Spaghetti alla Busara
I’ve had tons of chefs and Italian food connoisseurs ask me which of the 20 regions of Italy is my favorite Italian cuisine. Coming from a family of Ciociari (Latium), those were the respective regional culinary fares I grew up eating, aside from the usual pesto (Liguria) and pizza (Campania). Northern food (and sometime culture) is usually shunned among older generations of Italians so their kids aren’t raised on that specific regional cuisine which is actually delicious since it borders with France, Austria, Switzerland, Croatia and Slovenia and has all those influences in their food. Italy is a feudal place and well, it’s just a long story of history and beefs among Italians. While every region is vastly different in terms of food, culture and dialect in some places, I found it all delicious in it’s way own making it hard to pick just one. But if you ask me which region has the best pasta, my answer is always Venetian pasta. A prime example being this dish, with tomatoes slow cooked in saffron, garlic, onions and shrimp taking its influence from a dish in neighboring Croatia right across the Adriatic Sea where there is a similar sauce with shrimp called buzara but is served without spaghetti.
Scampi have always been one of the true protagonists of Venetian cuisine, because they arrived daily caught from the close city of Rijeka, Croatia. The name busara has an unknown meaning, probably indicating an earthenware pot used by sailors to cook meals on board, but one thing is certain: pasta alla busara is truly a delicacy. Typical of the Istrian area such as scampi alla busara, this pasta includes scampi, shrimp, tomatoes and wine. The preparation is not complicated and this mixture of pasta and fish will a delicacy to put on the table a first course really for great occasions. If the shellfish used are fresh, they will enhance even more a dish that will leave you fully satisfied. I prepare the pasta alla busara.
Ingredients
Spaghetti 300 g tomatoes 300 g Shrimp 200 g Norway lobster 200 g Garlic 2 cloves Parsley 1 sprig Extra virgin olive oil 3 tablespoons Salt to taste Pepper to taste White wine to taste
Preparation
After washing, shell the scampi and shrimps, reserving some without shelling them. Put a tablespoon of oil in a saucepan together with the heads of the shellfish and adjust the salt. Add 2 liters of water and cook for 40 minutes. After washing the tomatoes put them for a minute in boiling unsalted water, then drain them and after peeling them and after removing the seeds cut the pulp into cubes. In a pan fry the remaining oil, garlic and parsley, then add the pulp of the tomatoes and cook for about 10 minutes. Add the scampi and shrimps, both shelled and whole, and cook for a few minutes, blending with white wine. After cooking the spaghetti al dente, add them to the pan with the scampi and shrimp sauce and sauté them before serving hot with the addition of fresh parsley chopped with your hands.
I’ve had tons of chefs and Italian food connoisseurs ask me which of the 20 regions of Italy is my favorite Italian cuisine. Coming from a family of Ciociari (Latium), those were the respective regional culinary fares I grew up eating, aside from the usual pesto (Liguria) and pizza (Campania). Northern food (and sometime culture) is usually shunned among older generations of Italians so their kids aren’t raised on that specific regional cuisine which is actually delicious since it borders with France, Austria, Switzerland, Croatia and Slovenia and has all those influences in their food. Italy is a feudal place and well, it’s just a long story of history and beefs among Italians. While every region is vastly different in terms of food, culture and dialect in some places, I found it all delicious in it’s way own making it hard to pick just one. But if you ask me which region has the best pasta, my answer is always Venetian pasta. A prime example being this dish, with tomatoes slow cooked in saffron, garlic, onions and shrimp taking its influence from a dish in neighboring Croatia right across the Adriatic Sea where there is a similar sauce with shrimp called buzara but is served without spaghetti.
Scampi have always been one of the true protagonists of Venetian cuisine, because they arrived daily caught from the close city of Rijeka, Croatia. The name busara has an unknown meaning, probably indicating an earthenware pot used by sailors to cook meals on board, but one thing is certain: pasta alla busara is truly a delicacy. Typical of the Istrian area such as scampi alla busara, this pasta includes scampi, shrimp, tomatoes and wine. The preparation is not complicated and this mixture of pasta and fish will a delicacy to put on the table a first course really for great occasions. If the shellfish used are fresh, they will enhance even more a dish that will leave you fully satisfied. I prepare the pasta alla busara.
Ingredients
Spaghetti 300 g
tomatoes 300 g
Shrimp 200 g
Norway lobster 200 g
Garlic 2 cloves
Parsley 1 sprig
Extra virgin olive oil 3 tablespoons
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
White wine to taste
Preparation
After washing, shell the scampi and shrimps, reserving some without shelling them. Put a tablespoon of oil in a saucepan together with the heads of the shellfish and adjust the salt. Add 2 liters of water and cook for 40 minutes. After washing the tomatoes put them for a minute in boiling unsalted water, then drain them and after peeling them and after removing the seeds cut the pulp into cubes. In a pan fry the remaining oil, garlic and parsley, then add the pulp of the tomatoes and cook for about 10 minutes. Add the scampi and shrimps, both shelled and whole, and cook for a few minutes, blending with white wine. After cooking the spaghetti al dente, add them to the pan with the scampi and shrimp sauce and sauté them before serving hot with the addition of fresh parsley chopped with your hands.
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