For ➍8 tbs salt
4 l water
400 g spaghetti
500 g small ripe vine or cherry tomatoes, skins removed, roughly chopped
4 tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, lightly crushed
pinch crushed dried chilies
1 tbs salted capers, rinsed & drained
2 ts fresh mint, chopped
salt & freshly ground black pepper
Bring 4 l of water to the boil. Add the salt, the spaghetti and cook al dente.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large, deep frying pan. Add the crushed garlic cloves and fry over a low heat until they start to turn golden-brown. Remove the garlic.
Add the crushed dried chilies and chopped tomatoes and fry for 1 m, until the tomatoes release their juice.
Add the capers and mint, and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Drain the cooked spaghetti and add to the pan. Stir well to coat in the sauce.
Spoon portions into bowls and serve.
A basic Palermo dish.
Picture shows the Risorgimento fights in the streets from the Visconti epic Il Gattopardo, based on the Lampedusa novel on social changes in Sicilian 19th century Sicily.
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