The stroncatura was a poor food. The noodles were prepared in a correspondingly simple manner and without much chichi. There are several different recipes, but one of the classic ways of preparing stroncatura is with olives, chili peppers and anchovies.
The consumers – poor farmers in the area – simply mixed in an extra portion of spicy sauces to counteract the sour taste and also helped themselves with the strong aromas of sardines and anchovies.
Still, that didn’t go down well with everyone. When a noticeably large number of sick people could be associated with the special type of pasta, it was officially banned, which means in Calabria: only offered under the counter without a label.
Ingredients:
320 gr wholemeal spaghetti (or Stroncatura pasta)
300g fresh or canned tomatoes
20 gr of anchovies in olive oil
30 grams of black olives
1-2 tbsp capers in salt
1 chilli
60 gr breadcrumbs (60gr)
1 clove of garlic
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt
In a large frying pan, sauté the anchovies with a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil over a low heat, together with the clove of garlic and the sliced chilli.
Add the salted capers and coarsely chopped black olives to the dip and brown for a further 1 minute.
If necessary, add the previously prepared tomatoes (or the tomato sauce) and cook over a medium heat for about 10 minutes.
Toast the breadcrumbs in a non-stick pan with a drop of extra virgin olive oil until golden brown.
Cook the whole wheat spaghetti (or stroncatura pasta) in boiling water and drain al dente (a few minutes before the cooking time on the label).
Fry the spaghetti in the pan with the sauce, stirring, until cooked.
Serve the spaghetti sprinkled with the toasted breadcrumbs.
Enjoy your meal!
