Scialatielli con cozze, rucola e pomodorini

Home made Scialatielli pasta with mussels, rocket and cherry tomatoes


This type of pasta comes from my region of Campania, and from the area around the Sorrento and Amalfi coast.
Some people believe that the recipe is very old, others that was invented by a very special and famous chef born in Amalfi but that became very popular in one of the best restaurant in Sorrento.
Since the late 70's the recipe is been used in our region and now all over Italy, and many have changed a bit the way of preparing it, but here is the one a believe to be the original version prepared with fresh basil leaves.
This recipe is used mainly with seafood, but sometimes also with strong meat ragu and rich tomato and aubergine sauces, so ones you have made it a few times, you can experiment and try different combinations to choose the way you prefer it.


For 4 people

For the fresh  pasta:

1 egg
4 basil leaves (finely chopped)
320 gr. of strong 00 italian flour
salt
1 tbsp of pecorino cheese (grated)
110 gr. full fat milk


For the sauce:

400 gr. of mussels
200 gr. of cherry tomatoes from Italy
80 gr. of extra virgin olive oil
150 gr. of wild rocket
salt
fresh chili
2 cloves of garlic



Start by preparing the pasta on a wooden board or a kitchen cold surface, first the flour and then add the rest of the ingredients in the middle and use your hands to bring it together and create a compact pasta dough, then leave to rest under a damp cloth or covered in clean film  for half hour.
Ones the pasta as rested start to roll it out until it is 5mm thick,  then with a knife cut it in 5mm wide and 10cm long strips,set aside and sprinkle with some semolina flour that will help to keep it loose when you are going to cook it.
Now in a large frying pan heat up the oil and add the garlic (chopped) and a bit of chili if you like your food hot, then the mussels that need to be nice and clean and cover for 1 minute, after add the cherry tomatoes and cook for 2 to 3 minutes taste and add salt to season.
When you are preparing the sauce in a large deep pot, boil lots of water with a pinch of sea salt, and cook the pasta until al dente, then transfer to the pan with the sauce and add the fresh rocket, cook for another minute and serve with a sprinkle of olive oil.
Hope you will enjoy this recipe, and get a real taste of the Campania region.
Buon appetito

Peppe