Passatelli 3 Ways

If you read my guide to eating in Barcelona you would have read about the amazing Italian meal we had at Bacaro. The chef was from Romagna the region where Passatelli originates. Although traditionally served in a chicken broth or stock he served it in a rich mushroom sauce (which I’ve semi recreated) needless to say it was beyond delicious. The word Passatelli does means to pass through, however due to only being equipped with a potato ricer which definitely won’t do the job (the holes are too narrow) I’ve had to be a little ‘creative’ with my passatelli, stay with me though, it’s worth it…here’s my favourite 3 ways to serve it.

Passatelli with Hot Chorizo & Stewed Heirloom Tomatoes

This is a delicious dish for when you want something with a kick and packed full of flavour. This sauce can be used with regular pasta and works just as well.

Feeds 6-8

Preparation Time – 15-20 minutes

Cooking Time -10 minutes

Ingredients –

For MY version of Passatelli -

200g Breadcrumbs – Make sure it’s from stale bread. I used wholemeal but colour-wise it probably looks better with white bread

200g Parmesan – Finely grated (veggie Parmesan works just as well if cooking for veggies)

1 tsp Nutmeg – Finely grated

¼ Zest of lemon

Sprinkle of seas salt & pepper

Hot Chorizo & Stewed Heirloom Tomatoes –

1 Clove of garlic

1 Whole ring of hot chorizo or the mini variety – Chopped into bite-sized chunks

3-4 Generous glugs of good quality olive oil

5 Heirloom Tomatoes (yellow, black or red) – Roughly chopped into segments

Generous sprinkle of black pepper

Garnish –

Small handful of curly parsley – Roughly chopped

Instructions -

Passatelli -

Start by making the passatelli. I used wholemeal bread but you’ll get a nicer looking passatelli if you use just plain white bread (plus it’s more traditional). NOTE – you need to make sure your breadcrumbs are as stale/dry as possible, no soggy bready should be used here. You can place the bread in the oven for 2-4 minutes if you need to dry the bread out a little more. 

Blitz the bread so you have fine and even crumbs, finely grate the Parmesan, mix in the grated nutmeg, seasoning and lemon zest, thoroughly combine and set to one side.

In a mixing bowl add the 4 eggs, whisk then gradually stir in the breadcrumbs and Parmesan, this should all start to come together pretty easily. Using your hands kneed it slightly until you have a pretty solid and dry ball. Wrap in cling film and leave to rest for 30 minutes, leave out in a cool place rather than keeping in the fridge.

After half an hour, you’re ready to get going. If you happen to have a Passatelli maker then use that, it’s pretty much a version of a ricer but with wider holes (A potato ricer won’t really cut it - I tried, so I freestyled a bit here…)

I rolled it out in long thinish  tubes (like you would for gnocchi) then sliced it into half centimeter pieces. Traditionally you would add to salted boiling water for a minute or so or until they float, which you can do but I found that lightly frying each side made for a more tasty option. You can boil, dry, then fry too which is more traditional and just totally dependent on what you fancy.

For the chorizo and tomato sauce, add the chorizo and oil to a pan and allow to cook on a medium heat until the chorizo turns crispy then turn down the temperature and add the garlic and tomatoes. Allow to cook on low until the passatelli is cooked and ready to serve. Prepare the parsley to garnish and serve. When serving transfer the passatelli to the chorizo oil and tomatoes, ensuring the sauce evenly coats the pasta and then serve.

Crispy Fried Passatelli with Roasted Jerusalem Artichoke and Chestnut Mushrooms.

Just a heads up…this is an absolutely delicious dish, well and truly tested on both meat eaters and veggies. I’m yet to have a plate that’s not been licked clean…trust me on this one, you won’t even need to wash up!

Feeds 6

Preparation Time – 15-20 minutes

Cooking Time - 35-40 minutes

Ingredients –

For MY version of Passatelli -

200g Breadcrumbs – Make sure it’s from stale bread. I used wholemeal but colour-wise it probably looks better with white bread

200g Parmesan – Finely grated (veggie Parmesan works just as well if cooking for veggies)

1 tsp Nutmeg – Finely grated

¼ Zest of lemon

Sprinkle of seas salt & pepper

Roasted Jerusalem Artichoke & Chestnut Mushrooms -

3 Large Jerusalem Artichokes – Peeled and diced

Glug of rapeseed oil

Sea salt and black pepper

10 (ish) large Chestnut mushrooms – Roughly chopped

3 Cloves of garlic – Peeled, crushed and roughly chopped

250ml of single cream (crème fraîche works too)

Garnish -

Handful of curly parsley (flat leaf works too) – Roughly chopped

Drizzle of truffle oil (optional)

Extra freshly ground black pepper

Instructions-

Passatelli -

Prepare the Passatelli as in the first recipe

For the artichoke and mushrooms, start by roasting the peeled Jerusalem artichoke then place in the oven on 200 degrees Celsius with a good glug of rapeseed oil and seasoning. Roast for 20-25 minutes until they start to golden. In the frying pan add the mushrooms, a glug of oil and the chopped garlic, season and cook over a medium to high heat for 4-5 minutes stirring if they stick at all. Add in the roasted artichoke followed by the cream and reduce to a low heat allowing to simmer for 10-15 minutes or as long as possible. Add a dash of water at any point if the sauce becomes too thick.

Once both the Passatelli and sauce are good to go, combine on a large serving dish or plate up individually, sprinkle over roughly chopped parsley, if you’re a fan of truffles (it can be quite a potent and almost floral in taste but delicate and so delicious, definitely worth a try if you haven’t already) then drizzle the truffle oil over too. It’s the perfect combination of earthy richness. I added a couple of slices of black tomatoes too so feel free to freestyle it - I got over excited.

Passatelli with Black Sesame Pesto, Radishes and Curly Parsley

This ones best kept simple, no need to overcomplicate just eat as is and appreciate all the flavours.

Feeds 6-8

Preparation Time – 15-20 minutes

Cooking Time - 10 minutes

Ingredients –

For MY version of Passatelli -

200g Breadcrumbs – Make sure it’s from stale bread. I used wholemeal but colour-wise it probably looks better with white bread

200g Parmesan – Finely grated (veggie Parmesan works just as well if cooking for veggies)

1 tsp Nutmeg – Finely grated

¼ Zest of lemon

Sprinkle of seas salt & pepper

Black Sesame Pesto –

1 Clove of garlic

1 Large handful of fresh basil leaves

1 Large handful of Parmesan – Finely grated

1 Large handful of black sesame seeds – Dry roasted

½ Zest of lemon

3-4 Generous glugs of good quality extra virgin olive oil

Garnish –

1 Large Bunch of radishes – Cut them in half or quarters to make them go further

Small handful of curly parsley – Roughly chopped

Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

Instructions -

Passatelli -

Prepare the Passatelli as in the first recipe

Pesto –

Muddle all ingredients in a pestle and mortar until smooth, add the oil stir and taste, adjusting seasoning if necessary.

Plate up on one large serving dish or serve on individual plates.