L'ho conquistata con una Pacchetella...

Will you conquer with simplicity? With a dish that will leave you speechless?
We recommend a beautiful Pacchetella di Pomodorini del Piennolo del Vesuvio DOP sautéed with Spaghetti di Pasta di Gragnano.
You will say… but it’s something I’ve seen before…no!
Instead, it is a very particular and rare recipe that is only found in some areas of Campania, particularly along the villages and districts hanging around Vesuvius.

Piennolo Tomato

Not just any tomato but the KING of tomatoes. The Piennolo has a little tip at the bottom that distinguishes it from imitators and when you open it, it only has two lenticular bands. It’s pulp and only pulp. Very few seeds, very little water. Its skin is very thick and this allows them to be partially dried. In this way, they lose the little residual water and concentrate all the goodness that is in them.

It is called Pacchetella because once upon a time, Neapolitan children, when they returned from school, had the task of helping the family by taking the tomatoes and crushing them inside a jar with a narrow neck, using a small pat that forced them to enter. Then water and a bit of salt were added. And that’s it!
The tomatoes then become slightly flattened and cracked, ready to be placed in the pan. There’s no need to cook them too much indeed!

Pasta with Pacchetella: the advice

Make sure… when there are two minutes left until the pasta is cooked - strictly Gragnano pasta - put them in the pan and start sautéing them with a bit of onion. They will begin to release a thick sweet cream that will penetrate the porous pasta and make it extraordinarily tasty. Add during the sautéing of the pasta in Pacchetella a bit of Extra Virgin Olive Oil from the South and then serve the dish with a fresh and fragrant basil leaf. You will fill your kitchen with the scents of the Mediterranean and conquer with simplicity but equally with wisdom.

Ah… no one can resist the bread dip in the plate! Happy conquering!

S&M