My husband and I attended a fabulous party last night. It was an Italian-themed extravaganza, which started in our host's garage on this September's most sodden evening. It was there, in the garage, that the heavy-duty drinking and the spaghetti-sauce competition began. That's right. This was no ordinary party, it was a competition and a fierce one at that. I was a novice competitor and rather unsure of the rules of the game....they were too long and complex. And the small print at the bottom, well, it was just way too small.
I happened to submit a Jamie Oliver recipe (from 'Jamie's Italy')for a southern Italian pasta sauce that has some rather unusual ingredients....perhaps it was slightly too sophisticated for the Bolognese crowd. My husband thought it should have won.
·
Olive
oil
·
4
cloves of garlic very finely sliced
·
2
big handfuls of pine nuts
·
A
big handful of raisins
·
12
salted anchovy fillets
·
3
heaping tablespoons tomato puree
·
A
large wineglass of red wine
·
1 ¾
cups of stale breadcrumbs
Heat a pan and
add 6 tablespoons of olive oil, then add the garlic and fry slowly. As the
garlic begins to colour add the pine nuts, raisins and anchovies and continue
frying for 2 minutes, until the anchovies have melted. Add the tomato puree and
the wine and stir well. Leave to simmer on a medium heat for 3 minutes. Add a
little water to thin as necessary. Heat some olive oil in a separate pan, add
the breadcrumbs and fry until toasted crunchy and golden. (These go on top of
the pasta after it has been dressed with the sauce).
Editorial Note: I did win a very nice door prize.
