Free Pasta Modern by Francine Segan Page B

d’Abruzzo brand
5 oil-packed sundried tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 fresh red chile pepper, thinly sliced
Salt
Minced fresh parsley
In a large saucepan, bring 1 quart (960 ml) water to boil. Add the clams, cover, and steam until they open, about 10 seconds. Remove almost all the clams from their shells, reserving a few in the shells for garnish. Strain the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve covered in cheesecloth to remove any sand, and reserve the liquid.
In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil and the garlic over medium heat until the garlic is light golden. Add the wine, fregula, tomatoes, and chile pepper to taste and simmer until most of the wine is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Add the clam liquid and boil, uncovered, stirring once or twice, until the fregola is al dente, 14 to 17 minutes or according to the package directions. It should not be too dry at the end, so if needed, add a little water or fish stock.
Season to taste with salt, stir in the cooked clams, and serve topped with parsley to taste, a drizzle of oil, and the reserved clams in their shells.

“WORMS” & EELS
    { Vermicelli con I’anguilla }
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    SERVES 4 | REGION: Campania, Molise, Puglia, and other southern regions
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The “worms” here are really ultra-thin vermicelli pasta, but the eels are real!
Eels have sweet, naturally smoky-tasting meat that’s oh-so-tender—it’s always the first piece I snag on any sushi platter. Eel goes especially well with whole-grain pasta, such as those made with nutty-tasting farro or kamut flour.
If you’ve never cooked with eel, this is a great first recipe to try. You can find eel in Asian fish markets or order it from your fishmonger. They will even gut and clean it for you and remove the head and tail. I’ve made this pasta dozens of times. When I have fussy eaters over to dinner, I don’t mention that the sauce they’re scarfing down—and raving about!—has eel. Since the meat is flaked, they can’t tell, and think they’re eating the world’s best-tasting fish. I confess at dessert.
1 pound (455 g) eel, cleaned
Salt
Olive oil
1 bay leaf
1 ½ cups (360 ml) dry white wine
1 small onion, chopped
⅓ cup (30 g) minced fresh parsley
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 small fresh red chile pepper, thinly sliced
1 (28-ounce/800-g) can diced tomatoes
1 pound (455 g) whole-wheat or farro vermicelli
Rub the eel with salt to remove any viscous film on the skin, but do not peel off the skin itself. Rinse and cut the eel into bite-sized chunks.
In a large pan, heat 3 tablespoons oil and the bay leaf. Add the eel and cook over high heat until it is golden on both sides, then pour in ½ cup (120 ml) of the wine and scrape up any browned bits. Once the wine has burned off, remove the eel from the pan and set it aside.
Add the onion, half of the parsley, the garlic, and chile pepper to taste to the pan. When the onion is softened, add another ½ cup (120 ml) of the wine and cook on high until it is reduced by half. Stir in the tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes, then add the remaining ½ cup (120 ml) of the wine and simmer until it is again reduced by half. Return the eel to the skillet and cook for 15 minutes, turning the pieces over now and then. Remove the eel from the sauce, peel off the skin, flake the meat, and discard the skin and bones. Return the meat to the sauce and season with salt.
Meanwhile, boil the pasta in salted water until it is al dente. Drain and toss into the sauce. Discard the bay leaf. Serve topped with remaining minced parsley.

BUCATINI WITH BACCALÀ & CRUNCHY WALNUTS
    { Sughetto di baccalà }
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    SERVES 4 | REGION: Basilicata
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Dried codfish, baccalà —more intensely flavorful and with a firmer texture than fresh cod—pairs magnificently with pasta. I love the fantastic mix of savory and sweet in this recipe. The dense tomato sauce, rich with raisins, caramelized onion, tangy olives, and oregano, mingles well with the toothsome cod and crunchy walnuts.
12 ounces (340 g) baccalà
Olive