
Bucatini with the greengrocer
Bucatini all'ortolana
Pasta with garden vegetables: zucchini, bell peppers, eggplant and tomato in a colorful and fragrant summer sauce.
Pasta all'ortolana is a summer dish popular throughout central Italy, with variations from region to region. The name simply evokes the ortolano—the farmer who tends the garden.
Instructions
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3 steps · natural Italian voice
Prepare the vegetables
Cut all the vegetables into uniform cubes of about 1-1.5 cm (0.59 in). Finely chop the onion and crush the garlic.
Cook the vegetables in batches
18 minIn one skillet In a large saucepan, heat the oil. Add the onion and garlic, sauté for 3 minutes. Add the eggplant (it's the one that cooks the longest), then after 3 minutes the bell pepper, then the zucchiniFinally, the tomatoes. Cook everything together for 15 minutes. over medium heat, until the vegetables are soft and flavorful. Season with salt to taste. Add the basil.
Cook the pasta and season it
2 minCook the bucatini in salted water. Drain al dente. Pour into the skillet with vegetables, mix over high heat for 1-2 minutes. Serve with Parmigiano Reggiano grated if desired.
Chef's Tips
Add the vegetables in order of cooking time: eggplant first, the zucchini afterwards — so they all cook together. Dicing the vegetables into uniform pieces ensures even cooking.
The story
There is no fixed recipe: you use the available vegetables, typically the abundant summer produce of bell peppers, zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes. The philosophy is that of poor Italian cuisine: making the most of what's available, without waste. bucatini, with their central hole, capture the sauce in an extraordinary way.
Ingredients
- (14.11 oz) 400 g of bucatini
- 1 zucchini big
- 1 bell pepper red
- 1 eggplant average
- 2 ripe tomatoes (or (7.05 oz) 200 g of cherry tomatoes)
- 1 onion
- 2 cloves of garlic
- Fresh basil
- Extra virgin olive oil, salt
- Parmigiano Reggiano grated (if desired)
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