Best Sicilian Pasta Recipes

SICILIAN PASTA AND BROCCOLI

Steps:

• Heat the water for your pasta while you prepare the broccoli.
• In a shallow, 10-inch saute pot, heat the 1 cup olive oil over medium-high heat (see Cook's Note). Add the broccoli to the oil and season it with salt. Saute the broccoli for about 4 minutes, or until it takes on a toasty color. The broccoli will absorb a lot of the oil, so if you find your pot getting dry, just add a little more oil to it. Throw in the garlic and cook for about another minute, until it's slightly brown. Don't burn the garlic! Take the broccoli off the heat and set it aside.
• Prepare the penne according to the package directions. Drain the pasta and toss it in the pot with the broccoli, garlic, and olive oil. If the mixture seems dry, add a little more oil.
• Toss in the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, stir, and garnish with the parsley.

SICILIAN LENTIL PASTA SAUCE

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, mushrooms, zucchini, and garlic. Cook and stir until tender, about 5 minutes.
• Add lentils and 3 cups water to vegetables. Bring to a rolling boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook 45 to 60 minutes.
• Stir in tomato sauce, tomato paste, sugar, and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. If necessary, add more water to keep the sauce from sticking. Be careful not to dilute; the sauce should be quite thick.

SICILIAN PASTA SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat oil and crushed pepper in sauce pan,add onion and garlic. Saute until translucent. Deglaze with wine, add tomatoes cushed and paste. Bring to simmer, continue to simmer for 45 minutes up to 4 hours. Add herbs, sugar, and season if needed.
• Toss with favorite pasta. Serve with grated parmesan romano and a glass of wine.
• Can also add meat/ sausage/ ribs before deglazing with wine. Or mix in a cup of ricotta and grated mozzerella and bake in 400 degree oven until bubbling and golden.

SICILIAN STICK TO YOUR RIBS MEAL: MEATLOAF BRASCIOLE (ROLL UPS), PASTA, BROCCOLINI AND RICOTTA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
• Put water on to boil for your pasta.
• Mix meat and next 10 ingredients as if you were making meatloaf. Flatten meat out on a waxed paper lined cookie sheet into a thin layer: 1/2-inch thick, 12 inches long by 6 to 8 inches wide. Cover meat with arugula or spinach, prosciutto and cheese then roll the meat, using the waxed paper to help roll up into a large log, working across the 6 to 8-inch side, resulting in a 12-inch long log. Drizzle the log with extra-virgin olive oil to coat lightly.
• Roast meatroll 20 minutes. Cut into 1-inch slices, 3 pieces per portion, and serve. Make pasta while meat is in the oven.
• Salt water and cook off pasta, about 7 to 8 minutes to al dente, with a bite to it. Drain and return pasta to hot pot.
• While pasta cooks, place broccolini in 1-inch of water in a sauce pot and bring up to a boil. Add salt to the water and add the trimmed broccolini. Cover and cook 5 minutes, drain and reserve.
• To hot, cooked pasta add a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, butter, ricotta, lemon zest, thyme, broccolini and season with salt and pepper. Toss pasta to coat it in the cheese and butter. Season it with salt, to your taste. Portion pasta onto dinner plates alongside meat roll slices and top pasta with tomatoes and freshly ground pepper.

SICILIAN-STYLE SARDINE PASTA WITH BREAD CRUMBS

Steps:

• To a large skillet preheated over medium heat, add 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, 4 turns of the pan, and chopped garlic. When the garlic speaks by sizzling in oil add bread crumbs. Stir bread crumbs until deeply golden in color. Add parsley and a liberal amount of salt and pepper, about 1 teaspoon of each. Transfer bread crumbs to a dish and reserve.
• Return skillet to heat and add 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 3 turns of the pan. Add sardines and red pepper flakes to the pan and saute over medium heat 2 or 3 minutes. Add hot, cooked pasta to the skillet and toss with sardines. Add bread crumbs to the pot and toss thoroughly to combine and evenly distribute the mixture. Taste, to adjust seasonings, and serve.

