A few weeks ago one of my friends shared the menu for a luncheon she was having for her staff. She was looking for another side dish to serve so I had suggested she make a Tortellini Pasta Salad. Everyone loves pasta was my thinking. However, if it were possible for me to time travel backwards to that moment of pressure when she was 'making' me go through the recipe rolodex I store in my head, I would tell her, not suggest to her, to make the Pasta a Picchi Pacchi for the luncheon. Not that the Tortellini salad isn't delicious (it is, really), but this pasta dish is a different kind of feast for both the eyes and the stomach. If I had to guess, many of my friend's staff would never think she would serve them anything other than a homemade dish. Without any doubts, if she had made the Pasta a Picchi Pacchi this perception would have been solidified. And perception, as they say, is reality (I can't believe I just wrote one of my least favorite, most self-serving of all time colloquialisms.)
But a few weeks ago I didn't even know what Picchi Pacchi was, so I wasn't holding out on her (this time). I happened to be in Barnes and Noble last week and just had to walk through the cookbook section to take a closer look at a few of the new cookbooks I had been thinking about buying. When I saw that Gale Gand had a new cookbook (Lunch) and there was one autographed copy left on the shelf, I knew I had to buy it (without spending any time going through the book because what is not to trust or love about a Gale Gand recipe). And it was in her new cookbook, a book containing recipes making you rethink how to turn this mid-day meal into the 'new dinner', I learned what Pasta a Picchi Pacchi was. I also learned how to pronounce it (Pee-key Pah-key).
Picchi-Pacchi, a specialty from the island of Sicily, simply means a quickly made, fresh, raw or barely cooked sauce. Usually always including olive oil, tomatoes, garlic, fresh basil, some salt and pepper, a Pasta a Picchi-Pacchi often includes whatever else one might have on hand in the refrigerator (like Parmigiano-Reggiano, fresh mozzarella and/or anchovies). It is meant to be a very simple sauce. This Picchi-Pacchi is as simple as it gets.
I had served the Pasta a Picchi Pacchi as a side, but it is substantial enough to be served as the main dish for lunch along with some fresh bread. And oh, let's not forget the wine. The combination of the Pasta a Picchi Pacchi and the wine might actually be enough to make you think for a millisecond you have been transported to an outdoor cafe, the patio of a villa, or on a blanket sitting in a vineyard in Italy. If this feeling lasts longer than that, you probably had too much wine.
The wow factor of the Pasta a Picchi Pacchi is not only in the flavors of the fresh, raw tomato sauce but in the pasta. The variety of imported pastas at the grocery stores these days are enough to make your head spin (so many choices, which one to choose?). The Fusilli Lunghi (a long, thick, corkscrew shaped pasta) was so beautiful your eyes are immediately drawn to it (and the eyes never lie). If you can't find Fisilli Lunghi, you can use linguine regatta, fusilli lunghi bucati or even angel hair pasta (think long and lean when searching out pasta for this recipe).
I must not have been paying attention when I was reading the recipe because I made the entire one pound (500 g) package of the fusilli lunghi. If there was any mistake to be made in the making of this dish, this would be have been the one to make. I had not yet mixed in the Picchi Pacchi so I could have just divided the cooked pasta and tossed with the sauce. Instead I quickly put together another marinade and I was glad I did as a half-pound of the pasta would not have been enough to serve 4 people (as a main dish) for 6 people as the side dish to the muffalattas I had made for our concert picnic meal. So depending on how many people you are serving, consider doubling the recipe. You won't be sorry.
There are generally two kinds of fresh mozzarella balls: bocconcini and ciliegene. The difference between the two is generally in their size. The bocconcini is the size of a small egg while the ciliegene is closer to the size of a cherry tomato. Gale Gand's recipe called for the use of bocconcini, however, I thought their size was 'too' big, so instead I used the ciliegene mozzarella balls as I liked that their size was more consistent with the baby heirloom tomatoes.
Cherry tomatoes are flavorful year round but seem even sweeter, tastier in the summer. The sizes of cherry tomatoes can vary, especially the heirloom varieties. For this dish, the tomatoes are cut in quarters, halves or both quarters and halves (choose whichever cut will ensure the tomatoes will remain in tact when tossed with the pasta).
Anyone who says all extra-virgin olive oils are the same is someone who may have never tasted a really good olive oil. In other words, not all olive oils are created the same. Some are better for sautéing and others are better for sauces or just dipping warm bread in. Because of the simplicity of the sauce, use the best extra-virgin olive oil you can.
The Picchi Pacchi sauce marinates for thirty minutes before it is tossed with with the cooked pasta.
The pasta is cooked in accordance with the directions on the package. Once drained (and not rinsed) the pasta is immediately tossed with the tomato marinade, allowing it to better absorb of its' flavors. After stirring in the fresh mozzarella balls, the entire dish is topped with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. Buon appetito!
Pasta a Picchi Pacchi (Pee-key Pah-key) (inspired by Gale Gand's Vita's Pasta a Picchi Pacchi recipe in her cookbook 'Lunch')
Ingredients
10-12 ounces cherry tomatoes (heirloom mixture or mixture of red and yellow), halved or quartered
1 -2 cloves garlic, minced
10 -12 fresh basil leaves, julienned, plus additional whole leaves for finishing and presentation
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 pound fusilli lunghi (or linguini rigatti or angel hair pasta)
1/2 to 3/4 pound ciliegene (fresh mozzarella balls, small cherry size), halved (or use bocconcini mozzarella balls)
Salt and pepper
Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Directions
1. In a large bowl, mix together the tomatoes, garlic, basil, salt and pepper (to taste), and olive oil. Allow to sit for 30 minutes.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions.
3. Drain cooked pasta and toss with tomato marinade.
4. Mix in ciliegene mozzarella balls.
5. Grate Parmigiano-Reggiano over top and serve.
Notes:
Pasta a Picchi Pacchi can be stored covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. But it most likely will be devoured well before then.
Encourage you to double this recipe when serving at least four people for lunch or as a side for more than 6.
