Foglie d’ulivo with Romesco Style Sauce and Stracciatella

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Romesco originated in the province of Tarronga in the Spanish region of Catalonia, and can be found in many variations on menus all over the world. The flavour - slaps. Traditionally made from a combination of charred tomatoes and red peppers, thickened with almonds and bread, with added extras like garlic and red pepper powder or flakes. The resulting taste is sweet, with smokey undertones and a hint of spice. Deeeelish. 

Taking a lot of inspiration from the above, this sauce is a play on Romesco, with roasted red peppers, almonds, mascarpone (replacing bread as a thickening agent, in this case), a base of onion, garlic, hot chilli flakes and anchovies, for good measure (you can omit if it’s not your thing). A brief stint in the pan, then blended together until creamy and vibrant. I hope this pays appropriate homage. 

Homemade stracciatella is a recent obsession of mine, mostly because it’s so easy to make. If you’re limited to a relatively average ball of mozza, this is a fantastic way to elevate it - simply by mixing in thickened/heavy cream and a pinch of salt. Something happens to the mozzarella when combined with cream and it is magic. 

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Foglie d’ulivo with Romesco Style Sauce and Stracciatella

Serves 4

Ingredients

Pasta dough  

• 400g semolina flour

• 200ml warm water

• Fine semolina for dusting

Romesco Style Sauce

• Extra virgin olive oil

• 40g slivered almonds

• 1 small brown onion, diced

• 1 garlic clove, diced

• 1 tsp hot chilli flakes

• 3 anchovy fillets

• 2 x 330g jars of roasted red peppers, drained of any liquid

• 1 tbsp mascarpone cheese

Stracciatella

• 1 ball buffalo mozzarella

• 250ml heavy/thickened cream

• Salt, to taste

Method

Pasta dough

1. Place the semolina flour in a mound on your work surface and make a well in the centre. Pour the water into the well.

2. Using a fork start whisking until you have a thick custard-like consistency, incorporating a little bit of flour at a time as you do.

3. Switch to a bench scraper and start to flip the flour from the outer edge over and onto the centre, using a cutting motion to then mix it in. Continue to do this around all sides until you have a shaggy dough.

4. Begin kneading the dough vigorously for a good 10 minutes until the dough is springy and elastic, and not sticking to your hands at all

5. Cover and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before shaping.

Shaping foglie d’ulivo

1. Cut off 1/8 of the rested dough (make sure to keep the rest covered while you work), and roll it into a rope about 1/4” thick

2. Cut the rope into thumbnail pieces around 3cm in length.

3. Take each piece and roll them between your hands one at a time, to lengthen and until the ends are pointy.

4. Place a piece of dough on the board with the pointy ends at north and south.

5. Use a knife or bench scraper to press down on the left side, and gently drag horizontally to the right - using your free hand to hold the left side in place as you do so.

6. Place each piece on a lightly floured board or plate and cover with a clean, dry tea towel until you’re ready to use.

Romesco style sauce

1. In a dry pan, lightly toast the almonds and set aside on a plate.

2. In the same pan, add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, onion, garlic, chilli flakes and anchovy. Sauté gently until the onions are translucent, the garlic is fragrant and the anchovies have broken down.

3. Add the onions/garlic mix to a blender, followed by the almonds, red peppers and mascarpone. Blend until smooth, creamy and vibrant. Season to taste, then set aside until ready to use.

Stracciatella

1. Tear the mozzarella into small pieces and add to a bowl.

2. Pour over the heavy cream and stir to combine.

3. Season to taste with salt, then cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Finishing Touches

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil, season generously with salt.

2. At the same time, pop your Romesco sauce into a finishing pan and keep on a low heat.

3. Drop the foglie d’ulivo into the boiling water and cook for 2-3 minutes, until al dente. Check that they’re cooked to your liking.

4. Scoop the pasta out with a slotted spoon or spider, and place into the pan with the sauce.

5. Toss and stir to ensure all of the pasta is coated in the sauce.

6. Divide between bowls, top with dollops of stracciatella, a crack of black pepper and a drizzle of good quality olive oil to finish.