SICILIAN-STYLE PASTA WITH SARDINES

Steps:

• Finely chop fennel bulb. Combine saffron, raisins, and wine in a bowl.
• Cook onion, fennel bulb, and seeds in oil with salt to taste in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until fennel is tender, about 15 minutes.
• Add wine mixture and half of sardines, breaking sardines up with a fork, and simmer 1 minute.
• While sauce is cooking, cook pasta in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water until al dente, then drain in a colander.
• Toss hot pasta in a bowl with fennel sauce, remaining sardines, fennel fronds, pine nuts, and salt and pepper to taste. Add bread crumbs and toss again.

SICILIAN PASTA WITH EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Peel garlic. Trim stem ends of eggplants. Halve eggplants lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. In a large sieve drain tomatoes. Transfer tomatoes to a bowl and squeeze to break into smaller pieces.
• In a 6-quart kettle bring 5 quarts salted water to a boil for pasta.
• In a 12-inch heavy skillet heat 1 cup oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Fry eggplant in 2 batches, turning, until golden brown on both sides. Transfer eggplant as fried with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain, arranging it in one layer. Season eggplant with salt and pepper.
• Pour off oil from skillet and wipe clean with paper towels. Add remaining 1/4 cup oil to skillet and cook garlic over low heat, stirring, until golden. Stir in tomatoes with any juices that have accumulated in bowl and simmer, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Season sauce with salt and pepper.
• While sauce is simmering, cook pasta until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water and drain pasta in a colander. Transfer half of tomato sauce with half of ricotta salata to a large bowl and toss with pasta and half of eggplant, adding some reserved pasta cooking water if sauce becomes too thick. Transfer pasta to a serving bowl and top with remaining sauce and eggplant and some of remaining cheese.
• Garnish pasta with basil and serve remaining cheese on the side.

SICILIAN CAULIFLOWER PASTA

Steps:

• Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs. Reserve 3/4 cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta. Meanwhile, trim the thick stems off the cauliflower and coarsely grate the florets on the large holes of a box grater (it's fine if some small florets remain whole). Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cauliflower, raisins, garlic, red pepper flakes and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cauliflower is crisp-tender and slightly browned, about 4 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the pasta, parsley, dill, lemon juice, cheese and 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking water. Add more cooking water to loosen, if needed. Season with salt. Serve with more grated cheese.

SICILIAN PASTA WITH CAULIFLOWER

Steps:

• Place the raisins or currants in a small bowl and cover with warm water. In another bowl combine the saffron with 3 tablespoons warm water. Let both sit for 20 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt generously. Add the cauliflower and boil gently until the florets are tender but the middle resists when poked with a skewer or knife, about 10 minutes. Using slotted spoons or tongs (or a pasta insert) remove the cauliflower from the water, transfer to a bowl of cold water and drain. Cover the pot and turn off the heat. You will cook the pasta in the cauliflower water. Cut the florets from the core of the cauliflower and cut them into small florets or crumble coarsely using a fork or your hands.
• Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy skillet and add the garlic. Cook, stirring, until it smells fragrant, about 30 seconds to a minute, and add the anchovies and tomatoes. Turn the heat down to medium-low and cook, stirring often, until the tomatoes have cooked down and smell fragrant, about 10 minutes. Drain the raisins or currants and add, along with the saffron and its soaking liquid, cauliflower, pine nuts or almonds, and about 1/4 cup of the cooking water from the cauliflower. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover, turn the heat to low and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Keep warm while you cook the pasta.
• Bring the cauliflower water back to a boil and cook the pasta al dente, following the timing instructions on the package. Check the sauce and if it seems dry add another 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water. Drain the pasta and transfer to the pan with the sauce. Toss together and serve, sprinkled with pecorino and chopped basil leaves. If desired, drizzle a little olive oil over each serving.

