Bucatini alla Caruso: the recipe for a simple and tasty first course from Campania

There Caruso-style pasta it’s a first simple and colorful, inspired by the famous Opera singer who, according to tradition, used to ask the chefs of the two hotels in which he stayed: the Vesuvio hotel in Naples and the Vittoria hotel in Sorrento. The dish contains all the true flavors of Campania: the San Marzano tomato, yellow peppers and fried courgettes, well mixed with delicious bucatini. It will be perfect to serve at a party special dinnerin the company of your closest friends, or for a Sunday lunch in family.

To prepare it, you will have to clean the courgettes, slice them into rounds, coat them in a layer of flour and fry them in abundant seed oil; in the meantime, proceed by cutting the tomatoes into cubes and the peppers into strips, and sautéing them in a pan with sautéed garlic and chilli pepper, then embellishing with fresh basil and oregano. Once the pasta is boiled al dentejust pour it into the pan with the seasoning, courgettes and chopped parsley, and stir in, if necessary, with a ladle of cooking water.

Some versions of the recipe call for sprinkling everything with pecorino cheese or grated parmesan, but we preferred to offer it natural: this is a variant also suitable for those following a diet vegan. The aromatic herbs will give the dish an unmistakable aroma; remember to also bring a basket full of slices of homemade bread to the table, to collect all the sauce with an inevitable shoe.

Find out how to prepare Caruso bucatini by following the step-by-step procedure and advice. If you liked this recipe, try your hand at other specialties from the Italian regions, such as pasta all’amatriciana, pasta alla paolina and spaghetti cacio e pepe.

How to prepare Caruso-style bucatini

Cut the courgettes into slices and flour them in a bowl 1.

Heat plenty of seed oil, immerse the courgettes and fry until golden 2, then drain them and transfer them to absorbent paper to remove excess oil. Set aside temporarily.

Pour a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil into a pan 3.

Add the peeled garlic cloves and the chilli pepper, leave to brown for a few minutes 4.

Add the San Marzano tomato, cut into coarse pieces, and the yellow pepper cut into strips 5.

Salt rule 6 and let it cook for 10 minutes.

When the peppers have softened, remove the garlic and season with oregano, pepper and chopped basil 7.

Boil the bucatini, drain them al dente and pour them into the pan with the sauce 8.

Add the fried courgettes and chopped parsley 9. If necessary, to add more creaminess, pour a ladle of cooking water.

Mix well, so as to mix everything 10then transfer to plates.

Enjoy your Caruso-style bucatini now 11.

Advice

Subject to availability, you can substitute San Marzano tomatoes with cherry or datterini tomatoes, sweet and juicy, and yellow peppers with red ones, with a stronger flavour. Furthermore, you can avoid dipping the courgettes in flour: once fried, they will be equally delicious.