Pasta e scarola

Here’s the recipe to prepare a tasty pasta e scarola, a simple yet nutritious and flavorful dish from the Italian tradition, especially from Napoli.

Ingredients

• 320 g of short pasta (e.g., orecchiette, fusilli or penne)
• 1 large escarole
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 30 g of anchovies in oil
• 50 g of Gaeta black olives
• 30 g of salted capers
• Chili pepper to taste
• Salt to taste
• Extra virgin olive oil

Preparation

1. First, clean the escarole by removing the damaged outer leaves and the tougher central stem. Wash the leaves under running water and cut them into strips.
2. Soak the capers in cold water for a few minutes to desalinate them, then drain and squeeze them.
3. In a large pan, sauté the garlic cloves in extra virgin olive oil. As soon as the garlic turns golden, remove it and add the anchovies, allowing them to melt over low heat.
4. Add the chili pepper and escarole to the pan. Let the vegetables wilt, stirring occasionally. Also add the drained olives and capers and let everything flavor for about 10 minutes.
5. While the escarole is cooking, bring a pot of well-salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package, until al dente.
6. Drain the pasta and add it to the pan with the escarole. Stir well so that the pasta absorbs the flavors of the escarole sauce.
7. Serve your pasta e scarola hot, possibly with a sprinkle of pepper or, if you like, with a handful of toasted breadcrumbs on top.

Curiosity

In Neapolitan cooking, it is also common to find pasta e scarola enriched with the addition of beans, specifically cannellini or borlotti, which make the dish even more substantial.

Enjoy your meal!