Macaroni with tomato sauce, anchovies and black olives

How to make Neapolitan macaroons .

If you don’t feel like spending a lot of time in the kitchen but rather making refreshing pasta recipes that are yummy, this is your recipe.

The other day I tried a Neapolitan recipe in a restaurant and asked the waiter if he could tell me exactly where it was from.

It was  Salsa all’Amalfitana , a very common sauce on the Almafitana Coast (Costa d’Amalfi or Costiera Amalfitana), a stretch of Italian coast bathed by the Tyrrhenian Sea, in the Campania region.

As soon as I got home I looked for how it was done and quickly it has made a name for itself at home as one of the dishes we prepare the most in these hot days.

The secret to this modest Pasta Garofalo macaroni or mezze penne rigati dish is in the sauce. It is a passata with anchovies  that combines very well with black olives and a little basil, it sounds good huh ?.

The tasty tomato sauce called “passata”  is a very small and concentrated sauce, where we give a light touch to anchovy. If you dare with some chillies you will have some Maccheroni all’Puttanesca in full order, although with the touch of the sea that some quality anchovies print.

A preparation where an ingredient as everyday as tomato, grows in importance and flavor, becoming the star ingredient based on long cooking time.

You can prepare the passata in quantity and use it for many recipes, from vegetables to delicious bruschettas with a little fresh cheese or mozzarella and basil.

Delicious, isn’t it? Try it and you will tell me if I am right or not.

Preparation of all’Amalfitana sauce   or Passata with anchovies

1. We open the can of whole peeled tomatoes and remove the excess liquid (the tomato water) since in this case we will only use the pulp.
2. It can be kept in a pot for another future recipe with tomato water or put this water in a saucepan and let it reduce for 15 minutes and you will have concentrated tomato paste.
3. Put the extra virgin olive oil in a saucepan and while it is heating, peel the garlic and fillet finely. Add the sliced ​​garlic to the casserole and brown the ingredients.
4. When they start to have color, introduce the tomatoes and cut them in half with the help of a wooden spoon. We leave poach until they reduce to less than half their size, one hour over low heat.
5. Chop the anchovies very thin and reserve.
6. Add a teaspoon of sugar to reduce acidity, the anchovies, a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper.
7. We introduce the chopped basil and spices. We remove everything well by bringing together flavors.
8. We test and rectify with salt. Although the safest thing is that it is not necessary because the anchovies will give it a marine and salty touch at the same time.
9. We remove a few minutes and remove from the fire. We reserve to combine with the pasta.

Macaroni Preparation

1. The first step is to have the sauce ready before the pasta touches the water. The sauce should always wait for the pasta and not the other way around.
2. We heat in a saucepan one liter of water for every 100 g of macaroni, the recommended measure per person.
3. These proportions, which are normally indicated on the packaging, help the paste not stick together.
4. Try using a large casserole, the largest in your kitchen.
5. When it begins to boil in spurts we add 1 generous handful of salt. About 2 level tablespoons per 500 grams of macaroni.
6. Then we add the pasta, always all together.
7. We stir with a wooden spoon so that the macaroni does not stick and are loose.
8. On the back of the package of pasta comes the cooking time, we must be guided by these instructions because for each type it is different, in this case it is 11 minutes.
9. In this way we will achieve what is called pasta “al dente” or at the right point. In other words, do not overdo it, although a great tip is to try it almost at the end just in case the package misleads us.
10. Once the time has elapsed, drain the pasta immediately and combine it with the all’Amalfitana sauce.

Final presentation of the macaroni from the Almafitana coast

1. We add the freshly made macaroni to the anchovy passata. Mix everything with a spoon so that the flavors come together.
2. We decorate each dish with fresh basil leaves, anchovies and pitted black olives. We serve them warm.

It is certainly a simple and quick recipe to make, really delicious. Do not stop trying it and you will tell me …