Sophia Loren’s Pasta Recipe

The following recipe is an absolute favourite for Mr. Persnickety and I, and it has become a definite staple at Chez Heavenly.For those of you who may have seen this recipe on my old blog, I apologise. You see, before I began my Blogger account, I had another blog. To make a long story short, it just wasn’t up to scratch, so I restarted the whole thing. That ill-formed and lonely blog is still floating out there somewhere in cyberspace. I haven’t totally shut it down (yet), but I am going to transfer some of my favourites onto this page. The Sophia Loren recipe is too good not to share with you, my little foodie friends! You have got to try this.
Despite its mild appearance, it is packed with flavour. Oh, and if you think you don’t like anchovies, you are wron
g. You won’t even recognise the anchovy taste, it just adds another dimension to this dish.
During a time when most of the role models out there for women look like the female version of Skeletor, I take comfort in Sophia’s adage, “Everything you see I owe to spaghetti.” I was so pleased to come upon one of her actual recipes, printed in the September 2004 issue of Gourmet.

Vermicelli with Sauce Alla Sofia

2 garlic cloves

1 1/2 cups loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

1 small onion, sliced (1 1/2 cups)

4 anchovy fillets, rinsed, patted dry, and chopped

1/3 cup brine-cured green olives, pitted

2 teaspoons drained bottled capers

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 cup plus 1 teaspoon olive oil

1 lb vermicelli (thin spaghetti) or linguine


With a food processor running, drop in garlic and finely chop. Stop motor and add parsley, onion, anchovies, olives, capers, salt, and pepper, then process until finely chopped. With motor running, add 1/2 cup oil, blending until incorporated.


Cook pasta in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain well in a colander, then return to pot and toss with remaining 1 teaspoon oil. Transfer pasta to a large serving bowl, then pour sauce over top and toss well. Serve immediately.




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