NB I treasure the family recipes – passed on from mother and grandmother -which Ischia hotel-owner Gabriela has so kindly shared with me. Here are a few (with Gabriela’s generous permission). Please read my article to know more about beautiful Ischia. Ingredients: (for 5) 1 lb pasta – shell-shaped or elbow macaroni 2 anchovies handful of oregano 6 black olives in pieces handful of pinenuts handful of fresh basil, shredded into small pieces by hand red hot pepper, small 1 – 1-1/4 c. canned tomatoes or of very ripe fresh tomatoes (Roma variety), cut into small pieces 3 T. pecorino cheese, freshly-grated 3 T Parmesan cheese, freshly-grated extra virgin olive oil, q.b. (q.b = quanto basta, ie, whatever is needed…a typical note in many an Italian cookbook as no good recipe can be truly precise!)
Heat 2 garlic cloves in olive oil til golden, being careful not to burn the garlic nor to let olive oil smoke.
Stir in the 2 anchovies (well-rinsed if they have been packed in salt), the oregano, olives, pinenuts and red peppers. Add tomatoes, in small pieces and salt (to taste). When tomato sauce is ristretta (that is, most of the water of the tomatoes has evaporated), add handful of fresh basil.
Cook pasta until al dente (“to the tooth”, ie, NOT too soft!) and drain, saving some of the brodo or pasta water (always do this when making pasta so that you can dilute the sauce a bit, if necessary).
Add a bit of the brodo if pasta not sufficiently liquid. Mix pasta with sauce, adding both cheeses. Serve.