SICILIAN-STYLE CAULIFLOWER WITH WHOLE WHEAT PASTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat, then salt it generously. Add the penne and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente--tender but not mushy. Drain the pasta in a colander set in the sink. Transfer to a large bowl.
• Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cauliflower, shallots, and garlic, and cook, stirring, until the cauliflower is well browned, about 8 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, 2 teaspoons salt, water, vinegar, raisins, honey, capers, thyme, bay leaf, fennel seeds, if using, and season with black pepper. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook until cauliflower is fork tender, about 7 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the pine nuts and parsley. Remove and discard the thyme and bay leaf.
• Toss vegetables and pasta together along with the pecorino. Drizzle with additional olive oil, if desired. Serve immediately, passing more cheese at the table.

SICILIAN ANCHOVY PASTA

Steps:

• I dont remember how big the anchovy cans are, but they are those little oblong cans twith the fillets in olive oil.
• Cook pasta, open the anchovy cans and use the olive oil in them to coat the pasta so it doesnt stick together. set aside.
• Add more olive oil to a skillet, enough to coat all the pasta well later on. (Not much since it is already coated).
• Saute the garlic and onions in the olive oil.
• Add the chopped ahchovies and a good bit of pepper. (a lot of black pepper is good in this).
• Pour the mixture over pasta and mix well to coat all the pasta, serve as it is with no cheese or other toppings.
• **If you add fresh chopped basil and a touch of lemon juice, it completely changes the dish. I like both of them.**.

SICILIAN-STYLE SARDINE PASTA WITH BREADCRUMBS

Steps:

• In a large skillet preheated over medium heat, add 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, and chopped garlic.
• When the garlic begins to sizzle in oil add bread crumbs.
• Stir bread crumbs until deeply golden in color.
• Add parsley and a liberal amount of salt and pepper, about 1 teaspoon of each.
• Transfer bread crumbs to a dish and reserve.
• Return skillet to heat and 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil.
• Add sardine and red pepper flakes to pan and saute over medium heat 2-3 minutes.
• Add hot, cooked pasta to the skillet and toss with sardines.
• Add bread crumbs to the pot and toss thoroughly to combine and evenly distribute the mixture.
• Taste, to adjust seasonings, and serve.

SICILIAN PASTA WITH BROCCOLI

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Stir in 1 pepper.
• Cut an "x" shape in the bottom of each tomato. Add tomatoes and broccoli to water. Simmer until broccoli has softened slightly and the tomato skins have separated from the pulp, about 5 minutes. Remove the tomatoes and broccoli with a slotted spoon. When tomatoes are cool enough to handle, remove and discard skins.
• Bring the water to a boil again. Cook pasta in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until tender yet firm to the bite, about 1 minute less than time indicated on package or 6 to 7 minutes total. Drain.
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet. Add the broccoli, remaining sliced cayenne pepper, and tomatoes. Stir in drained pasta and cook over medium heat until heated through and blended.
• Top with cheese and extra-virgin olive oil before serving.

SICILIAN LENTIL, VEGETABLE, AND PASTA SOUP

Steps:

• In a large slow cooker, combine lentils, vegetables, and water.
• Cover and cook on LOW for 7 hours.
• Add in pasta and salt and pepper to taste.
• Cook on HIGH for 30 minutes, or until the pasta is tender.
• Serve hot, sprinkled with the cheese.

SICILIAN ITALIAN PASTA SAUCE AND SAUSAGE

Steps:

• For Sauce, Combine all ingredients except Sausage Links in separate pot and bring to boil. Reduce to simmer for a minimum of 3 hours stirring frequently. For sausage links, place in a separate pot, fill with water to cover links. Bring to boil, then reduce to simmer for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes take each link, hold over the Sauce pot and slice link in half to allow juices to fall into Sauce pot. Place halved links into Sauce pot and continue simmering. Serve over favorite pasta and top with more fresh grated romano and parmesan cheese.

