Cool Recipes for a Hot Summer- Ziti Spezzati, Ragù di Cozze, Ricotta e Friggitelli by Chef Paolo Barrale

Front row Sorbo Serpico.Lezione di Cucina.   And when it was time for this fantastic first, I just knew that it would be perfect for the blog.  Here’s the recipe courtesy of Chef Paolo Barrale, Marennà.

Ingredients for 4 people:  200 gr of ‘broken’ ziti, 300 gr of Piccadilly tomatoes, 1 kg of mussels, 300 gr of green peppers (frigitelli), 3 cloves of garlic, hot red peppers (to taste), 2 bunches of parsley, basil (to taste), 100 gr of ricotta (from sheeps milk), extra virgin olive oil, salt, black pepper.

Directions: Rinse and clean the mussels well, then pt them in a pot woth a little parsley, basil, and a clove of garlic.  Cook on the stove top, covered, until they open.  When the mussels have opened, shell them and filer the juice.  Cut the mussels with a knife into fairly large pieces and put to the side. 

Place the tomatoes in boiling ater for 8 to 10 seconds, peel them, and cut them into quarters.  Eliminate the insides and the seeds.  Dice then cook in a pan with oil, garlic, parsley, and 2/3 basil leaves.  Add the mussels and set to the side.

Clean the peppers and eliminate the seeds.  Slice and sauté in a pan with oil and garlic.  Add a ladle of water and a pinch of salt.  Cover and allow to cook for several minutes, taking care that it doesn’t burn. Blend using an immersion blender (minipimer) and then strain to eliminate the skins.  Set to the side.

Mash the ricotta with the back of a spoon and season with salt and pepper.  Put the mixture in a pastry bagwith a fine point. 

Cook th pasta until firm, al dente.  Drain and fill each zito with the ricotta mixture.  Keep warm.

Plate preparation: Place a layer of frigitelli cream on the bottom layer of the plate, then place the stuffed ziti (about 10 per portion).  Cover with the mussel ragu sauce.  Garnish with basil, parsley, and a few drops of extra virgin olive oil. (Barrale suggests Ravece)

This dish was paired with Pietracalda 2010, Fiano di Avellino DOCG