Pasta with Cruschi Peppers

🛒 Ingredients

• 100g (2 bustine da 50g) Crusco Pepper from Senise IGP Casl
• 320g Strangolapreti or durum wheat semolina Cavatelli
• 100ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 spicchi Garlic
• 10g (per l'acqua della pasta) Fine salt

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. Passo 1: First, bring plenty of salted water (with 10g of salt) to a boil in a large pot for cooking the pasta.
2. Passo 2: Nel frattempo, prendete i Peperoni Cruschi. In una padella antiaderente o in un tegame con i bordi alti, versate l'Extra Virgin Olive Oil e fatelo scaldare a fuoco medio-basso. È fondamentale che l'olio non sia eccessivamente caldo per non bruciare i peperoni.
3. Passo 3: When the oil is hot but not smoking, gently immerse the whole Cruschi Peppers one at a time. Fry them for very few seconds, about 5-10 seconds per side, until they become a brighter red and crispy. They should puff up slightly, but not darken or burn, otherwise they will acquire a bitter taste. Immediately remove them from the oil with a slotted spoon and place them on absorbent paper to remove excess oil.
4. Passo 4: In the same oil where you fried the peppers (which has acquired a wonderful flavor and aroma), add the two peeled and slightly crushed garlic cloves. Sauté them over low heat until golden. Remove the garlic once golden to prevent its flavor from becoming too strong.
5. Passo 5: When the water boils, add the pasta (strangolapreti or cavatelli) and cook it according to the package directions, until al dente.
6. Passo 6: While the pasta cooks, coarsely break the fried Cruschi Peppers with your hands. You can leave some whole to garnish the final dish.
7. Passo 7: Drain the pasta al dente, reserving a ladleful of cooking water. Transfer the pasta directly to the pan with the garlic oil (and if necessary, a splash of the reserved cooking water) and toss it for a minute, stirring well to combine the flavors.
8. Passo 8: Add most of the broken Cruschi Peppers to the pasta in the pan, mix gently and serve immediately in individual plates, garnishing each portion with the remaining whole or freshly broken Cruschi Peppers to maintain maximum crispiness.
9. Passo 9: Serve the dish hot and enjoy the authentic taste of Basilicata.

💡 Chef's Tips

• The key to perfect Cruschi Peppers is not to burn them: the oil must not be too hot and frying must be very quick, just a few seconds.
• Utilizzare un ottimo Extra Virgin Olive Oil è essenziale, poiché il suo sapore si infonderà nei peperoni e nella pasta.
• For a richer experience, you can add a sprinkling of freshly grated aged cacioricotta cheese when serving, although the more traditional version omits it to enhance the pepper flavor.