Spaghetti alla Molisana
Spaghetti alla Molisana is a delicious traditional dish from Molise. It's packed with flavour and incredibly easy to make. It's made with pancetta, lots of fresh herbs, red chilli for a little heat and lots of Pecorino cheese. Perfect served with a glass of vino!
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 14 oz (400g) Spaghetti or other dried pasta
- 1 white onion
- 1 fresh red chilli (see notes)
- 7 oz (200g) pancetta cut into strips of cubes (unsmoked)
- ⅔ cup (160ml) chicken stock (low sodium)
- 1 cup (15g) fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1 cup (15g) fresh basil
- 1/2 cup (30g) freshly grated pecorino cheese plus more for serving
- Olive oil
- Salt
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it well.
- Finely chop 1 onion and add it to a large pan with a good drizzle of olive oil (about 1-2 tablespoons). Saute the onion on a medium-low heat until soft and translucent but not browned (about 10 minutes).
- Next, add 1 finely chopped red chilli and saute that with the onion and the chopped pancetta (200g/7oz). Fry the pancetta until the fat is translucent and just starting to turn golden (don’t let it go crispy).
- When the pancetta is almost done, add (14oz/400g) spaghetti to the water and cook until al dente (9-11 minutes or according to packet instructions).
- Add ⅔ cup (160ml) of chicken stock to the pancetta and let it simmer until it has reduced by half.
- Once the pasta is al dente, transfer it using kitchen tongs to the pasta sauce and toss it around until it’s coated in the pancetta and onions. When you transfer the pasta this way you’ll naturally add in some reserved pasta water at the same time.
- Add the chopped basil and parsley (15g/ 1 cup of each) and (1/2 cup/30g) Pecorino cheese and stir until thoroughly combined.
- Serve in bowls topped with more Pecorino.
Notes
- Salt - both pancetta and pecorino are fairly high in sodium so I don't feel the need to add any additional salt to this. If your pancetta isn't overly salted you can add it to taste.
- Frying the pancetta - the pancetta should be fried until it's just starting to turn golden but not crispy. The fat should be translucent. This is the traditional way to prepare Spaghetti alla Molisana but you can cook your pancetta until crispy if you prefer.
- Using red chilli - the amount you use is entirely up to your personal taste. You want a little kick without the whole dish tasting spicy. I used a whole red chilli which wasn't overly hot. If you have a hot chilli you may need to use less. I also remove the seeds but again this is just a personal preference.
Nutrition
Calories: 751kcal | Carbohydrates: 86g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 64mg | Sodium: 739mg | Potassium: 976mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 8352IU | Vitamin C: 108mg | Calcium: 537mg | Iron: 8mg
