Name: Fusilli alla Rustica (Fusilli with Vegetables, Herbs, Olives, and Hot Pepper)
Yield: For 4 to 6 Persons
Cuisine: Italy
Ingredients: 1 pound fresh, ripe plum tomatoes, skinned raw with a peeler and diced into ½-inch cubes; ½ teaspoon oregano; Freshly grated cheese: ½ cup mellow pecorino, if available; otherwise, 3 tablespoons romano and 5 tablespoons parmigiano-reggiano (Parmesan); Salt; ½ cup green olives in brine, drained, pitted, and sliced into thin rings; 4 large or 6 small garlic cloves, peeled and sliced thin 3 ounces pancetta, cut into thin strips 2 tablespoons chopped parsley; 3 cups onion sliced very thin; 1 teaspoon hot red pepper, or more to taste; 2 tablespoons tiny capers; 8 fresh basil leaves, torn by hand into small pieces; 1 pound fusilli; ½ cup extra virgin olive oil; 1 large, meaty sweet bell pepper (preferably yellow, but if not available, red), cored, seeded, skinned raw with a peeler, and cut into strips about 2 inches long and ½ inch wide

Preparation info

For
4 to 6
Persons

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Marcella's Italian Kitchen

By Marcella Hazan

Published 1986

About

In Summer, when heat wilts appetite, spirited flavors can stir it up again. Pickled vegetables, garlicky salami, a spritzy white wine help cut the palate-obstructing torpor. It is with that objective in mind that I made this fusilli sauce. A host of lively components animate it: basil, oregano, olives, capers, hot pepper, pecorino cheese. But do not be daunted by the number of ingredients. Once you have set them up, it all goes very quickly because most, of them cook briefly o