Bigoli in Salsa alla Veneziana Recipe
(Bigoli in Venetian Sauce)
Serves: 4-6
When we sent Victor two boxes of our Bigoli Nobili pasta to try, this was the first recipe he made with them. Classic Venetian sauce to go with classic Venetian Bigoli Nobili pasta... "This is a strong-tasting sauce. Not for the timid." -- Victor
This recipe was adapted from The Silver Spoon Cookbook (Phaidon Press Limited, 2005) - but Victor's notes are throughout.
ingredients:1 package Bigoli Nobile Pasta4 tablespoons EV olive oil2 medium onions - chopped (Victor's note: "I used 1 large onion, and sliced it very thin")1 tablespoon Italian flat-leaf parsley - chopped3 anchovy fillets - soaked (if in salt) or drained (if in oil) (Victor's note: "Of the Scalia [anchovies .. I used] 6 [filets].")
sea salt (for the pasta water)
direction:1. Heat the oil in a pan, add onions and parsley, and saute over low heat, stirring occationally, until onions have softened. About 5 minutes. (Victor's note: "Cook onions in olive oil until very soft and tawny, at least 20 minutes.")
2. Add anchovies and cook, smashing with the back of a wooden spoon, until anchovies has desintegrated. (Victor's note: "I mash the anchovies on the cutting board with the flat of a chef's knife, reducing to a pulp before adding to the onion in the pan. Cook, stirring, until thoroughly disslved and fully integrated into the sauce.")
3. Cook Bigoli Nobili Pasta in well salted water (as salty as the sea!), until "al dente". See cooking instructions on the box for estimated timing. (Victor's note: "I reduced the salt in the pasta water to 1 heaping tablespoon [because of the saltiness of the anchovies]. I normally put in 3 tablespoons.")
4. Drain cooked pasta and toss with onion/anchovy mixture. Serve immediately.