Spicy bucatini with smoked garlic, shallot & cobnuts

Ingredients

• 250g bucatini
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 3 cloves of smoked garlic, minced or sliced
• 1 chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
• 1 jar of passata
• A handful of raw cobnuts
• A handful of cherry tomatoes
• A few fresh basil leaves
• Pecorino, grated

For the simple tomato salad

• A selection of tomatoes
• A handful of fresh basil leaves
• Olive oil

Method

Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a boil, then add a generous pinch of salt. Finely chop the shallot, slice the smoked garlic cloves, then deseed and finely chop the chilli. Add the bucatini to the boiling water and cook until al dente.

Meanwhile, heat a large pan over a medium heat. Add a generous glug of olive oil, then the chopped shallot, chilli and garlic, and sauté until translucent and slightly golden – about 2-3 mins. Stir and cook for an additional 2 mins, then add the passata and cook that down for another 5 to 10 mins.

When pasta is ready, reserve a cup of pasta water, then drain the pasta. Add the bucatini to the sauce and toss to ensure that every strand is coated. If the pasta seems dry, add a little bit of the reserved pasta water. Season with salt to taste, before giving everything a final toss.

Add a scattering cobnuts and fresh basil and grate over some pecorino. Some beautiful sundried tomatoes and fennel are a great addition too.

For the tomato salad, simply slice the tomatoes, drizzle with oil, then add some salt and fresh basil leaves. When ingredients are that good, you don’t need much!

Image: Bettina Campolucci Bordi