Strozzapreti with Flat Beans in Tomato Sauce
Strozzapreti con fagioli piattoni al sugo di pomodoro
Like many traditional handmade pastas strozzapreti has a long history. According to Il Giornale del Cibo the story takes us back to the time when the Papal States ruled, imposing heavy taxes and strict customs. Under these circumstances “strozzapreti” (which literally translates to “priest stranglers”) were invented as a clear expression of anti-clerical sentiment.
One legend goes that priests would collect eggs from the local housewives, leaving them without the main ingredient needed to make their usual fresh pasta. In response, the women invented a new recipe using just flour and water. As they kneaded the dough, they supposedly cursed the priests, hoping they’d choke on the very eggs they had taken for themselves.
Another version of the story tells that it was customary for families to invite the local priest to Sunday lunch. The women made this pasta dish so delicious that the priests would gorge themselves, while the husbands secretly hoped they’d choke from overeating.
In this recipe strozzapreti is prepared with flat beans in tomato sauce. The flat beans known as piattoni or taccole are readily available all over Italy during spring and summer.
If you want to make your own pasta you can use this recipe.
Ingredients:
500 g fresh strozzapreti
400g fresh flat beans
2 ripe tomatoes
100 ml tomato passata
½ red onion
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
You could blanch the tomatoes by boiling the for for 1 minute, before removing the skin, but I normally do not bother.
Just rinse the flat beans under cold water, trim the ends, and chop them into 2 cm pieces.
Chop the tomatoes
Finely chop the onion and sauté in a pan with a drizzle of olive oil until soft.
Add the tomatoes and let them cook briefly, then add the flat beans.
Cover with hot water, season with salt and pepper, and cook until the water evaporates. The beans become tender after 6-8 minutes.
Stir in the tomato passata and simmer on low heat until the sauce thickens.
Boil the fresh strozzapreti for 3 minutes or according to the instructions on the packet.
Mix the pasta with flat beans in tomato sauce and serve hot or warm.
Strozzapreti with flat beans in tomato sauce is a traditional recipe from the Cucina Povera, which is prepared with innumerable variations all over Italy
Italian Notes
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