Fettuccine with Peppers from Senise
and a Crunchy Topping
Fettuccine with peppers from Senise and a crunchy topping is my interpretation of a dish I had in Potenza. It is different from other pepper sauces by a distinctly smoky flavour and the crunchy topping.
I didn’t know there was something special about peppers from Senise, until we visited Antica Osteria Marconi in Potenza, and found traces of paprika in a leading in the Menù Basilicata. It turns out ‘Peperoni di Senise’ is an IGP product with rigid rules on place of origin, cultivation and preservation. It tastes a bit like the Spanish paprika pimentón, but Peperoni di Senise are not dried by smoking, so the distinctly smoky aroma must come from the soil.
In late summer the garlands of dried peppers can be bought at every street corner, and they are nice souvenirs to bring home. And you can always substitute with fresh and dried red peppers and a dream of Basilicata.
Ingredients
For the fettuccine
300 g flour type 00
2 egg yolks
Water
For the sauce and topping
2 fresh red peppers
1 dried red pepper from Senise
1 tsp smoky paprika (from Senise or the Spanish pimenton)
1 clove of garlic
50 ml white wine
Olive oil, salt and pepper
Grated pecorino
Preparation
Start by making the fettuccine
Form a heap of flour on a clean tabletop
Make a well in the centre and add the egg yolks
Stir the egg yolks with a fork to incorporate the flour.
Add a little water to make a firm elastic pastry.
Wrap the pastry in cling foil and leave it in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Knead the dough thoroughly with the heel of your hand or run it through a pasta machine 10 times at the widest width.
Keep rolling the pasta through the machine while you gradually decrease the width.
When the pasta sheets are appropriately thin run them through the fettuccine aggregate.
For the sauce, start by grilling the fresh peppers in the oven until the skin blackens
Leave the blackened peppers to cool in a plastic bag
Rub off the skin and remove the seeds.
Peel and slice the garlic and fry it in a little olive oil.
Add the grilled peppers and fry some more, before pouring wine in the casserole.
Let the sauce simmer under lid for 10 minutes.
Blend the sauce and add smoky paprika, salt and pepper to taste.
Cut the dried pepper in very thin strips and deep fry them in olive oil to make a crunchy topping.
Cook the fettuccine in salted boiling water for 3 minutes.
Drain and mix with the sauce.
Serve fettuccine with peppers from Senise and a crunchy topping with a grating of hard pecorino.
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