SICILIAN LENTIL PASTA SAUCE

Steps:

• In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat.
• Add onions, mushrooms, zucchini and garlic.
• Cook while stirring over medium heat for about 5 minutes.
• Add lentils[I like the orange ones] and 3 cups water to the vegetables.
• Turn up the heat and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
• Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook 45 to 60 minutes.
• Stir in tomato sauce, tomato paste, sugar, and 1/2 cup water.
• Bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
• If necessary, add more water to keep the sauce from sticking.
• Be careful not to dilute; the sauce should be quite thick.

SICILIAN PASTA

Steps:

• Saute onion and garlic in olive oil until transparent.
• Add tomatoes, eggplant and basil. Cook approximately 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile cook pasta according to package directions; drain well.
• Add tomato/eggplant mixture to pasta; add mozzarella cheese and stir well.
• Serve immediately.

MULTI-GRAIN PASTA WITH SICILIAN SALSA VERDE, CABBAGE, AND HARICOTS VERTS

Steps:

• Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking liquid.
• Meanwhile, puree parsley, 4 tablespoons oil, capers, anchovies, and 1/3 of chopped garlic in mini processor.
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add cabbage; sauté until wilted, about 3 minutes. Add haricots verts and remaining garlic; toss 1 minute. Add 3/4 cup cheese, pasta, and 2/3 cup pasta cooking liquid, then parsley mixture from processor. Toss until sauce coats pasta, adding more pasta cooking liquid if dry, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve, passing remaining 3/4 cup cheese separately.

SICILIAN CHICKEN PASTA

Steps:

• Chicken Marinade Add the following marinade ingredients into a large bowl and stir to form a paste. Massage chicken into marinade and leave overnight or until Tomato Sauce is almost finished cooking. Add 2 tbsp of olive oil to a large skillet on med/high heat and brown chicken for 2 mins then remove to a plate (you may need fry the chicken in 2 batches so as not to stew the chicken): • 4 chicken breasts, cut into thin bite size pieces • 3 tbsp vegetable oil • 1 tbsp sundried tomato paste • 1 tbsp tomato paste • 1 tsp smoked paprika • 1 clove garlic, minced • Salt, pinch • Black pepper, pinch Tomato Sauce Heat oil, add the following and sauté until onions and celery are soft then add garlic and cook for a further 3 mins: • 6 tbsp olive oil • 1 medium brown onion, finely diced • 1 stick celery, finely diced • 3 cloves of garlic, minced finely chopped Add the following and simmer for approx 30 mins, stirring occasionally: • 1 tbsp tomato paste + sundried tomato paste • 1 can chopped tomatoes • 150ml red wine • 250ml chicken stock • 1 tsp dried oregano • Half sprig rosemary • 1 stick cinnamon • 3 large fresh bay leaves • Black pepper, pinch • Salt, pinch add the following at the end of cooking and stir. Turn off heat and put lid on to cook chicken through: • 1 handfull red chard • 1 cup basil leaved, ripped • 4 tbsp parsley, finely chopped • Cooked marinated chicken Pasta & Final Prep Tip cooked drained pasta into a large pot and add Parmigiano Reggiano shavings, the Tomato Sauce, mix thoroughly and serve. • Fusilli or curly pasta • 100g Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

QUICK EASY SICILIAN PASTA SAUCE

Steps:

• Peel Tomatoes, place in a roasting pan. Drizzle with oil, season with salt, pepper and sugar. Throw in oven at 450 degrees for 5-6 minutes or place on roasting pan and cook on grill.
• Dice garlic small and roast in frying pan.
• Chop Fresh Basil.
• Once Tomatoes are roasted they need to be blended. You can use a good old fashioned blender or food processor. Try not to over blend. Tomato sauce should be liquid but not blended until foamy.
• Add blended tomatoes to the pan of roasted garlic, bring to a simmer. Add chopped basil, stir.
• Add sugar and/or salt to taste. Serve over angel hair pasta or whichever kind you like.