Spaghetti alla Foriana
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Yes, dear people. It’s another pasta recipe. But before you feel inclined to roll your eyes, I would like to ever so gently remind you that I haven’t posted anything pertaining to pasta since September, and before that, it was like 6 months between pasta postings. So I hope you will notice that I’m working at this, and that if I feel compelled to post another pasta recipe next week, you will look kindly and sympathetically upon me and perhaps even indulge me a bit. Yes, this will be pasta recipe #38 in 3 years. But look, if I hadn’t been employing as much restraint as I obviously have been of late, that number would mostly be up in the hundreds. Possibly higher.
I have confessed numerous times that yes, I do, indeed, have pasta issues. So far it hasn’t interfered with my life in any significant way. (But isn’t that what they all say?). I would admittedly rather have a luscious bowl of pasta set in front of me than just about anything in the world. My love for it is the stuff of legends, and I guess I will admit that every post in this whole blog that is not pasta, is just there to take up space until I can get my next pasta recipe up.
I feel so much better having gotten that all out. And for the handful of you who are still reading (and it’s mostly likely because you share this affliction), I must tell you about Spaghetti alla Foriana.
This is decidedly a difficult pasta to describe beyond telling you how incredibly delicious it is. And I fully realize that after reading the first couple of paragraphs up there, you might question my objectivity when it comes to claiming that any given pasta dish is exceptionally good. Well, this one is exceptionally good and you’re just going to have to take my word for it. When The Husband took his first bite, (after the wow!), he paused and said “these are some very sophisticated flavors.” I think that says it all. The flavors of the pinenuts, the walnuts, oregano and garlic come together to create something much bigger and more robust than you would expect. So very good.
Now the sauce itself is interesting because you can make it up and keep it in the fridge for 10 days or so, using what you want and then covering the remaining sauce with a little olive oil. The recipe makes about 3 cups and you use only 1 cup for ¾ to a lb of spaghetti. And not only does the sauce keep for other uses, covered in olive oil in the fridge, it gets better and better. "The aromas of garlic and oregano are lured out, mingling with the nutty bits and perfuming the oil. Use it to stuff pork chops, stir it into seafood stew, or spoon it on top of bruschetta.” We LOVED it on spaghetti. Of course. Here’s the recipe…
SPAGHETTI ALLA FORIANA
Click here for a printable recipe
Recipe courtesy of Well Preserved via Food52
This sauce can be stored in the refrigerator and used to top bruschetta or stuff chicken or pork chops or stirred into soups. It only gets better with age as the garlic and oregano perfume the oil. I did not add the raisins so cannot attest to their deliciousness in this sauce. Let me know if you added them and how you liked that.
This recipe serves 4 with sauce to spare
FORIANA SAUCE
1 cup walnuts
1 cup pine nuts
5 tablespoons sliced garlic (about 10 large cloves)
3 teaspoons dried oregano
3 tablespoons olive oil plus more for covering the jars
1/2 cup white or golden raisins (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1. Place the walnuts, pine nuts, and garlic in a food processor and pulse to a fine chop, until the nuts are like damp granola. Add the oregano and pulse a few more times to combine.
2. Heat the olive oil in a medium sized skillet over a medium heat. Add the nut mixture, the raisins, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly to avoid burning or searing.
3. If storing sauce for later, bring 3 half-pint jars and their bands to a boil in a large pot of water fitted with a rack. Boil for 10 minutes. Remove the jars with tongs (the tongs don't need to be sterilized). Simmer new lids in a small pan of hot water to soften the rubberized flange. When the jars are dry but still hot, pack in theForiana Sauce, eliminating as many air pockets as you can. Fill the jars to about 1 inch below the rim. Add a 1/2-inch layer of oil to cover. Wipe the rims with a paper towel, set on the lids, screw on the bands, and refrigerate. Check on the sauce a day after you make it: you may need to add more oil to ensure it is completely covered.
4. Be sure to cover the surface of the sauce well with oil after each use. Remove only the quantity of sauce you need for a dish and allow that to come to room temperature. Cover the remaining sauce in the jar with fresh oil and return it to the fridge promptly.
5. You can hold Foriana Sauce, covered in olive oil in the refrigerator, for 10 days. (Note: Because of a low but very serious risk of botulism, make sure that the sauce heats through thoroughly in Step 2, and do not keep it in the refrigerator for longer than 10 days.)
SPAGHETTI ALLA FORIANA
3/4 pound spaghettini
1 cup Foriana Sauce
1/2 cup grated pecorino cheese (serve on the side to make the dish vegan-friendly)
chopped fresh oregano
Cook the spaghettini in salted boiling water until al dente, about 12 minutes. Drain and toss with the Foriana Sauce. Garnish with the cheese and fresh oregano. Check the seasoning and serve immediately.
