Etruscan pasta - Simple and Honest Cooking!

This has been the month of chocolate mousse for some reason of course I am super cheating because I have found a 2 minute package from Lindt! These are amazing and come in two if not three flavors...cannot remember (brain fart again). All you add is milk and whip (no, not me even though I have been very remiss lately with my recipes and cooking).:-)

As the hot season approaches, the desire for fresh and cool is right up there with finding a way to pay off all debt in one's life ;-) and last week I tried out an old Etruscan recipe and had to wing it.  This is not a cold pasta sauce but it is SUPER simple. All you need is fresh mint, walnuts, garlic, olive oil and the real thing, parmigiano reggiano or grana padana.

For all you seasoned cooks, you just have to guess on the portions. I used quantities I would use for two people making garlic, parsley and oil pasta.

Choose a long pasta, linguini, spaghettini, pici, spaghetti, etc.


For two:
15 - 20 leaves of fresh mint approx.
2-4 cloves garlic depending on tastes
ultra finely chopped walnuts about (4 whole ones)
olive oil extra V, enough to make a sauce to cover the pasta.

Crush the garlic into the oil and begin to saute very slowly.  Finely chop the mint and add to oil mixture and saute about one minute on very low heat take off the heat.


Cook the pasta in salted water, (must use some salt in the cooking otherwise pasta is just flavorless with the sauces).  When al dente, drain and quickly toss into the pan of garlic, oil and mint that you will have deftly put back on the fire just seconds before draining the pasta. Saute high for 2 minutes or less tossing the walnuts into the sautee mix.


Serve in warm bowls and garnish with the parmigiano. Serve with a fabulous frizzy white summer wine from the Veneto region or even a Prosecco would do well with this. Buon appetito!

Su questo blog...About this Blog

English translation below

In questo blog, abbiamo l’intenzione di parlare di piacere; mangiare e bere sono per noi due atti che non devono essere semplicemente l’ingestione di sostanze alimentari. Mangiare e bere del buon vino, è e deve essere una faccenda culturale completa, a 360 gradi. Oltre al gusto, deve essere un’esperienza che deve dare piacere per mezzo anche degli altri sensi; un'esperienza completa dove anche l’ambiente ed il contesto, devono fare parte di ciò che stiamo facendo.

Non vogliamo però prenderci troppo sul serio, altrimenti che piacere sarebbe? Parleremo quindi anche di piccole avventure legate alla tavola ed ai nostri giri enogastronomici in Italia, in Europa ed anche al di fuori del vecchio continente. Solo un’altra piccola nota: per quanto riguarda i Ristoranti, citeremo solo quelli che ci sentiamo di consigliare senza riserve a chi avrà la pazienza di leggerci. I prezzi medi dei singoli locali, saranno citati, ma non avranno influenza per quanto riguarda il giudizio finale. Fare un'esperienza gastronomica di un certo rilievo, ci sembra valga qualche piccolo sforzo nell’usare il portafoglio, no? GP

The intention of this blog is to talk about pleasurable things, which for us, is about eating and imbibing well; two conscious acts not just the ingestion of food. Eating well and drinking good wine brings us full circle culturally. Besides flavor, this must be an experience giving pleasure to all the other senses; where the senses participate in what we are doing thus creating the total environment. We do not wish to take ourselves too seriously either otherwise, what kind of pleasure would that be?

We will also present small adventures tied to our gastronomic and enological escapades in Italy, Europe as well as, away from the Old World. As a side note, we will only cite restaurants we feel compelled to discuss limitlessly for those who have the patience to read about them. Prices will be listed but in no way will the price influence our final judgment of the locale. After all, a little extra effort from the pocket-book for a gastronomic experience is usually worth the effort, right? SW
There will also be some naughty stories, sex jokes, sensual recipes, sensual cooking, romantic and romance, Italy, history, passionate, travel, languid days, languid kitchens, soft lights, sexy settings, romantic settings, hot, steamy ideas.