Pastificio Camp ‘Oro was established in 1999 in Sant’Elia a Pianisi, a small mountain town in the region of Molise. It was born of a love story with our land whose uncontaminated nature spreads over rolling hills that seem to chase each other in a race, culminating in the summer by an explosion of gold in all its nuances, the gold of our wheat fields.
Although it is a little-known land, it is culturally rich and historically influential, inspired by an entrepreneurial spirit. By the early 1900’s Sant’Elia was already producing numerous varieties of hand-crafted goods and had earned itself the title of the “little Milan of Molise.”
This is a soup that my
mother used to make every now and then. Usually when her friend Mary Santangelo
gave her a couple big Cucuzza, from their backyard garden in Garfield. My
mother Lucia learned this recipe from her mother who used to make it back in
Sicily, and she learned how to make it from her mother, my Great Grandmother
Salemi. This dish is one of the quintessential recipes of this book, and also
of both the Italian-American and Sicilian-American table as a whole, and of
course of Sicilians in Sicily, especially in the years of the first 70 years of
the 20th Century from around 1900 to 1970’s or so. The soup is easy
to make and quite economical, feeding about 15 or 16 portions of which you can
serve over a 3 - 4 day time. Cucuzza are not always available in every store,
however more and more super markets are carrying them during their growing season,
and you can always get them at any produce store that specializes in Italian
foods.
1 pound fresh cooked
Fava Beans, or frozen Baby Lima Beans (or canned lima beans)
1 pound imported Italian
Ditalini (or Ronzoni)
Cut off ends of the
Cucuzza and peel it with a vegetable peeler. Cut the Cucuzza in half
lengthwise. Scoop out seeds and discard. Cut into 1 ½ inch cubes.
Put olive oil and cucuzza
in a large 6-quart pot. Cook on medium heat for 5 minutes, occasionally
stirring with a wooden spoon. Add onion and cook for 4 minutes more.
Add garlic and cook for
3 minutes. Add red pepper, and cook for 2 minutes.
Add tomatoes and cook on
high heat for 5 minutes. Add water and cook on medium-low heat for 12 minutes.
Add Fava Beans (or Lima
Beans) and cook on low heat for 6 minutes.
Cook Ditalini according
to directions on package. When finished cooking, drain in a colander, making
sure to reserve 2 – 3 cups of water to add to soup.
Add all the pasta to the
soup. Add salt 7 Black Pepper and stir.
Add water little by
little to the soup until you reach the consistency that you like. The soup
should be fairly thick, yet slightly watery.
Ladle soup into bowls.
Drizzle a bit of olive oil over the top of each bow of soup and pass grated
cheese for your guest to put in their soup.
Save any remaining soup
in a closed container to enjoy anytime for lunch, dinner, or anytime
in-between.
What's the WORLD'S TASTIEST PASTA ? It's Pasta with RAGU BOLOGNESE
MEAT SAUCE by Danny Bolognese, aka Daniel Bellino Z the Bestselling author of SUNDAY SAUCE,
and The RAGU BOLOGNESE COOKBOOK.
The Journal of Italian Food Wine & Travel wrote in their 6 pages magazine article on Chef Daniel Bellino, that his Ragu Bolognese was the Best in The Country (America). Quite an Honor. Many people know and Love Daniel's Ragu Bolognese. It is quite famous. And Daniel says, "This Ragu is not hard to make, but you do have to be taught how to make it, and once you do, it's pretty easy to make, though it takes a bit of time, but time well spent, as you end up with one of the World's Tastiest Dishes, and one of the Best Tasting Pasta Dishes of All, that's Pasta with Ragu Bolognese. You can choose which ever pasta you'd like to dress with Daniel's famous ragu. Many love : Spaghetti, Rigatoni, or Cavatappi, or the most traditional pasta for Ragu from Bologna, and that's Tagliatelle, alson known as Fettuccine. And one of the most famous Italian Dishes of alla, Lasagna Bolognese, made with Ragu Bolognese, Bechamel, and grated Parmigiana Reggiano Cheese from Parm.
Yes, Daniel says, "It's not hard to make, but you don need to know the proper way," which you can find in his bestselling cookbook on the subject, The Ragu Bolognese Cookbook by Danny Bolognese. Daniel was taught the recipe by Chef Pasquale way back in 1987 when he was a cook at Caio Bella restaurant in New York City. Daniel says, "Chef Pasquale's Ragu Bolognese recipe is the Best, and it's the way I've been making Bolognese for more than 35 years. I've made it for thousands of people over the years, and everyone Loves it. As well as making it for so many friends, family, and customers eating at my restuarant or restaurants I've cooked at over the year, I have personally taught my cousins and a few friends how to make it as well, and they all love it. It enriches there repetoires of recipes, and one of the best you could ever have in your arsinal, as you can make it ahead of time and easily cook it for a crown of people, simply by heating the ragu and cooking however much pasta you need, for the amount of people being served.
You may not be able to get a personal in-persone lesson by Daniel, but you can get the next best thing. Buy Daniel's book The Ragu Bolgonese Cookbook and you'll be all set.
Daniel says that he agonized for a couple of years about making his secret recipe available in a cookbook, but in the end, he finally decided to "Let The Cat Out of The Bag," and put it into the cookbook. So there you go. If you want one of the World's Greatest and Tastiest Recipes of all, get the Ragu Bolognese Cookbook, and make it yourself. You will be so very glade you do.
