried basil•1/4 tsp of salt•1/4 tsp of freshly ground black pepper•1/4 cup of dry red wine•2 15oz cans of tomato sauce•1 15 oz can of diced tomatoes•3 Tbls of tomato paste•1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream•1 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese•1 pound of linguinePREPARATION•In a large saucepan over medium heat saute9 onions, carrots, celery and garlic in butter and oil for 2 minutes.•Add beef, pork, chicken and veal.•With a wooden spoon break the meat into very small pieces season with salt and pepper.•Cook for 5 minutes while breaking up the meat•Remove the pan from the stove and drain all the oil.•Return pan to the stove and add the basil and the red wine.•Saute9 2 more minutes to reduce wine.•Stir in tomatoes, sauce and paste and cook for around a half hour stirring on occasion.•Stir in whipping cream until sauce turns pink.•Cook sauce for 5 minutes more until bubbly.•Stir in Parmesan cheese.•In a large pot boil 6 quarts of water.•Cook linguine until tender around 10 minutes. DrainPlate the linguine, top with Bolognese sauce and sprinkle with a little more cheese
Muchos Gracias for your blog post. Want more.