Food from the Maremma

Spaghetti with Bottarga - a Tuscan Recipe

Sep 14, 2008 Rebecca Ford

If you want to make a quick and easy meal, try this recipe from the Maremma in the south-west corner of Tuscany.

If you thought Tuscan food was the same throughout the region, think again. Although you’ll find many dishes (Tuscan bean soup, for instance) appearing on menus all over Tuscany, there are some foods that are more geographically distinct.

Cuisine of the Maremma

The Maremma, for instance, the large rural area in south-west Tuscany – is the place that you’re most likely to find dishes such as filling acquacotta (a vegetable soup that’s eaten with an egg and poured over dried bread); tortelli Maremmani (large pasta parcels filled with ricotta and spinach), smoked eels, dark pine honey (umbrella pine trees are a distinctive feature of the Maremma), organically raised beef, and cinghiale (wild boar).

Bottarga

And because the Maremma encompasses much of Tuscany’s coastline (home to some of the area’s most exclusive hotels), you will also find bottarga - though mainly in specialist fish restaurants these days. Bottarga is the roe of grey mullet - an ingredient that’s generally salted and dried and usually sealed in vacuum packs. It’s a rich golden colour and is most commonly associated with the cuisine of Sardinia. Bottarga has a delicate spicy taste, with a seaside tang. It’s never cooked but is added to dishes such as salads, can be eaten as an antipasto on little squares of toast, or added to pasta for a quick and filling meal.

If you can get your hands on some (you might find it in specialist delis), here’s how to make Spaghetti with Bottarga.

Spaghetti with Bottarga – Recipe -Serves 4

  • 350g/12 oz dried spaghetti
  • Good olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 4-5 tablespoons bottarga

Method

  1. Cook the pasta according to instructions – it will probably take 8-10 minutes (you can of course use fresh pasta – the cooking time will be much shorter).
  2. While it's cooking, heat some olive oil, crush the garlic gently and cook it over a low heat. Don’t let the garlic burn, it will spoil the flavour. After a few minutes, scoop out the garlic. (You can save it to add to a soup or tomato sauce.)
  3. Now drain the pasta, then add it to the garlicky olive oil. Cook it gently and mix the oil in well with the spaghetti.
  4. Then place the spaghetti in a serving dish and grate the bottarga over it (much as you’d grate Parmesan cheese). Use as much or as little as you wish, season with black pepper, then serve with some more olive oil (ideally extra virgin olive oil, for the finest flavour). You can eat the spaghetti with bottarga with a crisp salad for a quick and healthy meal.

The copyright of the article Food from the Maremma in Italian Cuisine is owned by Rebecca Ford. Permission to republish Food from the Maremma in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
Spaghetti - eat it with bottarga, xandert, morgue file Spaghetti - eat it with bottarga