PASTA WITH FRITTELLA ('A PASTA CU LA FRITTEDDA)

Pasta con la frittella "cu la frittedda" is a traditional and well-known dish from the Aliese cuisine in the Sicilian province of Palermo. A very popular recipe, but which dates back to a long time ago, when broad beans were widely cultivated throughout the south and the gastronomic habits were aimed at favoring the resources of the territory.

Even today, in our countryside, you can see, in spring, long and green expanses of these papilionaceae (this is their scientific name), with their voluminous pods, fleshy leaves and white flowers. The edible part, for us Aliesi, is the oval-shaped seed contained in the fruit, while, for example, in the province of Messina, the casing is also cooked. The distant origins and their cultivation make broad beans a great presence on the Aliesi table, while it is not easy to find them on restaurant menus.

Of this simple dish, the triumph of taste and flavor, only the Aliesi know something, because in other parts of the island they call "frittedda" the beans cooked together with artichokes and peas. This mixture causes the legume to lose its characteristic flavor. Therefore, our elders are right in saying that frittedda is prepared with the addition of only a few fennel and "onion" which serve to enhance its ancient flavor.

The secret of the success of this dish, one of the most popular of spring, is the freshness of the ingredients just picked from the garden. The beans must be small and tender. Grain and clean the beans from the outer skin, rinse carefully, drain lightly and transfer them to a pan, adding the chopped "onion", the chopped wild fennel, salt, black pepper and plenty of "house oil" in successive order ". They are cooked (almost fried) on high heat, putting a lid to size, for a few minutes, so that they can keep the beautiful green color.

When the beans start to smell good, don't mix them with a spoon, but you shake the pan, supporting it with two handles to turn the beans around so that those below pass over and cook. A few more minutes and the "frittedda" is ready. At this point, you can stir them with a wooden or steel spoon

Once the spaghetti is cooked al dente, chopped, drain briefly and pour into the pan, allowing it to flavor for a few minutes and stirring with a spoon. The soup, rich in flavor, smell and color, is ready to be served.